2022 Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in Iowa For Those Getting Aid

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in Iowa For Those Getting Aid” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2019-2020, 36,854 people earned their degree in design and applied arts, making the major the 34th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, design and applied arts graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $29,542 and had an average of $27,114 in loans still to pay off.

Across Iowa, there were 524 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $33,460 and $23,539 respectively. At the associate degree level specifically, there were 66 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $34,684 and $18,179 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in Iowa For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 4 colleges that offer a degree in design and applied arts. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality design and applied arts programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the design and applied arts program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Design & Applied Arts Schools

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in Iowa For Those Getting Aid” list to help you make the college decision.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in Iowa For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for iowa associate degree design students with aid.

Top 4 Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts in Iowa (With Aid)

#1

Des Moines Area Community College

Ankeny, Iowa

#1 in overall quality

$10,076 Average Net Price

$28,236 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in Iowa For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Des Moines Area Community College landed the #1 spot on the list. Des Moines Area Community College is a public institution located in Ankeny, Iowa. The school has a large population, and it awarded 33 associates’s degrees in 2019-2020.

DMACC also took the #1 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Des Moines Area Community College is $10,076 for iowa associate degree design students with aid.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Des Moines Area Community College

#2

Kirkwood Community College

Cedar Rapids, Iowa

#2 in overall quality

$10,939 Average Net Price

$28,019 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in Iowa For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Kirkwood Community College landed the #2 spot on the list. Kirkwood Community College is a fairly large school located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa that handed out 13 associates’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Kirkwood Community College, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Kirkwood Community College is $10,939 for Iowa Associate Degree Design students with aid.

Full Kirkwood Community College Design & Applied Arts Report

#3

Western Iowa Tech Community College

Sioux City, Iowa

#3 in overall quality

$7,201 Average Net Price

$28,960 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in Iowa For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Western Iowa Tech Community College landed the #3 spot on the list. Western Iowa Tech Community College is a public institution located in Sioux City, Iowa. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 7 associates’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Western Iowa Tech Community College also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in Iowa” list, coming in at #3. The yearly cost to attend Western Iowa Tech Community College is $7,201 for Iowa Associate Degree Design students with aid.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Western Iowa Tech Community College

#4

Iowa Central Community College

Fort Dodge, Iowa

#4 in overall quality

$10,102 Average Net Price

$19,358 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Iowa Central Community College. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Design Schools for an Associate in Iowa For Those Getting Aid. Iowa Central Community College is a small school located in Fort Dodge, Iowa that handed out 5 associates’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

Iowa Central Community College did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Associate Degree Schools in Iowa” list. It costs about $10,102 for Iowa Associate Degree Design students with aid per year to attend Iowa Central Community College.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Iowa Central Community College

• Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts in the Plains States Region (With Aid)
• Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts (With Aid)

Notes and References

References

• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
• Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
• Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

• *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
• Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

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