by our College Data Analytics TeamThere are lots of options to choose from today when trying to decide which school to attend. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our Best Iowa Schools For The Money For Those Making $0-$30k for a Master's ranking - to help you make that decision. Due to the amount of income-based financial aid available, many 'high-priced' schools are more affordable than you think.
In This Year's Value Report:
Our analysis looked at 19 schools in Iowa to determine which ones have the best value Master's Degree programs. Our ranking for the best value schools is based on objective factors. We steer clear of subjective measures since they don't give a clear picture when determining how one school compares to another. More specifically, the following explains what we consider and why.
When determining the value of a school in our Best Master's Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in Iowa ranking, we first look at its average net price of a student coming from a family that makes $0-$30k a year. The net price is defined as the sum of room and board, tuition, and fees minus any financial aid that the student receives. In addition, the overall quality of a school is important to ensure a good education, not just how much it costs.
To make it into this list a school must offer a quality education like the schools in our Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considers factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.
To learn more, visit our best value ranking methodology page.
You can scroll down to see the top schools for this ranking, but you may also want to view some of the other ranking methods listed below.
Know what field you want to major in? Make sure you check out our best value schools by major. In addition, you can select one of the links below to see the best value colleges for other degree levels.
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our 2024 rankings named Iowa State University the best value (income $0-$30k) school in Iowa for students working on their master’s degree. This large public school is located in Ames, Iowa.
Iowa State University has the honor of being ranked #2 in Iowa for overall quality on top of being a good value.
Out of the 19 master’s degree schools in Iowa that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Northern Iowa landed the #2 spot on the list. UNI is located in Cedar Falls, Iowa and has a medium-sized student population. It is a public school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, University of Northern Iowa is ranked #4 for quality in the state of Iowa.
A rank of #3 on our Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in Iowa list means University of Iowa is a great place for students working on their degree. This large public school is located in Iowa City, Iowa.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, University of Iowa is ranked #1 for quality in the state of Iowa.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Maharishi International University. It ranked #4 on our 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in Iowa list. MIU is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Fairfield, Iowa.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Maharishi International University is ranked #5 for quality in the state of Iowa.
Read full value report on Maharishi International University
A rank of #5 on our Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in Iowa list means Buena Vista University is a great place for students working on their degree. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Storm Lake, Iowa.
Not only is Buena Vista University a great value, but it is also ranked #13 in Iowa for overall quality.
Graceland University - Lamoni did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in Iowa ranking, coming in at #6. Located in Lamoni, Iowa, the school is a small private not-for-profit institution.
Graceland University - Lamoni has the honor of being ranked #9 in Iowa for overall quality on top of being a good value.
Loras College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in Iowa ranking. Loras is located in Dubuque, Iowa and has a small student population. It is a private not-for-profit school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Loras College is ranked #12 for quality in the state of Iowa.
Northwestern College landed the #8 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in Iowa ranking. NWC is a private not-for-profit institution located in Orange City, Iowa.
Northwestern College has the honor of being ranked #7 in Iowa for overall quality on top of being a good value.
With a ranking of #9, Dordt University did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in Iowa list. Located in Sioux Center, Iowa, the school is a small private not-for-profit institution.
Dordt University has the honor of being ranked #10 in Iowa for overall quality on top of being a good value.
Drake University landed the #10 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in Iowa ranking. Drake is a private not-for-profit institution located in Des Moines, Iowa.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Drake University is ranked #3 for quality in the state of Iowa.
Mount Mercy University landed the #11 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in Iowa ranking. Mount Mercy is a private not-for-profit institution located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Mount Mercy University has the honor of being ranked #14 in Iowa for overall quality on top of being a good value.
Morningside College ranked #12 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in Iowa list. Morningside is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Sioux City, Iowa.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Morningside College is ranked #6 for quality in the state of Iowa.
Saint Ambrose University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in Iowa list. St. Ambrose University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Davenport, Iowa.
Saint Ambrose University has the honor of being ranked #8 in Iowa for overall quality on top of being a good value.
Briar Cliff University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in Iowa list. Briar Cliff is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Sioux City, Iowa.
Briar Cliff University has the honor of being ranked #15 in Iowa for overall quality on top of being a good value.
University of Dubuque came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in Iowa ranking. UD is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Dubuque, Iowa.
Not only is University of Dubuque a great value, but it is also ranked #17 in Iowa for overall quality.
Upper Iowa University did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in Iowa ranking, coming in at #16. Fayette, Iowa is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. It is a private not-for-profit school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Upper Iowa University is ranked #11 for quality in the state of Iowa.
William Penn University landed the #17 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in Iowa ranking. Located in Oskaloosa, Iowa, the school is a small private not-for-profit institution.
Not only is William Penn University a great value, but it is also ranked #18 in Iowa for overall quality.
Waldorf University landed the #18 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in Iowa ranking. This small private for-profit school is located in Forest City, Iowa.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Waldorf University is ranked #16 for quality in the state of Iowa.
Grand View University ranked #19 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in Iowa list. Grand View University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Des Moines, Iowa.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Grand View University is ranked #19 for quality in the state of Iowa.
View Best Value Master’s Degree Schools (Income $0-$30k) Nationwide >
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Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 19 schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.