by our College Data Analytics TeamIt's not easy to decide which school to attend when you have so many options available. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in Iowa ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
See What's Included in This Value Report:
After analyzing 18 schools in Iowa, we came up with our list of those that offered the best value Associate Degree programs. To come up with this ranking of the best value schools, we look at factors that are all objective measurements. In the next few paragraphs, we'll talk a little about what we use in our analysis and why.
Our Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in Iowa ranking is determined by first looking at the combined costs of average tuition, fees, and room and board before any aid is applied. But, a school that excels in providing value for your money must also be a great school overall as well.
To take this into account we consider a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a host of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
Find out more about our best value ranking methodology.
Keep scrolling for the top schools in this ranking or select one of the other rankings methods below.
If you know what major you want to study, check out our list of the best value schools by major. If you're interested in other degree levels, you can view one of the lists below.
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our 2024 rankings named Des Moines Area Community College the best value (no aid) school in Iowa for students working on their associate degree. This large public school is located in Ankeny, Iowa.
Des Moines Area Community College has the honor of being ranked #1 in Iowa for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost without aid for the school is $12,722 a year for undergraduates.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Iowa Central Community College. It ranked #2 on our 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in Iowa list. Fort Dodge, Iowa is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
Not only is Iowa Central Community College a great value, but it is also ranked #5 in Iowa for overall quality. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $13,130 a year.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Iowa Western Community College. It ranked #3 on our 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in Iowa list. Located in Council Bluffs, Iowa, the school is a medium-sized public institution.
Iowa Western Community College has the honor of being ranked #4 in Iowa for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost without aid for the school is $15,080 a year for undergraduates.
The quality degree programs at Western Iowa Tech Community College helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in Iowa. Western Iowa Tech Community College is a medium-sized public school situated in Sioux City, Iowa.
Not only is Western Iowa Tech Community College a great value, but it is also ranked #8 in Iowa for overall quality. The average cost without aid for the school is $11,092 a year for undergraduates.
Learn More About Value at Western Iowa Tech Community College
A rank of #5 on our Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in Iowa list means Kirkwood Community College is a great place for students working on their degree. This fairly large public school is located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Not only is Kirkwood Community College a great value, but it is also ranked #6 in Iowa for overall quality. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $11,923 a year.
With a ranking of #6, Indian Hills Community College did quite well on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in Iowa list. Located in Ottumwa, Iowa, the school is a small public institution.
Indian Hills Community College has the honor of being ranked #12 in Iowa for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $9,510 a year.
Northwest Iowa Community College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in Iowa ranking. Northwest Iowa Community College is a public institution located in Sheldon, Iowa.
Not only is Northwest Iowa Community College a great value, but it is also ranked #9 in Iowa for overall quality. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $12,958 a year.
Northeast Iowa Community College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in Iowa ranking. Northeast Iowa Community College is a small public school located in Calmar, Iowa.
Not only is Northeast Iowa Community College a great value, but it is also ranked #7 in Iowa for overall quality. The average cost without aid for the school is $14,120 a year for undergraduates.
Eastern Iowa Community College District ranked #9 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in Iowa list. Eastern Iowa Community Colleges is a medium-sized public school situated in Davenport, Iowa.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Eastern Iowa Community College District is ranked #13 for quality in the state of Iowa. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $10,894 a year.
Read full value report on Eastern Iowa Community College District
With a ranking of #10, Marshalltown Community College did quite well on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in Iowa list. Marshalltown Community College is a small public school located in Marshalltown, Iowa.
Not only is Marshalltown Community College a great value, but it is also ranked #11 in Iowa for overall quality. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $12,820 a year.
Hawkeye Community College landed the #11 spot on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in Iowa ranking. Hawkeye Community College is a public institution located in Waterloo, Iowa.
Not only is Hawkeye Community College a great value, but it is also ranked #10 in Iowa for overall quality. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $14,919 a year.
Southwestern Community College landed the #12 spot on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in Iowa ranking. SWCC is a public institution located in Creston, Iowa.
Southwestern Community College has the honor of being ranked #14 in Iowa for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost without aid for the school is $14,520 a year for undergraduates.
Southeastern Community College ranked #13 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in Iowa list. Southeastern Community College is located in West Burlington, Iowa and has a small student population. It is a public school.
Not only is Southeastern Community College a great value, but it is also ranked #15 in Iowa for overall quality. The average cost without aid for the school is $15,300 a year for undergraduates.
North Iowa Area Community College ranked #14 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in Iowa list. Mason City, Iowa is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
North Iowa Area Community College has the honor of being ranked #16 in Iowa for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $13,313 a year.
Waldorf University did quite well in the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in Iowa ranking, coming in at #15. Waldorf University is a small private for-profit school located in Forest City, Iowa.
Waldorf University has the honor of being ranked #3 in Iowa for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost without aid for the school is $31,728 a year for undergraduates.
Ellsworth Community College ranked #16 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in Iowa list. This small public school is located in Iowa Falls, Iowa.
Ellsworth Community College has the honor of being ranked #18 in Iowa for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $12,240 a year.
Iowa Lakes Community College landed the #17 spot on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in Iowa ranking. Iowa Lakes Community College is a small public school located in Estherville, Iowa.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Iowa Lakes Community College is ranked #17 for quality in the state of Iowa. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $14,544 a year.
Upper Iowa University landed the #18 spot on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money in Iowa ranking. 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 #2 for quality in the state of Iowa. The average cost for undergraduates to attend the school if you don’t receive any aid is $43,019 a year.
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Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 18 schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.