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Best Value Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in Iowa

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2023 Best Value Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in Iowa

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

14 Colleges
$5,919 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$38,677 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants School for You

There are so many healthcare programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Healthcare Degree Search has created its Best Value Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in Iowa ranking. This report analyzed 14 schools in Iowa to see which ones offered the best value programs for practical nursing students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.

Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

2023 Best Value Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in Iowa

The colleges and universities below are the best value schools for practical nursing majors pursuing a .

Top 10 Best Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools

$4,802 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named Western Iowa Tech Community College the best value school in Iowa for practical nursing and nursing assistants students. Located in the small city of Sioux City, Western Iowa Tech Community College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

Western Iowa Tech Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,802 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, practical nursing graduates from Western Iowa Tech Community College take out $13,346 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read full report on Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Western Iowa Tech Community College

$4,396 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Eastern Iowa Community College District. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in Iowa list. Located in the midsize city of Davenport, Eastern Iowa Community Colleges is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Eastern Iowa Community Colleges are $4,396 a year. Practical Nursing majors at Eastern Iowa Community Colleges take out an average of $15,290 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read full report on Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Eastern Iowa Community College District

$5,220 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Des Moines Area Community College. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in Iowa list. DMACC is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Ankeny.

DMACC undergraduate students pay an average of $5,220 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, practical nursing majors at DMACC accumulate an average of around $6,366 in student debt.

Full Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Des Moines Area Community College Report

$5,971 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means North Iowa Area Community College is a great value for practical nursing and nursing assistants students. Located in the remote town of Mason City, North Iowa Area Community College is a public school with a small student population.

North Iowa Area Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,971 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at North Iowa Area Community College

#5

Marshalltown Community College

Marshalltown, IA
$5,040 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Marshalltown Community College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in Iowa list. Marshalltown Community College is a small public school located in the rural area of Marshalltown.

Marshalltown Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,040 in in-state tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that practical nursing majors at Marshalltown Community College take out is $18,616.

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$6,120 Average Tuition & Fees

Northeast Iowa Community College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value practical nursing and nursing assistants programs. Located in the rural area of Calmar, NICC is a public college with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at NICC are $6,120 a year. After completing their degree, practical nursing graduates from NICC carry an average student debtload of $17,499.

Full Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Northeast Iowa Community College Report

$6,000 Average Tuition & Fees

Iowa Central Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for practical nursing and nursing assistants students. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the remote town of Fort Dodge, Iowa Central Community College is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

Iowa Central Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $6,000 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, practical nursing graduates from Iowa Central Community College take out $12,343 in student loans while working on their degree.

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#8

Southeastern Community College

West Burlington, IA
$6,090 Average Tuition & Fees

Southeastern Community College landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value practical nursing and nursing assistants programs. Located in the remote town of West Burlington, Southeastern Community College is a public school with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Southeastern Community College are $6,090 a year. The average amount in student loans that practical nursing majors at Southeastern Community College take out is $16,800.

Full Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Southeastern Community College Report

#9

Kirkwood Community College

Cedar Rapids, IA
$5,308 Average Tuition & Fees

Kirkwood Community College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in Iowa ranking. Kirkwood Community College is a large public school located in the midsize city of Cedar Rapids.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Kirkwood Community College are $5,308 a year. After completing their degree, practical nursing graduates from Kirkwood Community College carry an average student debtload of $19,750.

Full Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Kirkwood Community College Report

$6,540 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #10, Northwest Iowa Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for practical nursing and nursing assistants students. Northwest Iowa Community College is a small public school located in the rural area of Sheldon.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Northwest Iowa Community College are $6,540 a year. The average amount in student loans that practical nursing majors at Northwest Iowa Community College take out is $15,625.

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Best Value Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants Colleges in the Plains States Region

Explore all the Best Value Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants Colleges in the Plains States Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Minnesota 22
Nebraska 0
South Dakota 0
North Dakota 70

One of 30 majors within the healthcare area of study, practical nursing and nursing assistants has other similar majors worth exploring.

Practical Nursing Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Licensed Practical/Vocational Nurse Training 44,900
Nursing Assistant/Aide and Patient Care Assistant/Aide 34,557
Other Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants 4,817

Related Major Annual Graduates
Nursing 322,592
Health & Medical Administrative Services 89,359
Allied Health & Medical Assisting Services 84,492
Allied Health Professions 82,308
Public Health 40,596

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 14 schools only.

  • 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 the rest 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).

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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