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Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in Iowa

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2023 Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in Iowa

19 Colleges
$64,238 Avg Salary
$28,730 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree School for You

Out of the majors we analyze each year, nursing was the most popular one in Iowa. In total, 2,966 people earned a degree or certificate in the field from a school in Iowa.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for healthcare students. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Healthcare Degree Search has created its Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in Iowa ranking. Our analysis looked at 19 schools in Iowa to see which bachelor's degree programs offered the best educational experiences for healthcare students. To come up with a school's ranking, we analyzed numerous factors related to post-graduation wages, the quality of education offered by the school, average accumulated student debt, and more.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa

The colleges and universities below are the best for nursing majors pursuing a bachelor's degree.

Top 10 Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools

#1

St Luke's College

Sioux City, IA

Our analysis found St Luke’s College to be the best school for nursing students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Iowa. St Luke's College is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Sioux City.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at St Luke's College take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $31,663.

Full Nursing at St Luke’s College Report

#2

Luther College

Decorah, IA

The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at Luther College helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in Iowa. Luther is a small private not-for-profit school located in the remote town of Decorah.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Luther take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $24,995.

Read More…

#3

Northwestern College

Orange City, IA

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Northwestern College is a great place for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the town of Orange City, NWC is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Read More…

#4

University of Iowa

Iowa City, IA

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means University of Iowa is a great place for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the city of Iowa City, Iowa is a public school with a fairly large student population.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Iowa take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $25,295. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $221, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Nursing at University of Iowa Report

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Mercy College of Health Sciences is a great place for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the city of Des Moines, Mercy College of Health Sciences is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Mercy College of Health Sciences take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $32,347. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $330, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read More…

#6

Dordt University

Sioux Center, IA

Dordt University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the town of Sioux Center, Dordt is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Read More…

#7

Saint Ambrose University

Davenport, IA

Saint Ambrose University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the city of Davenport, St. Ambrose University is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

While working on their Bachelor's Degree, nursing majors at St. Ambrose University accumulate an average of around $28,729 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $500, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Nursing at Saint Ambrose University

#8

Upper Iowa University

Fayette, IA

Upper Iowa University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa ranking. Located in the rural area of Fayette, UIU is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

While working on their Bachelor's Degree, nursing majors at UIU accumulate an average of around $34,722 in student debt.

Full Nursing at Upper Iowa University Report

Iowa State University landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree nursing programs. Iowa State is a very large public school located in the city of Ames.

Read full report on Nursing at Iowa State University

#10

Allen College

Waterloo, IA

Allen College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa ranking. Allen College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Waterloo.

Nursing majors at Allen College take out an average of $28,861 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $242.

Full Nursing at Allen College Report

Best Nursing Colleges in the Plains States Region

Explore all the Best Nursing Schools in the Plains States Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Minnesota 14,890
Missouri 6,840
Nebraska 1,908
Kansas 2,633
South Dakota 1,022
North Dakota 976

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

Nursing Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Registered Nursing 266,651
Family Practice Nurse/Nursing 16,104
Nursing Administration 9,838
Nursing Practice 7,992
Other Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 5,092
Nursing Science 4,600
Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing 2,287
Adult Health Nurse/Nursing 2,021
Nurse Anesthetist 1,936
Public Health/Community Nurse/Nursing 1,883
Critical Care Nursing 773
Geriatric Nurse/Nursing 563
School Nursing 553
Nurse Midwife/Nursing Midwifery 509
Clinical Nurse Leader 444
Clinical Nurse Specialist 419
Perioperative/Operating Room and Surgical Nurse/Nursing 331
Maternal/Child Health and Neonatal Nurse/Nursing 181
Occupational and Environmental Health Nursing 57
Emergency Room/Trauma Nursing 53
Palliative Care Nursing 14
Forensic Nursing 14

Majors Similar to Nursing

Related Major Annual Graduates
Health & Medical Administrative Services 89,359
Allied Health & Medical Assisting Services 84,492
Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants 84,274
Allied Health Professions 82,308
Public Health 40,596

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 19 schools only.

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • 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).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Aleksahgabrielle.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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