2023 Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Iowa
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
Finding the Best Nursing Associate 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 Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Iowa ranking. Our analysis looked at 17 schools in Iowa to see which associate degree programs offered the best value experiences for nursing students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.
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. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.
Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.
Top 10 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools
Our analysis found Western Iowa Tech Community College to be the best value school for nursing students who want to pursue a associate degree in Iowa. Western Iowa Tech Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Sioux City.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Western Iowa Tech Community College are $4,802 a year. After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Western Iowa Tech Community College carry an average student debtload of $24,421.
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The excellent associate degree programs at Northeast Iowa Community College helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best value nursing schools in Iowa. NICC is a small public school located in the rural area of Calmar.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at NICC are $6,120 per year.
NICC did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Iowa list.
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Out of the 17 schools in Iowa that were part of this year’s ranking, Des Moines Area Community College landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the large suburb of Ankeny, DMACC is a public college with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at DMACC are $5,220 a year. While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at DMACC accumulate an average of around $23,473 in student debt.
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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Eastern Iowa Community College District is a great value for nursing students working on their associate degree. Eastern Iowa Community Colleges is a moderately-sized public school located in the medium-sized city of Davenport.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Eastern Iowa Community Colleges are $4,396 per year. After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Eastern Iowa Community Colleges carry an average student debtload of $27,563.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Indian Hills Community College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Iowa list. IHCC is a small public school located in the remote town of Ottumwa.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at IHCC are $4,560 per year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at IHCC take out while working on their Associate Degree is $23,432.
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Kirkwood Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a associate degree. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the medium-sized city of Cedar Rapids, Kirkwood Community College is a public college with a large student population.
Kirkwood Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,308 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, nursing graduates from Kirkwood Community College take out $27,483 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
Kirkwood Community College did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Iowa list.
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Northwest Iowa Community College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Iowa ranking. Located in the rural area of Sheldon, Northwest Iowa Community College is a public school with a small student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Northwest Iowa Community College are $6,540 per year. On average, nursing graduates from Northwest Iowa Community College take out $25,038 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
Northwest Iowa Community College not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #2 on our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Iowa list.
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North Iowa Area Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a associate degree. It came in at #8 on the list. North Iowa Area Community College is a small public school located in the remote town of Mason City.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at North Iowa Area Community College are $5,971 per year. While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at North Iowa Area Community College accumulate an average of around $19,728 in student debt.
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Iowa Central Community College ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Iowa list. Iowa Central Community College is a medium-sized public school located in the remote town of Fort Dodge.
Iowa Central Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $6,000 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Iowa Central Community College carry an average student debtload of $26,954.
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Hawkeye Community College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Iowa list. Located in the city of Waterloo, Hawkeye Community College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
Hawkeye Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,977 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, nursing graduates from Hawkeye Community College take out $28,555 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
Hawkeye Community College also made our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Iowa list, coming in at #3.
Full Nursing at Hawkeye Community College Report
Request InformationBest Value Nursing Colleges in the Plains States Region
Explore all the Best Value 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 |
More Nursing Rankings in Iowa
Nursing Related Majors for Nursing
One of 30 majors within the healthcare area of study, nursing has other similar majors worth exploring.
Nursing Concentrations
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 17 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).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Aleksahgabrielle.
More about our data sources and methodologies.