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Best Value Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in Iowa

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2023 Best Value Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in Iowa

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

19 Colleges
$31,410 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$64,238 Avg Salary

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 Value 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 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 Bachelor's Degree Schools

#1

University of Iowa

Iowa City, IA

Our analysis found University of Iowa to be the best value school for nursing students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Iowa. Located in the city of Iowa City, Iowa is a public school with a very large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Iowa are $9,942 per year. 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.

Iowa also took the #3 spot in our Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa rankings.

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Iowa State University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa list. Iowa State is a very large public school located in the small city of Ames.

Iowa State undergraduate students pay an average of $9,634 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Iowa State not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #4 on our Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa list.

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#3

St Luke's College

Sioux City, IA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend St Luke’s College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa list. St Luke's College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Sioux City.

St Luke’s College undergraduate students pay an average of $20,940 in in-state tuition and fees each year. 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.

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Mercy College of Health Sciences. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa list. Located in the midsize city of Des Moines, Mercy College of Health Sciences is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Mercy College of Health Sciences are $19,754 per year. 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.

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#5

Allen College

Waterloo, IA

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Allen College is a great value for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. Allen College is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Waterloo.

Allen College undergraduate students pay an average of $19,718 in in-state tuition and fees each year. 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.

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#6

Northwestern College

Orange City, IA

Northwestern College ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa list. Located in the town of Orange City, NWC is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at NWC are $33,590 a year.

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, NWC is ranked #1 for overall quality for nursing in Iowa.

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#7

Dordt University

Sioux Center, IA

Dordt University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value bachelor’s degree nursing programs. Located in the town of Sioux Center, Dordt is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Dordt are $33,590 per year.

Dordt also took the #5 spot in our Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa rankings.

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#8

Saint Ambrose University

Davenport, IA

Saint Ambrose University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value bachelor’s degree nursing programs. Located in the midsize city of Davenport, St. Ambrose University is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at St. Ambrose University are $33,570 a year. 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.

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#9

Upper Iowa University

Fayette, IA

Upper Iowa 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 #9 on the list. Located in the rural area of Fayette, UIU is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UIU are $33,609 a year. While working on their Bachelor's Degree, nursing majors at UIU accumulate an average of around $34,722 in student debt.

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With a ranking of #10, Graceland University - Lamoni did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. Graceland Lamoni is a small private not-for-profit school located in the rural area of Lamoni.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Graceland Lamoni are $31,920 a year. On average, nursing graduates from Graceland Lamoni take out $29,727 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.

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Best Value Nursing Colleges in the Plains States Region

Explore all the Best Value Nursing Colleges 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.

  • 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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