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Best Value Nursing Schools in Iowa

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2023 Best Value Nursing Schools in Iowa

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

34 Colleges
$14,427 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$66,973 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Nursing 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.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Healthcare Degree Search has created the Best Value Nursing Schools in Iowa to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 34 schools in Iowa to see which ones offered the best value programs for 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. 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.

2023 Best Value Nursing Schools in Iowa

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

Top 10 Best Nursing Schools

$4,802 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found Western Iowa Tech Community College to be the best value school for nursing students who want to pursue a degree in Iowa. Western Iowa Tech Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the small city of Sioux City.

Western Iowa Tech Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,802 in in-state tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Western Iowa Tech Community College take out is $21,962.

Read full report on Nursing at Western Iowa Tech Community College

$6,120 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northeast Iowa Community College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Nursing Schools in Iowa list. NICC is a small public school located in the rural area of Calmar.

NICC undergraduate students pay an average of $6,120 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, nursing majors at NICC accumulate an average of around $25,275 in student debt.

Read More…

$5,220 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 34 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 suburb of Ankeny, DMACC is a public school with a very large student population.

DMACC undergraduate students pay an average of $5,220 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, nursing graduates from DMACC take out $20,596 in student loans while working on their degree.

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$4,396 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Eastern Iowa Community College District. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Schools in Iowa list. Eastern Iowa Community Colleges is a medium-sized public school located in the midsize city of Davenport.

Eastern Iowa Community Colleges undergraduate students pay an average of $4,396 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, nursing majors at Eastern Iowa Community Colleges accumulate an average of around $26,451 in student debt.

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$5,977 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Hawkeye Community College is a great value for nursing students. Located in the small city of Waterloo, Hawkeye Community College is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Hawkeye Community College are $5,977 a year. On average, nursing graduates from Hawkeye Community College take out $23,477 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read full report on Nursing at Hawkeye Community College

#6

Kirkwood Community College

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

With a ranking of #6, Kirkwood Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students. Located in the midsize city of Cedar Rapids, Kirkwood Community College is a public college with a large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Kirkwood Community College are $5,308 per year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Kirkwood Community College take out is $25,000.

Read full report on Nursing at Kirkwood Community College

$4,560 Average Tuition & Fees

Indian Hills Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for nursing students. It came in at #7 on the list. IHCC is a small public school located in the 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 is $22,304.

Full Nursing at Indian Hills Community College Report

$6,540 Average Tuition & Fees

Northwest Iowa Community College ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Schools in Iowa list. Located in the rural area of Sheldon, Northwest Iowa Community College is a public school with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Northwest Iowa Community College are $6,540 a year. Nursing majors at Northwest Iowa Community College take out an average of $23,461 in student loans while working on their egree.

Full Nursing at Northwest Iowa Community College Report

$5,971 Average Tuition & Fees

North Iowa Area Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for nursing students. It came in at #9 on the list. North Iowa Area Community College is a small public school located in the town of Mason City.

North Iowa Area Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,971 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, nursing graduates from North Iowa Area Community College take out $15,000 in student loans while working on their degree.

Full Nursing at North Iowa Area Community College Report

$6,000 Average Tuition & Fees

Iowa Central Community College landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value nursing programs. Iowa Central Community College is a medium-sized public school located in the town of Fort Dodge.

Iowa Central Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $6,000 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Nursing majors at Iowa Central Community College take out an average of $23,838 in student loans while working on their egree.

Full Nursing at Iowa Central Community College Report

Best 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

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 25 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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