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Most Popular Nursing Schools in Iowa

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2023 Most Popular Nursing Schools in Iowa

36 Colleges
$66,973 Avg Salary
$28,803 Avg Student Debt

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 Most Popular Nursing Schools in Iowa to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 36 schools in Iowa to see which programs were the most popular for healthcare students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Nursing program at each school on the list.

The colleges and universities below are the most popular for nursing majors pursuing a .

Our 2023 rankings named Mercy College of Health Sciences the most popular school in Iowa for nursing students. Located in the midsize city of Des Moines, Mercy College of Health Sciences is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.

After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Mercy College of Health Sciences carry an average student debt load of $30,295. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $330, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Nursing at Mercy College of Health Sciences Report

#2

University of Iowa

Iowa City, IA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Iowa. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Popular Nursing Schools in Iowa list. Located in the city of Iowa City, Iowa is a public college with a very large student population.

While working on their degree, nursing majors at Iowa accumulate an average of around $24,687 in student debt. 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

Out of the 36 schools in Iowa that were part of this year’s ranking, Graceland University - Lamoni landed the # 3 spot on the list. Graceland Lamoni is a small private not-for-profit school located in the rural area of Lamoni.

Nursing majors at Graceland Lamoni take out an average of $28,584 in student loans while working on their egree.

Full Nursing at Graceland University - Lamoni Report

#4

Allen College

Waterloo, IA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Allen College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Popular Nursing Schools in Iowa list. Allen College is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Waterloo.

Nursing majors at Allen College take out an average of $30,510 in student loans while working on their egree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $242.

Read full report on Nursing at Allen College

Out of the 36 schools in Iowa that were part of this year’s ranking, Des Moines Area Community College landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the large suburb of Ankeny, DMACC is a public college with a very large student population.

While working on their degree, nursing majors at DMACC accumulate an average of around $20,596 in student debt.

Read full report on Nursing at Des Moines Area Community College

#6

Iowa Western Community College

Council Bluffs, IA

Iowa Western Community College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Schools in Iowa ranking. Located in the city of Council Bluffs, Iowa Western Community College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

Nursing majors at Iowa Western Community College take out an average of $25,973 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read More…

#7

Mount Mercy University

Cedar Rapids, IA

Mount Mercy University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for nursing students. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the midsize city of Cedar Rapids, Mount Mercy is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Mount Mercy carry an average student debt load of $27,000. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $289.

Read More…

#7

Upper Iowa University

Fayette, IA

With a ranking of #7, Upper Iowa University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students. Located in the remote area of Fayette, UIU is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Nursing majors at UIU take out an average of $35,001 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read More…

#9

Kirkwood Community College

Cedar Rapids, IA

Kirkwood Community College landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular nursing programs. Located in the city of Cedar Rapids, Kirkwood Community College is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Nursing majors at Kirkwood Community College take out an average of $25,000 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read full report on Nursing at Kirkwood Community College

Northeast Iowa Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for nursing students. It came in at #10 on the list. NICC is a small public school located in the rural area of Calmar.

While working on their degree, nursing majors at NICC accumulate an average of around $25,275 in student debt.

Read More…

Best Nursing Colleges in the Plains States Region

Explore all the Most Popular 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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