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Most Popular Online Nursing Schools in Iowa

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2023 Most Popular Online Nursing Schools in Iowa

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

Nursing is the most popular major in Iowa with 2,966 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021.

Today's nursing students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Nursing Degree Search has created its Most Popular Online Nursing Schools in Iowa ranking. This report analyzed 8 schools in Iowa to see which ones were the most popular online programs for nursing students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from schools with online programs.

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

#1

Upper Iowa University

Fayette, IA

Our analysis found Upper Iowa University to be the most popular school for nursing students who want to pursue an online degree in Iowa. UIU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the rural area of Fayette.

After completing their degree, nursing graduates from UIU carry an average student debtload of $35,001.

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#2

University of Iowa

Iowa City, IA

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Iowa. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Most Popular Online Nursing Schools in Iowa list. Iowa is a very large public school located in the small city of Iowa City.

While working on their degree, nursing majors at Iowa accumulate an average of around $24,687 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $221.

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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 Most Popular Online Nursing Schools in Iowa list. Located in the city of Sioux City, St Luke's College is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

While working on their degree, nursing majors at St Luke's College accumulate an average of around $23,000 in student debt.

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Graceland University - Lamoni. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Popular Online Nursing Schools in Iowa list. Located in the rural area of Lamoni, Graceland Lamoni is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

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

#5

Morningside College

Sioux City, IA

Out of the 8 schools in Iowa that were part of this year’s ranking, Morningside College landed the # 5 spot on the list. Morningside is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Sioux City.

Nursing majors at Morningside take out an average of $28,000 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read full report on Nursing at Morningside College

#6

Briar Cliff University

Sioux City, IA

Briar Cliff University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best nursing programs. Located in the city of Sioux City, Briar Cliff is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

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#7

William Penn University

Oskaloosa, IA

William Penn University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #7 on the list. William Penn University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the remote town of Oskaloosa.

After completing their degree, nursing graduates from William Penn University carry an average student debtload of $42,520.

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#8

Allen College

Waterloo, IA

Allen College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #8 on the list. Located in the small city of Waterloo, Allen College is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Allen College take out is $30,510. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $242, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Nursing at Allen College

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
South Dakota 1,022
North Dakota 976
Nebraska 1,908
Kansas 2,633
Missouri 6,840

More Nursing Rankings in Iowa

Nursing Focus Areas

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
Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants 84,274

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 8 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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