2023 Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in Iowa
Today's nursing students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Also there are many trade schools and bpptcamp 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 Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in Iowa ranking. Our analysis looked at 16 schools in Iowa to see which bachelor's degree programs offered the best educational experiences for nursing students. Factors related to overall quality of the school, post-graduation earnings, average student debt, and more accumulated were considered when coming up with this list.
View our full ranking methodology.
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Top Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in Iowa
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our 2023 rankings named Luther College the best school in Iowa for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. Luther is a private not-for-profit institution located in Decorah, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 499 bachelor’s degrees in 2021-2022.
If you want to attend Luther, expect to pay an average of $48,160 in tuition and fees. Of course, this could be reduced if you receive financial aid.
Luther does have options available for those who want to take online classes. You will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your specific major. In 2020-2021 about 8% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Out of the 16 schools in Iowa that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern College landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in Orange City, Iowa, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 259 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2021-2022.
NWC does not offer a discount to in-state students, so the average tuition and fees for all undergraduates is $34,250. This amount may be reduced if you receive financial aid. On average, bachelor’s degree students take out $19,468 in loans while pursuing their degree.
NWC does offer online classes for certain degree levels. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 23% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
A rank of #3 on this year’s list means University of Iowa is a great place for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in Iowa City, Iowa, the large public school handed out 5,533 bachelor’s degree awards in 2021-2022.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at Iowa is $10,353. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $32,316. By the time they get their bachelor’s degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $21,787 in student loans.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at Iowa. In 2020-2021 about 62% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Dordt University is a great place for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in Sioux Center, Iowa, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 344 bachelor’s degree awards in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees at Dordt is $34,600. In-state students do not receive a discount, however you may be able to reduce your price if you receive financial aid.
Some students may be able to take online classes at Dordt. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 28% took at least some of their classes online.
The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at Saint Ambrose University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in Iowa. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Davenport, Iowa, and it awarded 619 bachelor’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees at St. Ambrose University is $34,570. In-state students do not receive a discount, however you may be able to reduce your price if you receive financial aid. On average, bachelor’s degree students take out $25,584 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at St. Ambrose University. During the 2020-2021 year, about 28% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Upper Iowa University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree nursing programs. UIU is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Fayette, Iowa. It awarded 1,004 bachelor’s degrees in 2021-2022.
If you want to attend UIU, expect to pay an average of $33,639 in tuition and fees. Of course, this could be reduced if you receive financial aid. By the time they get their bachelor’s degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $26,492 in student loans.
Online courses are available at UIU, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. During the 2020-2021 year, about 73% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Iowa State University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree nursing programs. Iowa State is a public institution located in Ames, Iowa. The school has a large population, and it awarded 6,795 bachelor’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at Iowa State is $10,133. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $26,617. Bachelor’s Degree recipients from Iowa State accumulate an average of $20,682 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at Iowa State. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 57% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
Morningside College landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree nursing programs. Located in Sioux City, Iowa, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 294 bachelor’s degree awards in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees at Morningside is $36,610. In-state students do not receive a discount, however you may be able to reduce your price if you receive financial aid. Bachelor’s Degree recipients from Morningside accumulate an average of $23,887 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at Morningside. During the 2020-2021 year, about 5% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Mount Mercy University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa ranking. Located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 438 bachelor’s degree awards in 2021-2022.
If you want to attend Mount Mercy, expect to pay an average of $37,606 in tuition and fees. Of course, this could be reduced if you receive financial aid. Bachelor’s Degree recipients from Mount Mercy accumulate an average of $21,821 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Mount Mercy does have options available for those who want to take online classes. You will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your specific major. During the 2020-2021 year, about 25% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Graceland University - Lamoni ranked #10 on this year’s Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa list. Located in Lamoni, Iowa, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 281 bachelor’s degree awards in 2021-2022.
Graceland Lamoni does not offer a discount to in-state students, so the average tuition and fees for all undergraduates is $31,970. This amount may be reduced if you receive financial aid. On average, bachelor’s degree students take out $22,242 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at Graceland Lamoni. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 4% took at least some of their classes online.
With a ranking of #11, University of Dubuque did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Dubuque, Iowa, and it awarded 412 bachelor’s degrees in 2021-2022.
If you don’t receive financial aid, you can expect a bill for $38,526 to cover tuition and fees at UD. The school does not offer an in-state discount. Bachelor’s Degree recipients from UD accumulate an average of $24,525 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Online courses are available at UD, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. During the 2020-2021 year, about 13% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Briar Cliff University landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree nursing programs. This very small private not-for-profit school is located in Sioux City, Iowa, and it awarded 183 bachelor’s degrees in 2021-2022.
If you don’t receive financial aid, you can expect a bill for $34,095 to cover tuition and fees at Briar Cliff. The school does not offer an in-state discount. On average, bachelor’s degree students take out $21,760 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Some students may be able to take online classes at Briar Cliff. In 2020-2021 about 31% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Grand View 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 #13 on the list. Des Moines, Iowa is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 455 students in 2021-2022.
If you don’t receive financial aid, you can expect a bill for $32,158 to cover tuition and fees at Grand View University. The school does not offer an in-state discount. Bachelor’s Degree recipients from Grand View University accumulate an average of $23,093 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Online courses are available at Grand View University, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In 2020-2021 about 32% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Coe College came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa ranking. Located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 434 bachelor’s degree awards in 2021-2022.
Coe does not offer a discount to in-state students, so the average tuition and fees for all undergraduates is $50,664. This amount may be reduced if you receive financial aid.
Iowa Wesleyan University ranked #15 on this year’s Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa list. Iowa Wesleyan is a very small private not-for-profit school situated in Mount Pleasant, Iowa. It awarded 117 bachelor’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees at Iowa Wesleyan is $34,700. In-state students do not receive a discount, however you may be able to reduce your price if you receive financial aid. By the time they get their bachelor’s degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $21,681 in student loans.
Iowa Wesleyan does have options available for those who want to take online classes. You will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your specific major. In 2020-2021 about 28% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Clarke University landed the #16 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree nursing programs. Dubuque, Iowa is the setting for this very small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 189 students in 2021-2022.
If you want to attend Clarke, expect to pay an average of $38,060 in tuition and fees. Of course, this could be reduced if you receive financial aid. Bachelor’s Degree recipients from Clarke accumulate an average of $26,471 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Online courses are available at Clarke, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In fact, around 67% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region
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Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 16 schools only.
References
- Read more about our ranking methodology.
- 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 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).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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