2023 Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Iowa
Identifying High-Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
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. Or you may find the programs at a trade school or bootcamp to be a better alternative for you.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Nursing Degree Search has developed this Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Iowa ranking. This report analyzed 15 schools in Iowa to see which ones offered the best value associate degree 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. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.
Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
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Top Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Iowa
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our 2023 rankings named Western Iowa Tech Community College the best value school in Iowa for nursing students working on their associate degree. Western Iowa Tech Community College is located in Sioux City, Iowa and has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 81 associate degrees to qualified students.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Western Iowa Tech Community College are $4,826 a year. Associate Degree recipients from this school accumulate an average of $17,167 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Western Iowa Tech Community College does offer online classes for certain degree levels. In 2019-2020 about 53% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Northeast Iowa Community College is a great place for nursing students working on their associate degree who want the most bang for their educational buck. Northeast Iowa Community College is a small public school located in Calmar, Iowa that handed out 90 associate degrees in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at NICC are $6,840 a year.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at NICC. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 55% took at least some of their classes online.
NICC did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Iowa list.
A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Des Moines Area Community College is a great place for nursing students working on their associate degree who want the most bang for their educational buck. Located in Ankeny, Iowa, the large public school awarded 166 diplomas to qualifed associate degree students in 2020-2021.
DMACC undergraduate students pay an average of $10,440 in tuition and fees each year. On average, associate degree students take out $16,614 in loans while pursuing their degree.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since DMACC does offer online classes for certain majors. In 2019-2020 about 63% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, DMACC is ranked #4 for overall quality in Iowa.
A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Eastern Iowa Community College District is a great place for nursing students working on their associate degree who want the most bang for their educational buck. Eastern Iowa Community Colleges is located in Davenport, Iowa and has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 86 associate degrees to qualified students.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Eastern Iowa Community Colleges are $5,904 a year. Associate Degree recipients from this school accumulate an average of $20,417 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at Eastern Iowa Community Colleges. In fact, around 61% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
The excellent associate degree programs at Indian Hills Community College helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best value nursing schools in Iowa. IHCC is a small public school situated in Ottumwa, Iowa. It awarded 28 associate degrees in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at IHCC are $6,000 a year. Associate Degree recipients from this school accumulate an average of $17,117 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
One thing to take note of is that IHCC does offer online classes in some areas. During the 2019-2020 year, about 36% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Kirkwood Community College ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Iowa list. Kirkwood Community College is a public institution located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 98 associate degrees in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Kirkwood Community College are $7,072 per year. On average, associate degree students take out $19,972 in loans while pursuing their degree.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at Kirkwood Community College. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 86% took at least some of their classes online.
With a ranking of #7, Northwest Iowa Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. Northwest Iowa Community College is located in Sheldon, Iowa and has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 38 associate degrees to qualified students.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Northwest Iowa Community College are $6,840 per year. On average, associate degree students take out $16,567 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Online courses are available at Northwest Iowa Community College, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In 2019-2020 about 68% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Northwest Iowa Community College not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #2 on our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Iowa list.
North Iowa Area Community College landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree nursing programs. North Iowa Area Community College is a small public school located in Mason City, Iowa that handed out 46 associate degrees in 2020-2021.
North Iowa Area Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $8,547 in tuition and fees each year. Associate Degree recipients from this school accumulate an average of $15,157 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
North Iowa Area Community College is one of the schools on our list that is primarily online. Each undergraduate student at the school took at least one class online.
North Iowa Area Community College did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Iowa list.
Iowa Central Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for nursing students to get an associate degree. It came in at #9 on the list. Fort Dodge, Iowa is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associate degrees to 75 students in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Iowa Central Community College are $8,650 per year. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $21,832 in student loans.
Iowa Central Community College does offer online classes for certain degree levels. During the 2019-2020 year, about 33% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Hawkeye Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for nursing students to get an associate degree. It came in at #10 on the list. Hawkeye Community College is a medium-sized public school located in Waterloo, Iowa that handed out 41 associate degrees in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Hawkeye Community College are $6,524 a year. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $21,368 in student loans.
Some students may be able to take online classes at Hawkeye Community College. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 41% took at least some of their classes online.
Marshalltown Community College came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Iowa ranking. Marshalltown Community College is a public institution located in Marshalltown, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 24 associate degrees in 2020-2021.
Marshalltown Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,448 in tuition and fees each year. Associate Degree recipients from this school accumulate an average of $17,126 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Marshalltown Community College 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. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 76% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Southeastern Community College came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Iowa ranking. Located in West Burlington, Iowa, the small public school handed out 64 associate degree awards in 2020-2021.
Southeastern Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $6,240 in tuition and fees each year. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $16,052 in student loans.
Online courses are available at Southeastern Community College, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 49% took at least some of their classes online.
Iowa Western Community College ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Iowa list. Council Bluffs, Iowa is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associate degrees to 146 students in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Iowa Western Community College are $6,480 a year. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $21,172 in student loans.
Some students may be able to take online classes at Iowa Western Community College. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 75% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Iowa Western Community College also took the #3 spot in our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Iowa rankings.
Southwestern Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for nursing students to get an associate degree. It came in at #14 on the list. SWCC is a small public school situated in Creston, Iowa. It awarded 40 associate degrees in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at SWCC are $6,270 a year. Associate Degree recipients from this school accumulate an average of $13,617 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at SWCC. In fact, around 65% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Iowa Lakes Community College landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree nursing programs. Located in Estherville, Iowa, the small public school handed out 27 associate degree awards in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Iowa Lakes Community College are $7,196 per year. On average, associate degree students take out $19,864 in loans while pursuing their degree.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at Iowa Lakes Community College. During the 2019-2020 year, about 45% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region
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Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 15 schools only.
References
- 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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