2023 Best Value Nursing Undergraduate Certificate 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.
The Best Value Nursing Undergraduate Certificate Schools in Iowa ranking is one of many tools that Nursing Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 15 schools in Iowa to see which undergraduate certificate programs offered the best value experiences for nursing students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.
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 Undergraduate Certificate Schools in Iowa
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our analysis found Western Iowa Tech Community College to be the best value school for nursing students who want to pursue a undergraduate certificate in Iowa. Sioux City, Iowa is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out undergraduate certificates to 121 students in 2020-2021.
Western Iowa Tech Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,826 in tuition and fees each year. By the time they get their undergraduate certificate, students from this school have racked up an average of $12,541 in student loans.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at Western Iowa Tech Community College. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 53% took at least some of their classes online.
Western Iowa Tech Community College also made our Best Nursing Undergraduate Certificate Schools in Iowa list, coming in at #5.
A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Eastern Iowa Community College District is a great place for nursing students working on their undergraduate certificate 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 28 undergraduate certificates to qualified students.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Eastern Iowa Community Colleges are $5,904 per year. By the time they get their undergraduate certificate, students from this school have racked up an average of $16,753 in student loans.
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.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Marshalltown Community College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Nursing Undergraduate Certificate Schools in Iowa list. Marshalltown Community College is a small public school situated in Marshalltown, Iowa. It awarded 19 undergraduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Marshalltown Community College are $5,448 per year. On average, undergraduate certificate students take out $22,664 in loans while pursuing 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. In 2019-2020 about 76% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
The excellent undergraduate certificate programs at Hawkeye Community College helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best value nursing schools in Iowa. Located in Waterloo, Iowa, the medium-sized public school handed out 28 undergraduate certificate awards in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Hawkeye Community College are $6,524 per year. On average, undergraduate certificate students take out $15,286 in loans while pursuing their degree.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at Hawkeye Community College. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 41% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Hawkeye Community College also took the #3 spot in our Best Nursing Undergraduate Certificate Schools in Iowa rankings.
Out of the 15 schools in Iowa that were part of this year’s value ranking, Southeastern Community College landed the # 5 spot on the list. Southeastern Community College is located in West Burlington, Iowa and has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 67 undergraduate certificates to qualified students.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Southeastern Community College are $6,240 a year. Undergraduate Certificate recipients from this school accumulate an average of $15,255 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
One thing to take note of is that Southeastern Community College does offer online classes in some areas. In 2019-2020 about 49% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Southeastern Community College also took the #2 spot in our Best Nursing Undergraduate Certificate Schools in Iowa rankings.
Northeast Iowa Community College ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Undergraduate Certificate Schools in Iowa list. Located in Calmar, Iowa, the small public school handed out 92 undergraduate certificate awards in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at NICC are $6,840 per year. Undergraduate Certificate recipients from this school accumulate an average of $15,283 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Online courses are available at NICC, 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 55% took at least some of their classes online.
NICC also made our Best Nursing Undergraduate Certificate Schools in Iowa list, coming in at #1.
With a ranking of #7, Des Moines Area Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students working on their undergraduate certificate. Located in Ankeny, Iowa, the large public school awarded 23 diplomas to qualifed undergraduate certificate students in 2020-2021.
DMACC undergraduate students pay an average of $10,440 in tuition and fees each year. By the time they get their undergraduate certificate, students from this school have racked up an average of $16,511 in student loans.
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.
With a ranking of #8, North Iowa Area Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students working on their undergraduate certificate. North Iowa Area Community College is located in Mason City, Iowa and has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 19 undergraduate certificates to qualified students.
North Iowa Area Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $8,547 in tuition and fees each year.
Interested in an online degree? Then you definitely want to check out North Iowa Area Community College. Every undergraduate student at the school took at least one class online.
Kirkwood Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for nursing students to get an undergraduate certificate. It came in at #9 on the list. Cedar Rapids, Iowa is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out undergraduate certificates to 94 students in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Kirkwood Community College are $7,072 per year. On average, undergraduate certificate students take out $19,474 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Kirkwood Community College does offer online classes for certain degree levels. In fact, around 86% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Iowa Central Community College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Undergraduate Certificate Schools in Iowa ranking. Iowa Central Community College is a medium-sized public school located in Fort Dodge, Iowa that handed out 47 undergraduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Iowa Central Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $8,650 in tuition and fees each year. By the time they get their undergraduate certificate, students from this school have racked up an average of $11,673 in student loans.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Iowa Central Community College does offer online classes for certain majors. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 33% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Northwest Iowa Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for nursing students to get an undergraduate certificate. It came in at #11 on the list. Northwest Iowa Community College is a public institution located in Sheldon, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 46 undergraduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Northwest Iowa Community College are $6,840 per year. Undergraduate Certificate recipients from this school accumulate an average of $14,120 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Northwest Iowa Community College does offer online classes for certain majors. 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 #4 on our Best Nursing Undergraduate Certificate Schools in Iowa list.
Indian Hills Community College came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Undergraduate Certificate Schools in Iowa ranking. Indian Hills Community College is a small public school located in Ottumwa, Iowa that handed out 21 undergraduate certificates in 2020-2021.
IHCC undergraduate students pay an average of $6,000 in tuition and fees each year. By the time they get their undergraduate certificate, students from this school have racked up an average of $19,190 in student loans.
One thing to take note of is that IHCC does offer online classes in some areas. In fact, around 36% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Iowa Western Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for nursing students to get an undergraduate certificate. It came in at #13 on the list. Located in Council Bluffs, Iowa, the medium-sized public school handed out 131 undergraduate certificate awards in 2020-2021.
Iowa Western Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $6,480 in tuition and fees each year. By the time they get their undergraduate certificate, students from this school have racked up an average of $12,734 in student loans.
Some students may be able to take online classes at Iowa Western Community College. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 75% took at least some of their classes online.
Southwestern Community College came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Undergraduate Certificate Schools in Iowa ranking. Southwestern Community College is a small public school located in Creston, Iowa that handed out 48 undergraduate certificates in 2020-2021.
SWCC undergraduate students pay an average of $6,270 in tuition and fees each year. By the time they get their undergraduate certificate, students from this school have racked up an average of $18,035 in student loans.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at SWCC. During the 2019-2020 year, about 65% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Iowa Lakes Community College came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Undergraduate Certificate Schools in Iowa ranking. Iowa Lakes Community College is a small public school located in Estherville, Iowa that handed out 7 undergraduate certificates in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Iowa Lakes Community College are $7,196 per year. Undergraduate Certificate recipients from this school accumulate an average of $17,327 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Online courses are available at Iowa Lakes Community College, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 45% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Best Value Nursing Undergraduate Certificate 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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