2023 Best Bachelor's Degree Trade Schools in Iowa
When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for trade school students. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Trade College Search has developed this Best Bachelor's Degree Trade Schools in Iowa ranking. Our analysis looked at 15 schools in Iowa to see which bachelor's degree programs offered the best educational experiences for trade school students.
View our full ranking methodology.
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Top Trade Bachelor's Degree Schools in Iowa
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our analysis found Waldorf University to be the best school for trade school students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Iowa. Located in Forest City, Iowa, the small private for-profit school handed out 592 bachelor’s degree awards in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees at Waldorf is $24,526. 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 $22,767 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Waldorf 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 fact, around 69% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Iowa State University is a great place for trade school students working on their bachelor’s degree. Iowa State is a large public school situated in Ames, Iowa. It awarded 6,795 bachelor’s degrees in 2021-2022.
Students from Iowa who attend Iowa State full time pay an average of $10,133 in tuition and fees. Out-of-state students 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.
Iowa State does offer online classes for certain degree levels. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 57% took at least some of their classes online.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Northern Iowa. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Bachelor’s Degree Trade Schools in Iowa list. UNI is located in Cedar Falls, Iowa and has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 2,246 bachelor’s degrees to qualified students.
In-state students pay an average of $9,411 in tuition and fees if they attend UNI full time. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $20,565. On average, bachelor’s degree students take out $19,029 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Some students may be able to take online classes at UNI. In fact, around 54% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Northwestern College is a great place for trade school students working on their bachelor’s degree. NWC is located in Orange City, Iowa and has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 259 bachelor’s degrees to qualified students.
If you want to attend NWC, expect to pay an average of $34,250 in tuition and fees. Of course, this could 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. In 2020-2021 about 23% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Luther College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Bachelor’s Degree Trade Schools in Iowa list. Decorah, Iowa is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 499 students in 2021-2022.
If you don’t receive financial aid, you can expect a bill for $48,160 to cover tuition and fees at Luther. The school does not offer an in-state discount.
Some students may be able to take online classes at Luther. In fact, around 8% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
University of Iowa ranked #6 on this year’s Best Bachelor’s Degree Trade Schools in Iowa list. Iowa City, Iowa is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 5,533 students in 2021-2022.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at Iowa is $10,353. Out-of-state students pay an average of $32,316. On average, bachelor’s degree students take out $21,787 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at Iowa. During the 2020-2021 year, about 62% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
With a ranking of #7, Upper Iowa University did quite well on this year’s best schools for trade school students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in Fayette, Iowa, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 1,004 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students 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. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 73% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
Dordt University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Bachelor’s Degree Trade Schools in Iowa ranking. Sioux Center, Iowa is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 344 students in 2021-2022.
Dordt does not offer a discount to in-state students, so the average tuition and fees for all undergraduates is $34,600. This amount may be reduced if you receive financial aid.
Dordt does offer online classes for certain degree levels. In fact, around 28% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
Graceland University - Lamoni ranked #9 on this year’s Best Bachelor’s Degree Trade Schools in Iowa list. Located in Lamoni, Iowa, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 281 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2021-2022.
If you don’t receive financial aid, you can expect a bill for $31,970 to cover tuition and fees at Graceland Lamoni. The school does not offer an in-state discount. By the time they get their bachelor’s degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $22,242 in student loans.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at Graceland Lamoni. During the 2020-2021 year, about 4% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
With a ranking of #10, Morningside College did quite well on this year’s best schools for trade school students working on their bachelor’s degree. Morningside is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Sioux City, Iowa. It awarded 294 bachelor’s degrees in 2021-2022.
Morningside does not offer a discount to in-state students, so the average tuition and fees for all undergraduates is $36,610. This amount may 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 $23,887 in student loans.
Morningside 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 5% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Mount Mercy University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Bachelor’s Degree Trade Schools in Iowa ranking. Cedar Rapids, Iowa is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 438 students in 2021-2022.
If you don’t receive financial aid, you can expect a bill for $37,606 to cover tuition and fees at Mount Mercy. The school does not offer an in-state discount. On average, bachelor’s degree students take out $21,821 in loans while pursuing 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. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 25% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
Briar Cliff University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for trade school students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #12 on the list. Located in Sioux City, Iowa, the very small private not-for-profit school awarded 183 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2021-2022.
Briar Cliff does not offer a discount to in-state students, so the average tuition and fees for all undergraduates is $34,095. This amount may 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 $21,760 in student loans.
Briar Cliff 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. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 31% took at least some of their classes online.
Coe College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for trade school students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #13 on the list. Coe is a private not-for-profit institution located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 434 bachelor’s degrees 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.
University of Dubuque came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Bachelor’s Degree Trade Schools in Iowa ranking. Dubuque, Iowa is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 412 students in 2021-2022.
If you want to attend UD, expect to pay an average of $38,526 in tuition and fees. Of course, this could be reduced if you receive financial aid. On average, bachelor’s degree students take out $24,525 in loans while pursuing their degree.
One thing to take note of is that UD does offer online classes in some areas. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 13% took at least some of their classes online.
Clarke University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Bachelor’s Degree Trade Schools in Iowa ranking. This very small private not-for-profit school is located in Dubuque, Iowa, and it awarded 189 bachelor’s degrees in 2021-2022.
If you don’t receive financial aid, you can expect a bill for $38,060 to cover tuition and fees at Clarke. The school does not offer an in-state discount. On average, bachelor’s degree students take out $26,471 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Some students may be able to take online classes at Clarke. During the 2020-2021 year, about 67% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
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Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 15 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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