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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 2023 rankings named Waldorf University the best school in Iowa for trade school students working on their bachelor’s degree. Forest City, Iowa is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 592 students in 2021-2022.
Waldorf does not offer a discount to in-state students, so the average tuition and fees for all undergraduates is $24,526. This amount may be reduced if you receive financial aid. Bachelor’s Degree recipients from Waldorf accumulate an average of $22,767 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
One thing to take note of is that Waldorf does offer online classes in some areas. During the 2020-2021 year, about 69% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
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. This large public school is located in Ames, Iowa, and it awarded 6,795 bachelor’s degrees in 2021-2022.
In-state students pay an average of $10,133 in tuition and fees if they attend Iowa State full time. 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.
Some students may be able to take online classes at Iowa State. In 2020-2021 about 57% 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 University of Northern Iowa. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Bachelor’s Degree Trade Schools in Iowa list. UNI is a public institution located in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 2,246 bachelor’s degrees in 2021-2022.
Full-time students from Iowa pay an average of $9,411 in tuition and fees if they choose to attend UNI. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $20,565. By the time they get their bachelor’s degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $19,029 in student loans.
One thing to take note of is that UNI does offer online classes in some areas. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 54% took at least some of their classes online.
The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at Northwestern College helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best trade school schools in Iowa. Located in Orange City, Iowa, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 259 bachelor’s degree awards in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees at NWC is $34,250. 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 NWC accumulate an average of $19,468 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at NWC. 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 #5 on this year’s list means Luther College is a great place for trade school students working on their bachelor’s degree. Luther is located in Decorah, Iowa and has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 499 bachelor’s degrees to qualified students.
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.
Some students may be able to take online classes at Luther. In 2020-2021 about 8% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
University of Iowa landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree trade school programs. Iowa is a large public school situated in Iowa City, Iowa. It awarded 5,533 bachelor’s degrees in 2021-2022.
Full-time students from Iowa pay an average of $10,353 in tuition and fees if they choose to attend Iowa. Out-of-state students pay an average of $32,316. Bachelor’s Degree recipients from Iowa accumulate an average of $21,787 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at Iowa. In fact, around 62% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
Upper Iowa University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Bachelor’s Degree Trade Schools in Iowa ranking. Located in Fayette, Iowa, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 1,004 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees at UIU is $33,639. 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 UIU accumulate an average of $26,492 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at UIU. In fact, around 73% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
Dordt University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Bachelor’s Degree Trade Schools in Iowa list. Dordt is located in Sioux Center, Iowa and has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 344 bachelor’s degrees to qualified students.
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.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at Dordt. In 2020-2021 about 28% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Graceland University - Lamoni 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 #9 on the list. Lamoni, Iowa is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 281 students 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. Bachelor’s Degree recipients from Graceland Lamoni accumulate an average of $22,242 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 Graceland Lamoni does offer online classes for certain majors. 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.
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.
One thing to take note of is that Morningside does offer online classes in some areas. In fact, around 5% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #11, Mount Mercy University did quite well on this year’s best schools for trade school students working on their bachelor’s degree. Mount Mercy is located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 438 bachelor’s degrees to qualified students.
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. By the time they get their bachelor’s degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $21,821 in student loans.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Mount Mercy does offer online classes for certain majors. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 25% took at least some of their classes online.
Briar Cliff University landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree trade school programs. Briar Cliff University is a very small private not-for-profit school located in Sioux City, Iowa that handed out 183 bachelor’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees at Briar Cliff is $34,095. 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 Briar Cliff accumulate an average of $21,760 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
One thing to take note of is that Briar Cliff does offer online classes in some areas. During the 2020-2021 year, about 31% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Coe College landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree trade school programs. Coe is located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 434 bachelor’s degrees to qualified students.
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.
With a ranking of #14, University of Dubuque did quite well on this year’s best schools for trade school students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in Dubuque, Iowa, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 412 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree 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.
Some students may be able to take online classes at UD. In 2020-2021 about 13% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Clarke University ranked #15 on this year’s Best Bachelor’s Degree Trade Schools in Iowa list. 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 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.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at Clarke. In 2020-2021 about 67% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Best Trade Bachelor's 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
- 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.