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2023 Best Value Trade School Associate Degree Schools in Iowa
Identifying High-Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
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.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Trade College Search has created the Best Value Trade School Associate Degree Schools in Iowa to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 14 schools in Iowa to see which ones offered the best value associate degree programs for trade school students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.
This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. 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.
For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
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Top Value Trade Associate Degree Schools in Iowa
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our analysis found Eastern Iowa Community College District to be the best value school for trade school students who want to pursue a associate degree in Iowa. This medium-sized public school is located in Davenport, Iowa, and it awarded 823 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
Eastern Iowa Community Colleges undergraduate students pay an average of $6,096 in tuition and fees each year. Associate Degree recipients from this school accumulate an average of $16,472 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Eastern Iowa Community Colleges 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 44% took at least some of their classes online.
The excellent associate degree programs at Indian Hills Community College helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best value trade school schools in Iowa. IHCC is a small public school situated in Ottumwa, Iowa. It awarded 528 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at IHCC are $6,120 per year. Associate Degree recipients from this school accumulate an average of $14,730 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at IHCC. In fact, around 36% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Northwest Iowa Community College. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Trade School Associate Degree Schools in Iowa list. Northwest Iowa Community College is a small public school situated in Sheldon, Iowa. It awarded 211 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Northwest Iowa Community College are $7,170 a year. On average, associate degree students take out $11,532 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at Northwest Iowa Community College. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 66% took at least some of their classes online.
Northwest Iowa Community College not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #2 on our Best Associate Degree Trade Schools in Iowa list.
A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Kirkwood Community College is a great place for trade school students working on their associate degree who want the most bang for their educational buck. Kirkwood Community College is a public institution located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 1,628 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Kirkwood Community College are $7,604 a year. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $16,030 in student loans.
Some students may be able to take online classes at Kirkwood Community College. In fact, around 59% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
Kirkwood Community College not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #5 on our Best Associate Degree Trade Schools in Iowa list.
A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Des Moines Area Community College is a great place for trade school students working on their associate degree who want the most bang for their educational buck. DMACC is located in Ankeny, Iowa and has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 2,010 associate degrees to qualified students.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at DMACC are $10,680 a year. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $12,641 in student loans.
DMACC does offer online classes for certain degree levels. During the 2020-2021 year, about 50% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Hawkeye Community College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree trade school programs. This small public school is located in Waterloo, Iowa, and it awarded 596 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Hawkeye Community College are $6,583 per year. Associate Degree recipients from this school accumulate an average of $17,358 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at Hawkeye Community College. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 44% took at least some of their classes online.
Hawkeye Community College also made our Best Associate Degree Trade Schools in Iowa list, coming in at #3.
Western Iowa Tech Community College ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Trade School Associate Degree Schools in Iowa list. Western Iowa Tech Community College is a public institution located in Sioux City, Iowa. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 479 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
Western Iowa Tech Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,946 in tuition and fees each year. Associate Degree recipients from this school accumulate an average of $14,028 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
One thing to take note of is that Western Iowa Tech Community College does offer online classes in some areas. In 2020-2021 about 78% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Northeast Iowa Community College landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree trade school programs. NICC is a small public school situated in Calmar, Iowa. It awarded 368 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at NICC are $6,990 a year.
One thing to take note of is that NICC does offer online classes in some areas. In fact, around 43% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
NICC not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #4 on our Best Associate Degree Trade Schools in Iowa list.
Iowa Central Community College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Trade School Associate Degree Schools in Iowa ranking. Fort Dodge, Iowa is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associate degrees to 812 students in 2021-2022.
Iowa Central Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $7,398 in tuition and fees each year. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $18,497 in student loans.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at Iowa Central Community College. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 26% took at least some of their classes online.
With a ranking of #10, Southeastern Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for trade school students working on their associate degree. Located in West Burlington, Iowa, the small public school handed out 388 associate degree awards in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Southeastern Community College are $6,360 per year. On average, associate degree students take out $14,369 in loans while pursuing their degree.
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. During the 2020-2021 year, about 55% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Iowa Western Community College came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Trade School Associate Degree Schools in Iowa ranking. Council Bluffs, Iowa is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associate degrees to 797 students in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Iowa Western Community College are $6,690 per year. On average, associate degree students take out $16,474 in loans while pursuing their degree.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at Iowa Western Community College. In 2020-2021 about 63% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
North Iowa Area Community College ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Trade School Associate Degree Schools in Iowa list. North Iowa Area Community College is a small public school situated in Mason City, Iowa. It awarded 511 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at North Iowa Area Community College are $8,884 a year. Associate Degree recipients from this school accumulate an average of $11,718 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at North Iowa Area Community College. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 83% took at least some of their classes online.
Marshalltown Community College came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Trade School Associate Degree Schools in Iowa ranking. Marshalltown Community College is a small public school situated in Marshalltown, Iowa. It awarded 206 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Marshalltown Community College are $5,688 a year. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $14,363 in student loans.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at Marshalltown Community College. In 2020-2021 about 67% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Waldorf University landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree trade school programs. Forest City, Iowa is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out associate degrees to 116 students in 2021-2022.
Waldorf undergraduate students pay an average of $24,526 in tuition and fees each year. Associate Degree recipients from this school accumulate an average of $15,988 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Some students may be able to take online classes at Waldorf. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 69% took at least some of their classes online.
Waldorf also took the #1 spot in our Best Associate Degree Trade Schools in Iowa rankings.
Best Value Trade Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region
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Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 14 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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