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2023 Best Value Trade School 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.
The Best Value Trade School Schools in Iowa ranking is one of many tools that Trade College Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 26 schools in Iowa to see which programs offered the best value experiences for trade school students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.
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 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 trade school students in Iowa. This medium-sized public school is located in Sioux City, Iowa, and it awarded 1,848 degrees in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Western Iowa Tech Community College are $4,946 a year.
A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Northwest Iowa Community College is a great place for trade school students who want to get the most value for their educational dollar. Northwest Iowa Community College is a public institution located in Sheldon, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 356 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.
Northwest Iowa Community College also took the #4 spot in our Best Trade Schools in Iowa rankings.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Des Moines Area Community College. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Trade School Schools in Iowa list. DMACC is located in Ankeny, Iowa and has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 4,028 degrees to qualified students.
DMACC undergraduate students pay an average of $10,680 in tuition and fees each year.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Indian Hills Community College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Trade School Schools in Iowa list. Located in Ottumwa, Iowa, the small public school awarded 735 diplomas to qualifed students in 2021-2022.
IHCC undergraduate students pay an average of $6,120 in tuition and fees each year.
A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Eastern Iowa Community College District is a great place for trade school students who want to get the most value for their educational dollar. Located in Davenport, Iowa, the medium-sized public school handed out 1,143 degrees in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Eastern Iowa Community Colleges are $6,096 a year.
Hawkeye Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for trade school students. It came in at #6 on the list. Hawkeye Community College is a public institution located in Waterloo, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 925 degrees in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Hawkeye Community College are $6,583 a year.
Northeast Iowa Community College ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Trade School Schools in Iowa list. NICC is located in Calmar, Iowa and has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 596 degrees to qualified students.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at NICC are $6,990 a year.
North Iowa Area Community College ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Trade School Schools in Iowa list. North Iowa Area Community College is a small public school located in Mason City, Iowa that handed out 903 degrees in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at North Iowa Area Community College are $8,884 per year.
Kirkwood Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for trade school students. It came in at #8 on the list. Cedar Rapids, Iowa is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out degrees to 2,365 students in 2021-2022.
Kirkwood Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $7,604 in tuition and fees each year.
Marshalltown Community College landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value trade school programs. Marshalltown Community College is located in Marshalltown, Iowa and has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 435 degrees to qualified students.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Marshalltown Community College are $5,688 per year.
Southeastern Community College ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Trade School Schools in Iowa list. Southeastern Community College is a public institution located in West Burlington, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 767 degrees in 2021-2022.
Southeastern Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $6,360 in tuition and fees each year.
Iowa State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for trade school students. It came in at #12 on the list. Iowa State University is a large public school located in Ames, Iowa that handed out 8,469 degrees in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Iowa State are $26,617 per year.
Iowa State also took the #2 spot in our Best Trade Schools in Iowa rankings.
Iowa Central Community College ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Trade School Schools in Iowa list. This medium-sized public school is located in Fort Dodge, Iowa, and it awarded 1,134 degrees in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Iowa Central Community College are $7,398 per year.
University of Northern Iowa came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Trade School Schools in Iowa ranking. This medium-sized public school is located in Cedar Falls, Iowa, and it awarded 2,755 degrees in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UNI are $20,565 per year.
UNI not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #3 on our Best Trade Schools in Iowa list.
Iowa Western Community College ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Trade School Schools in Iowa list. Council Bluffs, Iowa is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out degrees to 1,407 students in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Iowa Western Community College are $6,690 a year.
University of Iowa ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Trade School Schools in Iowa list. University of Iowa is a large public school located in Iowa City, Iowa that handed out 9,271 degrees in 2021-2022.
Iowa undergraduate students pay an average of $32,316 in tuition and fees each year.
Waldorf University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Trade School Schools in Iowa ranking. Waldorf University is a small private for-profit school located in Forest City, Iowa that handed out 919 degrees in 2021-2022.
Waldorf undergraduate students pay an average of $24,526 in tuition and fees each year.
Waldorf not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #1 on our Best Trade Schools in Iowa list.
Iowa Lakes Community College ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Trade School Schools in Iowa list. Located in Estherville, Iowa, the small public school handed out 311 degrees in 2021-2022.
Iowa Lakes Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $7,452 in tuition and fees each year.
Northwestern College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for trade school students. It came in at #19 on the list. Northwestern College is a small private not-for-profit school located in Orange City, Iowa that handed out 523 degrees in 2021-2022.
NWC undergraduate students pay an average of $34,250 in tuition and fees each year.
In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, NWC is ranked #5 for overall quality in Iowa.
Upper Iowa University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for trade school students. It came in at #20 on the list. Located in Fayette, Iowa, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 1,328 degrees in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at UIU are $33,639 a year.
Graceland University - Lamoni landed the #21 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value trade school programs. Located in Lamoni, Iowa, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 459 degrees in 2021-2022.
Graceland Lamoni undergraduate students pay an average of $31,970 in tuition and fees each year.
Luther College came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Trade School Schools in Iowa ranking. Decorah, Iowa is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out degrees to 499 students in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Luther are $48,160 per year.
Luther excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Trade Schools in Iowa list.
Mount Mercy University ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Trade School Schools in Iowa list. Mount Mercy is located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 590 degrees to qualified students.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Mount Mercy are $37,606 per year.
University of Dubuque came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Trade School Schools in Iowa ranking. UD is located in Dubuque, Iowa and has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 582 degrees to qualified students.
UD undergraduate students pay an average of $38,526 in tuition and fees each year.
Clarke University landed the #25 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value trade school programs. Located in Dubuque, Iowa, the very small private not-for-profit school handed out 264 degrees in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Clarke are $38,060 per year.
Best Value Trade Schools in the Plains States Region
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Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 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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