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. Sheldon, Iowa is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out degrees to 356 students in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Northwest Iowa Community College are $7,170 per year.
Northwest Iowa Community College did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our Best Trade Schools in Iowa list.
The excellent programs at Des Moines Area Community College helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best value trade schools in Iowa. Des Moines Area Community College is a large public school located in Ankeny, Iowa that handed out 4,028 degrees in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at DMACC are $10,680 a 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. IHCC is located in Ottumwa, Iowa and has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 735 degrees to qualified students.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at IHCC are $6,120 per year.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Eastern Iowa Community College District. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Trade School Schools in Iowa list. Davenport, Iowa is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out degrees to 1,143 students in 2021-2022.
Eastern Iowa Community Colleges undergraduate students pay an average of $6,096 in tuition and fees each 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. This small public school is located in Waterloo, Iowa, and it awarded 925 degrees in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Hawkeye Community College are $6,583 per year.
Northeast Iowa Community College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Trade School Schools in Iowa ranking. Located in Calmar, Iowa, the small public school handed out 596 degrees in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at NICC are $6,990 a year.
North Iowa Area Community College landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value trade school programs. North Iowa Area Community College is a small public school situated in Mason City, Iowa. It awarded 903 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.
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. Located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the fairly large public school awarded 2,365 diplomas to qualifed students in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Kirkwood Community College are $7,604 a year.
Marshalltown Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for trade school students. It came in at #10 on the list. Marshalltown Community College is a small public school located in Marshalltown, Iowa that handed out 435 degrees in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Marshalltown Community College are $5,688 per year.
Southeastern Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for trade school students. It came in at #11 on the list. Southeastern Community College is located in West Burlington, Iowa and has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 767 degrees to qualified students.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Southeastern Community College are $6,360 a 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. This large public school is located in Ames, Iowa, and it awarded 8,469 degrees in 2021-2022.
Iowa State undergraduate students pay an average of $26,617 in tuition and fees each year.
Iowa State not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #2 on our Best Trade Schools in Iowa list.
Iowa Central Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for trade school students. It came in at #13 on the list. Iowa Central Community College is a medium-sized public school located in Fort Dodge, Iowa that handed out 1,134 degrees in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Iowa Central Community College are $7,398 a year.
University of Northern Iowa came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Trade School Schools in Iowa ranking. Located in Cedar Falls, Iowa, the medium-sized public school awarded 2,755 diplomas to qualifed students in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UNI are $20,565 per year.
UNI also took the #3 spot in our Best Trade Schools in Iowa rankings.
Iowa Western Community College came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Trade School Schools in Iowa ranking. This medium-sized public school is located in Council Bluffs, Iowa, and it awarded 1,407 degrees in 2021-2022.
Iowa Western Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $6,690 in tuition and fees each year.
University of Iowa did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for trade school students. It came in at #16 on the list. Iowa is a public institution located in Iowa City, Iowa. The school has a large population, and it awarded 9,271 degrees in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Iowa are $32,316 per year.
Waldorf University landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value trade school programs. Located in Forest City, Iowa, the small private for-profit school awarded 919 diplomas to qualifed students 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. Iowa Lakes Community College is a public institution located in Estherville, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 311 degrees in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Iowa Lakes Community College are $7,452 a 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. NWC is a private not-for-profit institution located in Orange City, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 523 degrees in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at NWC are $34,250 per year.
NWC also took the #5 spot in our Best Trade Schools in Iowa rankings.
Upper Iowa University landed the #20 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value trade school programs. Located in Fayette, Iowa, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 1,328 degrees in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UIU are $33,639 per year.
Graceland University - Lamoni came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Trade School Schools in Iowa ranking. Graceland Lamoni is located in Lamoni, Iowa and has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 459 degrees to qualified students.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Graceland Lamoni are $31,970 per year.
Luther College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for trade school students. It came in at #22 on the list. Luther is located in Decorah, Iowa and has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 499 degrees to qualified students.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Luther are $48,160 a year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Luther also is in the top 20% of our Best Trade Schools in Iowa ranking.
Mount Mercy University ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Trade School Schools in Iowa list. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and it awarded 590 degrees in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Mount Mercy are $37,606 per year.
University of Dubuque did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for trade school students. It came in at #24 on the list. UD is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Dubuque, Iowa. It awarded 582 degrees in 2021-2022.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UD are $38,526 per year.
Clarke University ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Trade School Schools in Iowa list. Located in Dubuque, Iowa, the very small private not-for-profit school awarded 264 diplomas to qualifed students 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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