Best Value Colleges in Iowa
We estimate how many years the earnings premium over a typical Iowa high school graduate would take to repay four years of net price. Across the 24 public and private nonprofit colleges that qualify, the estimate runs from 2.4 years at the fastest to 8.4 years at the slowest.
The median college needs 4.3 years to repay its net price, 1.1 years longer than the national median of 3.2 years. Public colleges (3) have a median payback of 2.8 years against 4.4 years for the 21 private nonprofit colleges, so public options tend to repay faster here.
Iowa State University ranks first at 2.4 years, ahead of University of Iowa (2.8 years) and Graceland University-Lamoni (2.8 years). Payback is an estimate, not a forecast: it assumes four years of net price and the earnings of past graduates, and it says nothing about your own major or career.
How this list is built
A college appears here only if it meets every condition below.
- Colleges considered
- Public and private nonprofit 4-year colleges
- Ranked by payback, lowest first. Ties are broken by larger undergraduate enrollment, then by name.
- Main campuses only, with at least 60% of core data fields reported
- Main campus located in Iowa
- At least 500 undergraduate students enrolled (fall 2024)
- Graduation rate of 40% or higher
- A reported payback value (schools without one are not ranked)
- This page is published only when at least 15 schools qualify; Iowa has 24
- Data period
- Payback: years for the earnings premium over a high school graduate in the same state to repay four years of net price (shown only when the premium is at least $2,000).
- Net price: average for students receiving aid, academic year 2023-24.
- Earnings: median earnings four years after completing, measured in 2022 and 2023 for the 2017-18 and 2018-19 cohorts, in 2024 dollars.
- Graduate debt: median federal loan debt of completers, pooled 2020 and 2021 cohorts.
- Graduation rate: first-time, full-time students who started in fall 2018 (4-year) or fall 2021 (2-year), finishing within 150% of normal time.
- Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, June 2026 release.
Showing all 24 qualifying schools. Select a column heading to re-sort the table.
| 1 | Iowa State University Ames, IA Public · 4-year | 2.4 years | $18,589 | $68,277 | $22,869 | 75% |
| 2 | University of Iowa Iowa City, IA Public · 4-year | 2.8 years | $22,531 | $69,866 | $22,500 | 74% |
| 3 | Graceland University-Lamoni Lamoni, IA Private nonprofit · 4-year | 2.8 years | $18,504 | $63,607 | $21,212 | 40% |
| 4 | Grinnell College Grinnell, IA Private nonprofit · 4-year | 3.2 years | $17,648 | $58,955 | $17,500 | 88% |
| 5 | Saint Ambrose University Davenport, IA Private nonprofit · 4-year | 3.3 years | $24,691 | $67,026 | $25,000 | 62% |
| 6 | Mount Mercy University Cedar Rapids, IA Private nonprofit · 4-year | 3.3 years | $20,168 | $61,330 | $23,699 | 57% |
| 7 | Mercy College of Health Sciences Des Moines, IA Private nonprofit · 4-year | 3.4 years | $26,924 | $68,691 | $14,745 | 56% |
| 8 | University of Northern Iowa Cedar Falls, IA Public · 4-year | 3.6 years | $15,901 | $54,830 | $19,691 | 68% |
| 9 | Coe College Cedar Rapids, IA Private nonprofit · 4-year | 3.7 years | $18,745 | $57,133 | $27,000 | 62% |
| 10 | Briar Cliff University Sioux City, IA Private nonprofit · 4-year | 4.0 years | $23,907 | $61,163 | $23,250 | 48% |
| 11 | Drake University Des Moines, IA Private nonprofit · 4-year | 4.1 years | $29,127 | $65,232 | $23,000 | 76% |
| 12 | University of Dubuque Dubuque, IA Private nonprofit · 4-year | 4.2 years | $23,386 | $59,598 | $25,750 | 41% |
| 13 | Grand View University Des Moines, IA Private nonprofit · 4-year | 4.3 years | $21,774 | $57,521 | $22,500 | 55% |
| 14 | Loras College Dubuque, IA Private nonprofit · 4-year | 4.4 years | $20,716 | $55,860 | $26,000 | 69% |
| 15 | Clarke University Dubuque, IA Private nonprofit · 4-year | 4.4 years | $24,479 | $59,490 | $26,717 | 56% |
| 16 | Simpson College Indianola, IA Private nonprofit · 4-year | 4.5 years | $21,936 | $56,509 | $26,000 | 64% |
| 17 | Morningside University Sioux City, IA Private nonprofit · 4-year | 5.0 years | $31,320 | $61,955 | $26,028 | 52% |
| 18 | Central College Pella, IA Private nonprofit · 4-year | 5.0 years | $23,377 | $55,693 | $26,984 | 68% |
| 19 | Dordt University Sioux Center, IA Private nonprofit · 4-year | 5.1 years | $25,807 | $57,567 | $21,500 | 68% |
| 20 | Luther College Decorah, IA Private nonprofit · 4-year | 5.2 years | $23,097 | $55,033 | $27,000 | 73% |
| 21 | Buena Vista University Storm Lake, IA Private nonprofit · 4-year | 5.7 years | $18,846 | $50,318 | $25,000 | 54% |
| 22 | Northwestern College Orange City, IA Private nonprofit · 4-year | 5.7 years | $25,907 | $55,312 | $23,249 | 65% |
| 23 | Wartburg College Waverly, IA Private nonprofit · 4-year | 6.2 years | $32,908 | $58,373 | $27,000 | 66% |
| 24 | Cornell College Mount Vernon, IA Private nonprofit · 4-year | 8.4 years | $23,634 | $48,353 | $27,000 | 67% |
How to compare these colleges
Treat the payback column as a way to compare schools, not as a promise about your own future. It uses the average net price, so your own cost may be higher or lower, and it uses median earnings of former students, which depend heavily on major. Check earnings for your intended program on each college profile, and favor schools where the graduation rate is high.
Guides worth reading first
More lists for Iowa
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Highest graduate earnings in Iowa
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Most affordable private colleges in Iowa
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Same list in nearby states
Best value colleges in Illinois
44 schools
Best value colleges in Minnesota
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Best value colleges in Wisconsin
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All 40 colleges in Iowa See the national version of this ranking