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Best Education Schools in Iowa

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2023 Best Education Schools in Iowa

17 Colleges
$40,708 Avg Salary
$32,390 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Education School for You

Education is one of the most popular subjects to study in Iowa. With 1,401 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, it ranked 3rd out of all the majors we track in the state.

Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Grad Degree Search has developed this Best Education Schools in Iowa ranking. Our analysis looked at 17 schools in Iowa to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Education Schools in Iowa

The following schools top our list of the Best Education Colleges.

Top 10 Best Education Schools

#1

Drake University

Des Moines, IA

Our analysis found Drake University to be the best school for education students who want to pursue a degree in Iowa. Located in the midsize city of Des Moines, Drake is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Read full report on Education at Drake University

#2

Northwestern College

Orange City, IA

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Northwestern College. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Education Schools in Iowa list. Located in the town of Orange City, NWC is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

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#3

Loras College

Dubuque, IA

Out of the 17 schools in Iowa that were part of this year’s ranking, Loras College landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the small city of Dubuque, Loras is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Full Education at Loras College Report

#4

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, IA

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Northern Iowa. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Education Schools in Iowa list. Located in the small city of Cedar Falls, UNI is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

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#5

Buena Vista University

Storm Lake, IA

The excellent programs at Buena Vista University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best education schools in Iowa. Located in the remote town of Storm Lake, BVU is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Full Education at Buena Vista University Report

#6

Simpson College

Indianola, IA

With a ranking of #6, Simpson College did quite well on this year’s best schools for education students. Located in the town of Indianola, Simpson College is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

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#7

University of Iowa

Iowa City, IA

University of Iowa ranked #7 on this year’s Best Education Schools in Iowa list. Located in the small city of Iowa City, Iowa is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Read full report on Education at University of Iowa

#8

Dordt University

Sioux Center, IA

With a ranking of #8, Dordt University did quite well on this year’s best schools for education students. Located in the town of Sioux Center, Dordt is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

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Iowa State University landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best education programs. Iowa State is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Ames.

Full Education at Iowa State University Report

#10

Saint Ambrose University

Davenport, IA

Saint Ambrose University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Education Schools in Iowa ranking. Located in the medium-sized city of Davenport, St. Ambrose University is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

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Best Education Colleges in the Plains States Region

Explore all the Best Education Schools in the Plains States Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Kansas 2,994
Missouri 4,657
Minnesota 6,976
North Dakota 619
Nebraska 2,838
South Dakota 453

Education Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Educational Administration 45,458
Teacher Education Grade Specific 34,451
Special Education 25,158
General Education 21,189
Teacher Education Subject Specific 20,616
Curriculum & Instruction 19,784
Student Counseling 13,840
Instructional Media Design 8,387
Teaching English or French 4,743
Other Education 2,513
Multilingual Education 1,672
Educational Assessment 1,215
Education Philosophy 421
International Education 257
Teaching Assistants 20

Related Major Annual Graduates
Psychology 42,013
Social Sciences 22,292
Communication & Journalism 12,242
Library Science 5,929
History 4,391

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 17 schools only.

  • 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 the rest 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).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Horadrim.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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