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Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in Iowa

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2023 Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in Iowa

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

6 Colleges
$28,159 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$34,238 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Public Administration & Social Service School for You

Public Administration & Social Service is one of the most popular subjects to study in Iowa. With 290 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, it ranked 7th out of all the majors we track in the state.

It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Grad Degree Search has created the Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in Iowa to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 6 schools in Iowa to see which ones offered the best value programs for public administration and social service students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.

In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.

2023 Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Schools in Iowa

Check out the public administration and social service programs at these schools if you want to get the best value for your educational dollar.

Best Iowa Schools for Affordable Quality in Public & Social Service

#1

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, IA
$9,053 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named University of Northern Iowa the best value school in Iowa for public administration and social service students. Located in the city of Cedar Falls, UNI is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

UNI undergraduate students pay an average of $9,053 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at University of Northern Iowa Report

#2

Drake University

Des Moines, IA
$45,912 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Drake University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in Iowa list. Located in the medium-sized city of Des Moines, Drake is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Drake are $45,912 per year.

Drake also made our Best Public & Social Service Schools in Iowa list, coming in at #2.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at Drake University

#3

University of Iowa

Iowa City, IA
$9,942 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 6 schools in Iowa that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Iowa landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the small city of Iowa City, Iowa is a public college with a fairly large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Iowa are $9,942 per year.

Iowa also took the #3 spot in our Best Public & Social Service Schools in Iowa rankings.

Read full report on Public Administration & Social Service at University of Iowa

#4

Saint Ambrose University

Davenport, IA
$33,570 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Saint Ambrose University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in Iowa list. Located in the midsize city of Davenport, St. Ambrose University is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

St. Ambrose University undergraduate students pay an average of $33,570 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

St. Ambrose University did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our Best Public & Social Service Schools in Iowa list.

Full Public Administration & Social Service at Saint Ambrose University Report

#5

Clarke University

Dubuque, IA
$36,870 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Clarke University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Public & Social Service Schools in Iowa list. Located in the city of Dubuque, Clarke is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Clarke are $36,870 per year.

Read More…

#6

Upper Iowa University

Fayette, IA
$33,609 Average Tuition & Fees

Upper Iowa University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for public administration and social service students. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the remote area of Fayette, UIU is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

UIU undergraduate students pay an average of $33,609 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read More…

Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Colleges in the Plains States Region

Explore all the Best Value Public Administration & Social Service Colleges in the Plains States Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Kansas 470
Missouri 898
Minnesota 2,616
North Dakota 91
Nebraska 215
South Dakota 67

Public Administration & Social Service Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Social Work 33,631
Public Administration 13,571
Public Policy 3,737
Human Services 1,277
Community Organization & Advocacy 741
Other Public Administration 295

Majors Similar to Public Administration & Social Service

Related Major Annual Graduates
Legal Professions 45,189
Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting 13,045
Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies 10,452
Military Technologies & Applied Sciences 1,613

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 6 schools only.

  • 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 University of the Fraser Valley.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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