Best colleges for nursing in Iowa
University of Iowa ranks first in Iowa for nursing value (#491 nationally, value score 39.3): graduates earn $78,836 4 years after the bachelor's degree, and the average net price is $22,508 a year.
Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition · Source: College Scorecard field of study, reporting year 2025 · 10 Iowa colleges ranked · Updated November 4, 2026
Best nursing colleges in Iowa
University of Iowa ranks first in Iowa for nursing value (#491 nationally, value score 39.3): graduates earn $78,836 4 years after the bachelor's degree, and the average net price is $22,508 a year. 10 Iowa colleges qualify. At the median one, nursing graduates earn $76,485 and the average net price is $23,719 a year.
Source: U.S. College Scorecard field of study, 2025
What the data shows
Key findings
- 10 Iowa colleges qualify. At the median one, nursing graduates earn $76,485 and the average net price is $23,719 a year.
- The highest nursing earnings in the state are at St Luke's College ($85,214), ranked #4 in the state once cost, debt and graduation rate count.
- The lowest average net price among them is at Graceland University-Lamoni: $19,899 a year.
- Median earnings
- $76,485
- National: $85,171
- Median net price
- $23,719
- National: $18,014
- Median federal debt
- $22,900
- nursing graduates
- Public colleges
- 1 of 10
- in this list
10 colleges
The Iowa ranking
Ordered by the national value score; the national rank is shown with each college. Earnings are medians 4 years after the bachelor's degree.
- Earnings
- $78,836
- Net price
- $22,508
- Federal debt
- $19,742
- Graduation rate
- 76%
- Earnings
- $80,619
- Net price
- $19,899
- Federal debt
- $23,438
- Graduation rate
- 44%
- Earnings
- $75,832
- Net price
- $23,689
- Federal debt
- $20,250
- Graduation rate
- 70%
- Earnings
- $85,214
- Net price
- $31,618
- Federal debt
- $25,000
- Graduation rate
- 25%
- Earnings
- $77,569
- Net price
- $23,945
- Federal debt
- $24,500
- Graduation rate
- 65%
- Earnings
- $75,613
- Net price
- $23,935
- Federal debt
- $22,362
- Graduation rate
- 52%
- Earnings
- $76,345
- Net price
- $21,119
- Federal debt
- $21,975
- Graduation rate
- 31%
- Earnings
- $76,625
- Net price
- $23,749
- Federal debt
- $21,500
- Graduation rate
- 38%
- Earnings
- $73,047
- Net price
- $21,705
- Federal debt
- $27,000
- Graduation rate
- 49%
- Earnings
- $74,114
- Net price
- $26,095
- Federal debt
- $27,000
- Graduation rate
- 52%
Method: the same value score as the national nursing ranking (earnings, debt relative to earnings, average net price and graduation rate, each a national percentile). Data: College Scorecard, reporting year 2025; 2026–27 edition, verified Nov 2026.
Questions about nursing colleges in Iowa
What are the best colleges for nursing in Iowa?
By CollegesRef value score, the top 3 Iowa colleges for nursing are University of Iowa (value score 39.3), Graceland University-Lamoni (value score 30.3) and Saint Ambrose University (value score 30.1). The score weighs graduate earnings, debt relative to earnings, average net price and graduation rate.
Which Iowa college has the highest earnings for nursing graduates?
St Luke's College: its nursing graduates have median earnings of $85,214 4 years after the bachelor's degree.
What is the most affordable nursing college in Iowa on this list?
Graceland University-Lamoni has the lowest average net price of the ranked Iowa colleges, $19,899 a year after grants. A family's own price depends on income and aid.
How many Iowa colleges are ranked for nursing?
10 Iowa colleges have a nursing bachelor's program with enough graduates and reported earnings, plus a published net price and graduation rate. Ranks shown are national; the state rank is their order within Iowa.