Students who need more flexibility with their education might consider online colleges in Iowa. Students seeking community college education can find it online as well. Online enrollment is steadily increasing across Iowa's colleges and universities, with 41.8% of students enrolled in online courses in 2015.
More colleges now offer students the chance to enroll in online courses, and several universities predominantly offer online classes. Both undergraduate and graduate students have options in Iowa for an online education, allowing them to simultaneously focus on their education and career. This guide reviews everything prospective students should know about attending an online college in Iowa, including information on tuition expenses, key industries, job opportunities, and scholarships.
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Overview of Online Colleges in Iowa
A Brief Overview of Higher Education in Iowa
During the 2015-16 school year, Iowa was home to 19 public degree-granting institutions, plus 34 nonprofit, four-year institutions, and 11 for-profit institutions. Students living in all regions of the state have access to continued education, with the potential to earn a degree. In 2016, Iowa reported 266,513 students enrolled at degree-granting higher learning institutions, marking the highest enrollment numbers in the nation.[dataviz-stats public="19" non-profit="34" for-profit="11"]In-state and out-of-state tuition fees vary by school, with some institutions featuring a uniform rate for all students, regardless of their state of residency. In the 2017-18 school year, the average in-state tuition at four-year public institutions was $9,080. The flagship University of Iowa charged $9,276 for in-state students, and $31,233 for out-of-state students. When students consider school in Iowa, they should take residency into consideration, researching tuition rates at each prospective school to make sure they can afford it. According to the National Association of State Student Grant and Aid Programs (NASSGAP) annual survey, students received $65,348,201 in need-based aid, and $4,819,723 in non-need-based aid. When seeking aid opportunities, students should note their tuition cost and subtract their expected financial aid contribution to evaluate which programs they can afford.
Higher Education in Iowa
Featured Online Programs
The State of Online Higher Education in Iowa
In 2015, 25,277 graduate students took at least one online course, and 89,695 undergraduate students enjoyed the flexibility of at least one online class. In that same year, 17,230 graduate students and 53,414 undergraduate students took exclusively online courses. Out-of-state students compose 49,892 of exclusively online students at Iowa schools, and in-state students account for 19,097. The top university in Iowa with exclusively online students is the Davenport campus of Kaplan University, with 45,268 graduate and undergraduate online students. The University of Iowa experienced the fastest growth in online enrollment, jumping from 4,029 students in 2012 to 12,784 students in 2015.[dataviz-nces online="39.7" undergrad="83.1" in-state="13.1"]The Iowa Communications Network (ICN) features 16 online learning regions with video conferencing sites. These sites provide students with phone services, high-speed flexible broadband internet, and data on higher education institutions, K-12 schools, state and federal government, National Guard armories, hospitals and clinics, and libraries.Online students in Iowa may also find the Iowa Community College Online Consortium useful. The ICCOC provides students with information and resources to assist in their education. The consortium partners with several colleges in Iowa, including Iowa Lakes Community College and Northwest Iowa Community College.
Tuition Breaks for Out-of-State Students
Created to help improve postsecondary education through the Midwest Student Exchange Program (MSEP), the Midwestern Higher Education Compact (MHEC) provides affordable opportunities for students interested in attending out-of-state colleges. MSEP is the midwest's biggest multi-state reciprocity program. More than 100 colleges in Iowa, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Minnesota, North Dakota, Wisconsin, and Ohio promote MSEP initiatives by offering cheaper opportunities for out-of-state students.Public institutions adhering to MSEP agree not to charge students more than 150% of the in-state tuition rate for specific programs, and private institutions feature a 10% tuition reduction. To earn discounts, students must enroll as nonresidents at a participating MSEP campus. Savings amounts differ by institution, but students typically experience discounts between $500 and $5,000 each year. Enrollment decisions take place at the discretion of each campus, meaning campuses can exercise their right to limit participation and set particular MSEP academic requirements.
Best Online Colleges in Iowa
Below, are rankings of the best online four-year programs in Iowa. Our profiles consider how each school approaches online education, and list out each school's services for distance students and popular, fully online degrees. After reviewing the best online schools in Iowa, explore our state resources, which include a database of every college in Iowa and an index of popular in-state scholarships.
Ranking Methodology
To determine the best online colleges in each state, we examined the factors most important to prospective students: Academic quality and reputation, online program strength, and cost and student aid. At the most basic level, we use the following formula to determine the best online colleges: Academic Quality + Online Offerings + Cost and Student Aid = Final Score. Of course, there's more to these calculations than meets the eye. Visit our methodology page to discover the data points that shape our formula and to learn more about the process we use to rank schools.
Most Affordable Online Colleges in Iowa
Below you'll find another listing of the online schools in Iowa, this time sorted by their tuition rates, from lowest to highest.
Affordability Methodology
Our list of the most affordable online colleges is based on in-state yearly tuition, or annual tuition rates if a school does not differentiate between in-state and out-of-state students. Tuition rates are based on a full course load each semester or term. All colleges on the list offer at least one bachelor's degree completion program available entirely online.The online colleges in Iowa with the lowest tuition are ranked highest, providing prospective students with a true list of the most affordable online colleges in their state.
College Graduate Outlook in Iowa
Job Outlook for College Graduates in Iowa
Graduates of online colleges in Iowa can explore a variety of promising career opportunities in the state, and specifically in Iowa's key industries. These industries include value-added agriculture and food production, advanced manufacturing, distribution and warehousing, renewable energy and fuels, and information and communications technology.Iowa is the largest producer of soybeans, corn, pork, and eggs in the United States, and the second-highest producer of red meat, which opens up jobs in the agriculture and food production industry. Iowa is also the premier leader in renewable energy in the United States, but the state's largest industry is advanced manufacturing, which contributes $31.2 billion to the economy each year.Graduates enjoy a variety of salary wages across different fields, including management occupations, healthcare support occupations, production occupations, and personal care and service occupations. Depending on the career, Iowa professionals can have annual mean salaries of more than $200,000. For example, OB/GYN doctors make $260,010 each year, on average. In September 2018, the unemployment rate in Iowa stood at 2.5%.