2026 Best Value General Education Schools in Iowa
[General Education](/majors/education/general-education/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 12 schools to find the best return on investment for general education students.
What’s on this page:
2026 Best Value General Education Schools in Iowa
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the general education degrees they offer, see the list below.
Best Value General Education Schools
For return on investment in general education, no school beat University Of Iowa this year. Set in the city of Iowa City, University Of Iowa is a very large public institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $11,283, with out-of-state students paying around $33,371. Students borrow a median of $24,463 to complete the general education program here. General Education graduates of University Of Iowa earn a median of $58,049 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 84%.
A rank of #2 makes Grand View University one of the best values for general education. Set in the city of Des Moines, Grand View University is a mid-sized private not-for-profit institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $34,762. General Education graduates carry a median of $26,941 in student loans. Early-career general education graduates make about $45,180. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 99%.
Morningside College came in at #3 on our 2026 list of the best value general education schools. Set in the city of Sioux City, Morningside College is a mid-sized private not-for-profit institution. Students from in state pay about $39,519 in tuition and fees. Students borrow a median of $27,281 to complete the general education program here. Early-career general education graduates make about $54,988. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Morningside College admits about 71% of applicants.
More General Education Rankings
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Notes and References
This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 12 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 5 ranked 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 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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
