2026 Best Value Early Childhood Education Schools in Iowa
[Early Childhood Education](/majors/education/teacher-education-development-levels-methods/early-childhood-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.
College Factual analyzed 17 schools to build this 2026 ranking of the best value early childhood education schools.
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2026 Best Value Early Childhood Education Schools in Iowa
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the early childhood education degrees they offer, see the list below.
Best Value Early Childhood Education Schools
Indian Hills Community College earned the #1 spot for value among early childhood education schools in Iowa. Located in the town of Ottumwa, Indian Hills Community College is a mid-sized public university. Students from in state pay about $5,040 in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay about $6,120. Students borrow a median of $15,390 to complete the early childhood education program here. Early Childhood Education graduates of Indian Hills Community College earn a median of $49,626 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Western Iowa Tech Community College earned it the #2 place for early childhood education. Set in the city of Sioux City, Western Iowa Tech Community College is a moderately-sized public institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $5,186, while out-of-state students pay about $5,330. Early Childhood Education graduates carry a median of $11,886 in student loans. Early-career early childhood education graduates make about $35,742. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
Iowa Central Community College is a great value for students pursuing a degree in early childhood education, landing the #3 spot this year. Iowa Central Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of Fort Dodge. Students from in state pay about $5,496 in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay about $7,788. Typical student debt for early childhood education graduates is $16,135. Early Childhood Education graduates of Iowa Central Community College earn a median of $39,624 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $16,135 median debt.
A rank of #4 makes Eastern Iowa Community College District one of the best values for early childhood education. Set in the city of Davenport, Eastern Iowa Community College District is a large public institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $4,848, while out-of-state students pay about $6,456. Students borrow a median of $15,995 to complete the early childhood education program here. Early Childhood Education graduates of Eastern Iowa Community College District earn a median of $41,510 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $15,995 median debt.
Southwestern Community College Creston is a great value for students pursuing a degree in early childhood education, landing the #5 spot this year. Southwestern Community College Creston is a mid-sized public school located in the town of Creston. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $8,064, while out-of-state students pay about $8,316. Early Childhood Education graduates carry a median of $15,881 in student loans. Early Childhood Education graduates of Southwestern Community College Creston earn a median of $46,106 early in their careers. Set against $15,881 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
Hawkeye Community College landed the #6 spot for early childhood education value this year. Hawkeye Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the rural area of Waterloo. Students from in state pay about $6,525 in tuition and fees, compared with $6,612 for out-of-state students. Students borrow a median of $17,001 to complete the early childhood education program here. Early Childhood Education graduates of Hawkeye Community College earn a median of $41,902 early in their careers. Set against $17,001 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
Southeastern Community College West Burlington landed the #7 spot for early childhood education value this year. Set in the town of West Burlington, Southeastern Community College West Burlington is a mid-sized public institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $6,420, with out-of-state students paying around $6,570. Typical student debt for early childhood education graduates is $16,126. Soon after graduation, early childhood education degree recipients from Southeastern Community College West Burlington generally make around $45,760. That is a strong return on a $16,126 median debt.
University Of Northern Iowa earned the #8 position for value in early childhood education this year. Located in the city of Cedar Falls, University Of Northern Iowa is a large public university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $9,936, compared with $21,712 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for early childhood education graduates is $26,059. Early-career early childhood education graduates make about $48,667. That is a strong return on a $26,059 median debt. University Of Northern Iowa admits about 93% of applicants.
Iowa State University earned the #9 position for value in early childhood education this year. Set in the city of Ames, Iowa State University is a very large public institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $10,787, with out-of-state students paying around $28,881. Typical student debt for early childhood education graduates is $25,000. Early Childhood Education graduates of Iowa State University earn a median of $45,512 early in their careers. Set against $25,000 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 89% of applicants are accepted.
Waldorf College ranked #10 on our 2026 list of the best value early childhood education schools. Waldorf College is a mid-sized private for-profit school located in the rural area of Forest City. In-state tuition and fees average $25,978. Typical student debt for early childhood education graduates is $24,622. Soon after graduation, early childhood education degree recipients from Waldorf College generally make around $63,346. Set against $24,622 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Waldorf College admits about 77% of applicants.
Saint Ambrose University earned the #11 position for value in early childhood education this year. Saint Ambrose University is a mid-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Davenport. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $36,658. Early Childhood Education graduates carry a median of $28,000 in student loans. Early-career early childhood education graduates make about $41,178. That is a strong return on a $28,000 median debt. Saint Ambrose University admits about 77% of applicants.
Upper Iowa University earned the #12 position for value in early childhood education this year. Upper Iowa University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the rural area of Fayette. In-state tuition and fees average $19,475. Early Childhood Education graduates carry a median of $37,646 in student loans. Early Childhood Education graduates of Upper Iowa University earn a median of $41,802 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $37,646 median debt. The acceptance rate is 96%.
Northwestern College Iowa landed the #13 spot for early childhood education value this year. Located in the town of Orange City, Northwestern College Iowa is a mid-sized private not-for-profit university. In-state tuition and fees average $36,710. Early Childhood Education graduates carry a median of $25,995 in student loans. Soon after graduation, early childhood education degree recipients from Northwestern College Iowa generally make around $48,608. That is a strong return on a $25,995 median debt. The acceptance rate is 80%.
More Early Childhood Education Rankings
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Notes and References
This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 17 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 3 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.
