2024 Average Tuition, Fees, and Living Costs in Iowa State

The average tuition & fees of Iowa colleges is $6,695 for Iowa residents and $10,386 for students from other States. Grinnell College has the highest (most expensive) tuition & fees of $64,862 and Palmer College of Chiropractic has the lowest tuition & fees (cheapest) of $11,340.

For graduate programs, University of Iowa has the highest (most expensive) graduate tuition & fees of $32,927 and Cornell College has the lowest graduate tuition & fees (cheapest) of $50,634 in Iowa.

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2024 Costs of Attendance (COA)

The average COA of Iowa 4-year colleges in 2024 is $25,375 for Iowa residents and $42,273 for students from other states. The COA includes tuition & fees, books & supplies, room & board, and other living expenses, but it excludes health insurance fee and uncommon expenses.

Table

Table. 2024 Average Costs of Attendance for Iowa Colleges (4-Years)
	Undergraduate		Graduate
	In-State	Out-of-State	In-State	Out-of-State
Tuition & Fees	$10,396	$27,294	$12,341	$29,006
Books & Supplies	$1,095		$1,095
Room & Board	$13,884		$13,884
COA	$25,375	$42,273	$27,320	$43,985

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Iowa Best Colleges

Iowa State University

Wartburg College

William Penn University

Maharishi International University

University of Iowa

Upper Iowa University

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Undergraduate Tuition & Fees

In Iowa, 74 schools offer undergraduate programs. The average undergraduate tuition & fees of Iowa colleges is $6,695 for Iowa residents and $10,386 for out-of-state students for the academic year 2023-2024.

The Iowa tuition & fees have risen 3.00% from last year (4 years colleges). The following table and chart describe the 2024 undergraduate tuition & fees trends over last 5 years in 4-years and 2-4 years (community colleges) colleges.

Table

Table. 2024 Average Undergraduate Tuition & Fees for Iowa Universities and Colleges
	Public Schools				Private Schools
	4 Years or High		2-4 Years		4 Years or High	2-4 Years
	In-State	Out-of-State	In-State	Out-of-State	4 Years or High	2-4 Years
2020	$9,288	$25,766	$5,459	$6,632	$30,567	$3,940
2021	$9,287	$25,765	$5,566	$6,764	$30,620	$3,940
2022	$9,543	$25,701	$5,644	$6,833	$31,695	$4,128
2023	$9,966	$26,499	$5,763	$6,962	$32,607	$4,128
2024	$10,396	$27,294	$6,001	$7,216	$33,148	$4,063

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Expensive Iowa Colleges (Highest Undergraduate Tuition)

Grinnell College	$64,862
Coe College	$52,576
Wartburg College	$51,040
Cornell College	$50,634
Luther College	$50,320

Inexpensive Iowa Colleges (Lowest Undergraduate Tuition)

Palmer College of Chiropractic	$11,340
Divine Word College	$15,000
Orion Technical College	$15,600
Maharishi International University	$16,530
Mercy College of Health Sciences	$17,328

Based on out-of-state tuition rates of 4 years (or high) colleges

Graduate Program Tuition & Fees

30 Iowa colleges offer graduate programs. The average graduate program tuition fees of Iowa colleges is $12,341 for Iowa residents and $29,006 for students from other States. The graduate tuition & fees rose 106.42% from last year.

The following table and chart describe the 2024 graduate tuition & fees and show last 5 years' tuition change.

Table

Table. 2024 Average Graduate Tuition & Fees for Iowa Universities and Colleges
	Public Schools		Private Schools
	In-State	Out-of-State	Private Schools
2020	$11,029	$26,404	$12,419
2021	$11,028	$25,403	$13,135
2022	$11,346	$26,387	$12,995
2023	$11,845	$27,257	$12,760
2024	$12,341	$29,006	$12,502

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Expensive Graduate Schools in Iowa

University of Iowa	$34,882
Maharishi International University	$29,530
Iowa State University	$29,303
University of Northern Iowa	$22,834
Wartburg Theological Seminary	$21,052

Inexpensive Graduate Schools in Iowa

Cornell College	$2,800
Waldorf University	$5,220
Iowa Wesleyan University	$6,420
Northwestern College	$6,600
Simpson College	$7,244

Based on out-of-state tuition rates of 4 years (or high) colleges

2024 Books & Supplies Costs

The average books & supplies costs of Iowa colleges in 2024 is $1,095. The books & supplies costs rose 95.21% from last year. Next table and chart describes the 2024 books & supplies costs and costs changes over last 5 years

Table

Table. 2024 Average Books & Supplies Costs for Iowa Universities and Colleges
	Books & Supplies
2020	$1,140
2021	$1,131
2022	$1,132
2023	$1,150
2024	$1,095

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2024 Average Living Costs

The average living costs of Iowa colleges in 2024 is $13,884 when a student lives on campus such as dormitory and college apartment and $14,129 living off campus. 47 schools have on-campus living facilities in Iowa State. The on-campus living costs rose 105.57% and off-campus costs rose 108.07% from last year. Next table and chart describes the 2024 living costs and compares to last 5 years.

Table

Table. 2024 Average Living Costs for Iowa Universities and Colleges
	On-Campus	Off-Campus
2020	$12,330	$12,192
2021	$12,526	$12,263
2022	$12,796	$12,538
2023	$13,152	$13,074
2024	$13,884	$14,129

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Most Searched Iowa Colleges (last 30 days)

Undergraduate

Iowa Western Community College Public, 2-4 years | Council Bluffs
Clarke University Private, four-years | Dubuque
Kirkwood Community College Public, 2-4 years | Cedar Rapids
Cornell College Private, four-years | Mount Vernon
La James International College-Johnston Private, 2-4 years | Johnston
Des Moines Area Community College Public, 2-4 years | Ankeny
La James International College-Ft Dodge Private, 2-4 years | Fort Dodge
Dordt University Private, four-years | Sioux Center
Luther College Private, four-years | Decorah
University of Dubuque Private, four-years | Dubuque

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Graduate

Iowa Western Community College Public, 2-4 years | Council Bluffs
Clarke University Private, four-years | Dubuque
Kirkwood Community College Public, 2-4 years | Cedar Rapids
Cornell College Private, four-years | Mount Vernon
La James International College-Johnston Private, 2-4 years | Johnston
Des Moines Area Community College Public, 2-4 years | Ankeny
La James International College-Ft Dodge Private, 2-4 years | Fort Dodge
Dordt University Private, four-years | Sioux Center
Luther College Private, four-years | Decorah
University of Dubuque Private, four-years | Dubuque

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Online Schools

Iowa Western Community College Public, 2-4 years | Council Bluffs
Clarke University Private, four-years | Dubuque
Kirkwood Community College Public, 2-4 years | Cedar Rapids
Cornell College Private, four-years | Mount Vernon
La James International College-Johnston Private, 2-4 years | Johnston
Des Moines Area Community College Public, 2-4 years | Ankeny
La James International College-Ft Dodge Private, 2-4 years | Fort Dodge
Dordt University Private, four-years | Sioux Center
Luther College Private, four-years | Decorah
University of Dubuque Private, four-years | Dubuque

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Technical Colleges

Iowa Western Community College Public, 2-4 years | Council Bluffs
Clarke University Private, four-years | Dubuque
Kirkwood Community College Public, 2-4 years | Cedar Rapids
Cornell College Private, four-years | Mount Vernon
La James International College-Johnston Private, 2-4 years | Johnston
Des Moines Area Community College Public, 2-4 years | Ankeny
La James International College-Ft Dodge Private, 2-4 years | Fort Dodge
Dordt University Private, four-years | Sioux Center
Luther College Private, four-years | Decorah
University of Dubuque Private, four-years | Dubuque

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