Best colleges for social work in Iowa
Colleges that offer a bachelor’s in social work, ranked by Compass Score.
Best colleges for social work in Iowa14 schools
14 schools qualify, ranked by the Compass Score.
How this list is made
- Schools in Iowa.
- Accredited four-year undergraduate colleges.
- Offers a bachelor’s program in social work, from the College Scorecard field-of-study data (credential level 3).
- Each school needs a complete Compass Score, so every row shows a rating.
- Ordered by Compass Score, highest first. Schools with the same score share a rank.
Updated Oct. 20, 2026. Methodology. Spot an error? Send a correction.
- 1
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA · Public#5 in Iowa
- Bachelor’s program in social work
- Value grade B · Top 37%
- 2
Dordt University
Sioux Center, IA · Private nonprofitTop 21% for graduation
- Bachelor’s program in social work
- Value grade B-
- 3
Luther College
Decorah, IA · Private nonprofitTop 19% for graduation
- Bachelor’s program in social work
- Value grade B-
- 4
University of Northern Iowa
Cedar Falls, IA · PublicTop 24% for graduation
- Bachelor’s program in social work
- Value grade B+ · Top 24%
- 5
Loras College
Dubuque, IA · Private nonprofitTop 24% for graduation
- Bachelor’s program in social work
- Value grade B
- 6
Wartburg College
Waverly, IA · Private nonprofitGood: Compass grade B
- Bachelor’s program in social work
- Value grade C+
- 7
Buena Vista University
Storm Lake, IA · Private nonprofitGood: Compass grade B
- Bachelor’s program in social work
- Value grade B-
- 8
Northwestern College
Orange City, IA · Private nonprofitGood: Compass grade B
- Bachelor’s program in social work
- Value grade C+
- 9
Saint Ambrose University
Davenport, IA · Private nonprofitGood: Compass grade B
- Bachelor’s program in social work
- Value grade B-
- 10
Mount Mercy University
Cedar Rapids, IA · Private nonprofitGood: Compass grade B-
- Bachelor’s program in social work
- Value grade B · Top 39%
- 11
Briar Cliff University
Sioux City, IA · Private nonprofitGood: Compass grade B-
- Bachelor’s program in social work
- Value grade B-
- 12
Clarke University
Dubuque, IA · Private nonprofitGood: Compass grade B-
- Bachelor’s program in social work
- Value grade B-
- 13
Grand View University
Des Moines, IA · Private nonprofitGood: Compass grade B-
- Bachelor’s program in social work
- Value grade B
- 14
Graceland University-Lamoni
Lamoni, IA · Private nonprofitSolid: Compass grade C+
- Bachelor’s program in social work
- Value grade B
Compare cost and outcomes
| School | Net price a year | Median debt | Earnings 10 years out | Graduation rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Iowa | About $23,000 | $22,500 | $64,762 | 75% |
| Dordt University | About $26,000 | $21,500 | $52,559 | 70% |
| Luther College | About $23,000 | $27,000 | $59,850 | 71% |
| University of Northern Iowa | About $16,000 | $19,691 | $55,177 | 68% |
| Loras College | About $21,000 | $26,000 | $58,289 | 68% |
| Wartburg College | About $33,000 | $27,000 | $56,201 | 64% |
| Buena Vista University | About $19,000 | $25,000 | $49,156 | 62% |
| Northwestern College | About $26,000 | $23,249 | $49,802 | 66% |
| Saint Ambrose University | About $25,000 | $25,000 | $59,531 | 61% |
| Mount Mercy University | About $20,000 | $23,699 | $60,787 | 58% |
| Briar Cliff University | About $24,000 | $23,250 | $54,475 | 48% |
| Clarke University | About $24,000 | $26,717 | $55,396 | 56% |
| Grand View University | About $22,000 | $22,500 | $52,824 | 54% |
| Graceland University-Lamoni | About $19,000 | $21,212 | $47,361 | 42% |
Net price is the average yearly cost after grants. Federal data (College Scorecard). “—” means the school reports no figure.
This list in other states
- Alabama 16
- Arizona 4
- Arkansas 10
- California 26
- Colorado 5
- Connecticut 13
- District of Columbia 3
- Florida 14
- Georgia 12
- Hawaii 3
- Idaho 5
- Illinois 21
- Indiana 21
- Kansas 10
- Kentucky 14
- Louisiana 9
- Maine 5
- Maryland 10
- Massachusetts 12
- Michigan 22
- Minnesota 16
- Mississippi 11
- Missouri 18
- Nebraska 6
- New Hampshire 4
- New Jersey 13
- New York 29
- North Carolina 24
- North Dakota 3
- Ohio 42
- Oklahoma 6
- Oregon 5
- Pennsylvania 34
- Puerto Rico 17
- Rhode Island 3
- South Carolina 6
- Tennessee 19
- Texas 34
- Utah 4
- Vermont 3
- Virginia 15
- Washington 8
- West Virginia 7
- Wisconsin 16