NEWS

Study: ISU offers students best bang for buck in Iowa

Iowa City Press-Citizen

Iowa State University offers potential students the best value for their money among Iowa colleges, according to a recent study conducted by SmartAsset, a New York-based start-up that offers interactive tools to help with student loan and other financial advice.

Using information about the institution's average scholarships and grants, starting salary upon graduation, in-state tuition, living costs and retention rate, SmartAsset assigned ISU a College Education Affordability Index number of 84.84 out of 100.

The other nine schools ranked on the list include the University of Iowa, 72.12; the University of Northern Iowa, 68.41; Luther College, 62.68; Wartburg College, 60.82; Coe College, 58.53; Graceland University, 56.39; Drake University, 53.58; Central College, 53.08; and Northwestern College, 52.32.

Last month, SmartAsset gave Iowa an A-minus and ranked it No. 5 among all 50 states in terms of its commitment to quality, affordable and accessible higher education.