Source: IPEDS, as of September 29, 2026. Cost is resident tuition plus required fees, 2023-24.
Associate Degrees in Iowa
8
Meet the Ranking Threshold
4
Median Resident Tuition and Fees
$5,993
With a Fully Online Option
2
General Studies Associate Degrees in Iowa
General studies associate degrees in Iowa are the only level the state offers, so this page is the whole of general studies in Iowa: 8 programs at 8 colleges, 7 of them public community colleges and one, the University of Dubuque, private. Four meet the ranking threshold, and 2 of the 8 can be finished online.
Des Moines Area Community College in Ankeny is both the largest program and the highest scored, at 58.1 and 128th on the national associate ranking, on 97 graduates in the latest year, $5,550 in resident tuition and fees and a 39% graduation rate. Northeast Iowa Community College in Calmar scores 53.4 on a 51% graduation rate from a program of 14 graduates at $6,600. Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs, at 49.1, and Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge, at 48.5, are the two with a fully online option, at $6,780 and $5,376.
The 4 programs below the threshold awarded 3 to 6 degrees each, but two of them hold figures that matter. North Iowa Area Community College in Mason City graduates 61% of its students, the highest rate in the state, and Marshalltown Community College and Ellsworth Community College in Iowa Falls both charge $5,304, the lowest tuition in the state. The University of Dubuque lists $40,065 and graduates 40%.
The 4 Best General Studies Associate Degrees in Iowa
The best general studies associate degrees in Iowa are ranked below by their national score, from the national associate degree ranking. The number on each card is the program's place in Iowa. Each needed at least 10 graduates in the latest year to be ranked.
1
Des Moines Area Community College
Iowa
58.1- Public
- College graduation rate
- 39%
- In-state tuition and fees
- $5,550 a year
- Degrees awarded, latest year
- 97
About the Program
Des Moines Area Community College is a public community college in Ankeny, Iowa that enrolls 23,697 students. Some 97 associate's degrees were conferred in the last year on record, a bigger output than 58% of the programs ranked alongside it. Across the whole college, 39% of students finish, which is a higher rate than 62% of the institutions behind this list. Residents pay $5,550 a year in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay $11,100. Its strongest mark is the graduation rate of its college, at the 62nd percentile.
2
Northeast Iowa Community College
Iowa
53.4- Public
- College graduation rate
- 51%
- In-state tuition and fees
- $6,600 a year
- Degrees awarded, latest year
- 14
About the Program
Northeast Iowa Community College is a public community college in Calmar, Iowa that enrolls 4,808 students. Some 14 associate's degrees were conferred in the last year on record, a bigger output than 9% of the programs ranked alongside it. Of the students who start at Northeast Iowa Community College, 51% graduate, and that beats 86 in every 100 institutions on this measure. Tuition and fees are $6,600 a year for residents and $7,470 for students from out of state, which makes it cheaper than 41% of programs at this level. On the graduation rate of its college it does best, reaching the 86th percentile.
3
Iowa Western Community College
Iowa
49.1- Public
- Fully Online Option
- College graduation rate
- 40%
- In-state tuition and fees
- $6,780 a year
- Degrees awarded, latest year
- 43
About the Program
Some 5,540 students attend Iowa Western Community College, a public community college in Council Bluffs, Iowa. During the most recent year on record it awarded 43 associate's degrees, a count at the 34th percentile for size. Its college-wide graduation rate is 40%, the 65th percentile, because the federal record tracks completion by institution. Residents pay $6,780 a year in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay $6,930. Because the full degree is offered online, it is open to students well outside the region. On the graduation rate of its college it does best, reaching the 65th percentile.
4
Iowa Central Community College
Iowa
48.5- Public
- Fully Online Option
- College graduation rate
- 42%
- In-state tuition and fees
- $5,376 a year
- Degrees awarded, latest year
- 10
About the Program
Based in Fort Dodge, Iowa, Iowa Central Community College is a public community college with 4,949 students on its rolls. During the most recent year on record it awarded 10 associate's degrees, a count at the 2nd percentile for size. A 42% graduation rate puts the college at the 70th percentile, though that figure counts every student who started there and not this degree alone. Expect tuition and fees of $5,376 a year as a resident and $7,668 otherwise. Nothing in the degree requires attending in person, since it is offered fully online. What lifts it most is the graduation rate of its college, where it reaches the 70th percentile.
Other General Studies Associate Degrees in Iowa
The other general studies associate degrees in Iowa awarded fewer than 10 degrees in the latest year or did not report a figure the ranking uses, so they are listed here without a score. That says something about size and nothing on its own about quality.
| College | Degrees Awarded | Graduation Rate | Tuition and Fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marshalltown Community College, Marshalltown | 6 | 42% | $5,304 |
| University of Dubuque, Dubuque | 3 | 40% | $40,065 |
| Ellsworth Community College, Iowa Falls | 3 | 38% | $5,304 |
| North Iowa Area Community College, Mason City | 3 | 61% | $6,436 |
Source: IPEDS, as of September 29, 2026. Graduation rate is the college's, for first-time, full-time students.
How Much Does a General Studies Associate Degree Cost in Iowa?
A general studies associate degree in Iowa costs a median of $5,993 a year in resident tuition and required fees for 2023-24, and all seven community colleges charge between $5,304 and $6,780. Marshalltown and Ellsworth charge $5,304, Iowa Central $5,376, Des Moines Area $5,550, North Iowa Area $6,436, Northeast Iowa $6,600 and Iowa Western $6,780. The University of Dubuque, the one private program, lists $40,065. Nonresidents pay from $5,808 at Marshalltown to $11,100 at Des Moines Area.
State aid for adults here is narrower than its name suggests. The Future Ready Iowa Skilled Workforce Last-Dollar Scholarship is open to adult learners aged 20 or older enrolling full-time or part-time, but only in an eligible program, one that leads to a credential aligned with a designated high-demand job, so don't count on it for general studies. Where a program does qualify at a community college, the award combined with other grant aid covers up to the program's tuition and mandatory fees, with part-time meaning at least six but fewer than twelve semester hours. Ask the financial aid office which programs on campus qualify before you settle on general studies over one that does.
Will a General Studies Associate Degree Transfer in Iowa?
A general studies associate degree transfers in Iowa with general education complete at Iowa State University, the University of Iowa and the University of Northern Iowa when it's awarded as an Associate of Arts that meets the statewide articulation agreement, under which students who transfer with a qualifying Associate of Arts have met general education requirements at the Regent universities. The agreement was first signed on December 2, 1981 and most recently reaffirmed on April 11, 2025. The qualifying degree needs at least 60 transferable credits, of which up to 16 may be career and technical courses, and at least 40 credits of general education evenly distributed among the arts and sciences.
The guarantee attaches to the finished degree. Leave Des Moines Area or Iowa Western before completing the Associate of Arts and your credits get a course-by-course evaluation instead. If you already know your bachelor's major, ask about the college's Transfer Majors, built on at least 18 core credits aligned to a statewide Discipline Framework that must transfer to at least one Iowa public university with a matching bachelor's program.
Iowa also runs reverse credit transfer. Since late fall 2017, a statewide process has awarded associate degrees to eligible students who moved to a university before finishing, so the degree can follow you if you leave a few credits short.
What Do Jobs With a General Studies Associate Degree Pay in Iowa?
Jobs open to a general studies associate degree in Iowa pay the state medians below, from the May 2025 federal wage survey, with the national median beside each for comparison. Each row links to the salary guide for that job.
How to Choose a General Studies Associate Degree Program in Iowa
To choose a general studies associate degree program in Iowa, weigh how the degree will transfer against how far you'll travel, because the 8 programs sit in 8 different towns from Council Bluffs to Calmar and only Iowa Western and Iowa Central teach the degree fully online. Among the 4 ranked programs, graduation rate and price pull in different directions: Northeast Iowa Community College graduates 51% at $6,600 in tuition and fees, Iowa Central 42% at $5,376 and Des Moines Area Community College 39% at $5,550, while Iowa Western graduates 40% at $6,780.
Because every general studies program in Iowa is an associate degree, the question that matters most is what happens in year three. Ask each college whether its general studies degree is awarded as an Associate of Arts meeting the Regents agreement, how many of last year's graduates went on to Iowa State, Iowa or Northern Iowa, and whether a Transfer Major would serve you better if you already know your field. Ask too what aid the college can put toward general studies, since the Last-Dollar Scholarship is limited to high-demand programs.
Common Questions About General Studies Associate Degrees in Iowa
Where Does a General Studies Associate Degree Cost $5,304 in Iowa?
Which Two Iowa Community Colleges Offer the General Studies Associate Degree Online?
Does an Iowa General Studies Associate Degree Count as an Associate of Arts for Transfer to the Regent Universities?
Does the Future Ready Iowa Last-Dollar Scholarship Cover a General Studies Associate Degree?
Is There a General Studies Bachelor's Degree in Iowa?
Where Do the Figures on This Iowa Page Come From?
- Update on Articulation Efforts: Iowa Community Colleges and Institutions of Higher Education Governed by the Board of Regents (2025)
- Iowa Community College Transfer Majors
- Iowa Code 2026, Section 256.228, Future ready Iowa skilled workforce last-dollar scholarship program
- Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS)
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, state estimates