The college search season is officially in full swing for Pleasant Valley students. Some already know exactly where they’re going, while others are still in the process of looking. The decision isn’t a very easy one to make because there are many options and opportunities at any college.

Living in Iowa, a very good place to look would be the three state schools: University of Iowa, Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa. These are all great schools, but not everyone knows of all  they have to offer.

The University of Iowa is approximately 45 minutes to an hour away from the Quad Cities. This school has over 200 majors and minors to choose from, therefore, going into college undecided would not be an issue. University of Iowa in-state tuition is around $20,664, about half of their out-of state tuition. This price can be lowered further through scholarships and financial aid.

Katie Bullock is planning on going to school at the University of Iowa next year to study nursing. Obviously, this was not an easy decision. Bullock said, “When I decided that I wanted to go into nursing, I looked up the best schools and Iowa popped up on every website. Iowa is close to home and it has a manageable tuition cost, so that’s when I decided to visit, and I loved it!” Even being so close to home, Bullock stated that the University of Iowa has many perks.

Iowa State University is around three hours away from the Quad Cities. They have over 100 majors that their students can choose from, so if one is looking for a school with a wide variety, this one could be a contender. Iowa State’s in-state tuition is about $21,186 whereas their out of state tuition rests a little higher than that at $35,576. Again, same as any school, scholarships and financial aid would help bring down the cost.

Noah Streeter is going to attend Iowa State University next fall for engineering. Streeter stated, “It was an easy decision for me because of my family and the in-state tuition brought the cost down a lot. The programs that they have there are really good as well.” Iowa State excels with their engineering program, so for students that are interested in that profession, Iowa state is a great option.

The University of Northern Iowa is about two hours away from Pleasant Valley. This university has over 90 majors to choose from and plenty of graduate programs as well. This would be a great school to choose for one thinking about becoming a teacher. Northern Iowa’s in-state tuition is $17,886, whereas their out-of state tuition is a little higher than that at $28,248.

Mackenzie Wisneski is going to attend The University of Northern Iowa in the fall of 2019 for teaching. She stated that when she was looking for colleges, she was looking for ones with “a great education program and ways to experience and learn about other cultures.” Northern Iowa has both of these qualities because it has one of the best teaching programs in the country and  a quality study abroad program as well. She then said, “It just made sense for me, to have everything that I was looking for with in-state tuition. Nothing else could’ve been more fitting for me”.

Many people don’t consider these state universities because of how close to home they are. These schools have all of the same opportunities as colleges that are out-of state, including a much lower in-state tuition and the easy option to go home for a visit on the weekends.