Colleges
Colleges in Iowa
Iowa has 28 four-year colleges with at least 500 undergraduates: 3 public and 25 private. The largest is Iowa State University, with 25,367 undergraduates.
| School | City | Type | Undergrads | Acceptance rate | SAT middle 50% | In-state tuition | Avg. net price | Grad rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iowa State University | Ames | public | 25,367 | 88.7% | 1120–1360 | $10,787 | $18,589 | 75.3% |
| University of Iowa | Iowa City | public | 22,264 | 83.6% | 1130–1330 | $11,283 | $22,531 | 74.6% |
| University of Northern Iowa | Cedar Falls | public | 7,529 | 92.7% | 1020–1280 | $9,936 | $15,901 | 67.9% |
| Drake University | Des Moines | private | 2,543 | 63.9% | 1110–1350 | $52,130 | $29,127 | 74% |
| Upper Iowa University | Fayette | private | 1,994 | 96.5% | $19,475 | $20,942 | 33.9% | |
| Saint Ambrose University | Davenport | private | 1,916 | 77.3% | 930–1170 | $36,658 | $24,691 | 61% |
| Waldorf University | Forest City | private | 1,827 | 77% | $25,978 | $19,693 | 21.1% | |
| Grinnell College | Grinnell | private | 1,729 | 14.5% | 1410–1540 | $68,106 | $17,648 | 88.1% |
| Dordt University | Sioux Center | private | 1,597 | 68.5% | 1070–1330 | $37,050 | $25,807 | 70.1% |
| Grand View University | Des Moines | private | 1,486 | 99.1% | $34,762 | $21,774 | 54% | |
| Wartburg College | Waverly | private | 1,452 | 75.8% | 930–1200 | $26,250 | $32,908 | 64.3% |
| University of Dubuque | Dubuque | private | 1,440 | 88.6% | 980–1220 | $42,095 | $23,386 | 40.1% |
| Luther College | Decorah | private | 1,379 | 71.5% | 1078–1406 | $52,120 | $23,097 | 71.1% |
| Buena Vista University | Storm Lake | private | 1,366 | 77.6% | $41,798 | $18,846 | 61.7% | |
| William Penn University | Oskaloosa | private | 1,301 | 51.9% | 880–1110 | $29,750 | $22,601 | 32.6% |
| Simpson College | Indianola | private | 1,227 | 86.2% | $47,656 | $21,936 | 63.3% | |
| Northwestern College | Orange City | private | 1,175 | 80.4% | $36,710 | $25,907 | 66.1% | |
| Coe College | Cedar Rapids | private | 1,164 | 64% | 1070–1290 | $54,666 | $18,745 | 65.9% |
| Morningside University | Sioux City | private | 1,163 | 71% | $39,660 | $31,320 | 50.1% | |
| Mount Mercy University | Cedar Rapids | private | 1,107 | 82.5% | $40,878 | $20,168 | 57.7% | |
| Cornell College | Mount Vernon | private | 1,086 | 79.9% | 1120–1285 | $52,660 | $23,634 | 61.8% |
| Loras College | Dubuque | private | 1,083 | 99.9% | $39,824 | $20,716 | 67.6% | |
| Central College | Pella | private | 1,070 | 86.2% | 1056–1120 | $20,988 | $23,377 | 66.2% |
| Maharishi International University | Fairfield | private | 922 | 95.7% | $16,530 | $14,956 | 50% | |
| Mercy College of Health Sciences | Des Moines | private | 867 | 99.7% | $17,664 | $26,924 | 65.5% | |
| Graceland University-Lamoni | Lamoni | private | 798 | 80.8% | $20,950 | $18,504 | 42% | |
| Clarke University | Dubuque | private | 742 | 71.8% | 900–1160 | $40,910 | $24,479 | 56.1% |
| Briar Cliff University | Sioux City | private | 624 | $36,956 | $23,907 | 47.5% |
A blank cell means the school did not report that figure. Net price is the average cost after grants for students receiving federal aid. Graduation rate is within six years.
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Frequently asked questions
How many colleges are in Iowa?
28 four-year public and private nonprofit colleges with at least 500 undergraduates, 3 public and 25 private, according to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard. Community colleges, for-profit schools, and online-only schools are not counted.
What is the hardest college to get into in Iowa?
By acceptance rate, Grinnell College (14.5%), William Penn University (51.9%), Drake University (63.9%), Coe College (64%), Dordt University (68.5%) are the most selective.
What is the cheapest public college in Iowa?
University of Northern Iowa has the lowest published in-state tuition and fees of the public four-year colleges here, at $9,936 a year. That is the sticker price before financial aid.
Source: College Scorecard, Most Recent Institution-Level Data (U.S. Department of Education), 2026-06-10 release. These are federal figures. Schools with a linked profile have also been checked against their own filings; the others have not.
