Iowa Best Colleges Comparison

View the Iowa Best Colleges Comparison and compare the schools with key academic characteristics such as tuition and test scores to get right decision.
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Colleges In Iowa Statistics

There are 92 colleges in Iowa - 24 public and 68 private schools. The 2023 average undergraduate tuition & fees of the schools is $21,556 and the average graduate tuition & fees is $13,537. The average SAT scores of enrolled students is 1,131 and the average acceptance rate is 79% for Iowa Best Colleges Comparison.
The next table shows the key academic facts for all colleges in Iowa. You may want to check more statistics and compare all Iowa colleges at Iowa Statistics page.
2022-2023 Colleges In Iowa Statistics
Top 20 colleges in IowaAll colleges in Iowa
Number of Schools20 schools
(3 public, 17 private)
92 schools
(24 public, 68 private)
Undergraduate Tuition & Fees$10,396 (in-state)
$38,931 (out-of-state)
$8,453 (in-state)
$21,556 (out-of-state)
Graduate Tuition & Fees$12,341 (in-state)
$14,428 (out-of-state)
$11,498 (in-state)
$13,537 (out-of-state)
Average Financial Aid$23,932$12,443
Test Scores1,164 SAT, 24 ACT 1,131 SAT, 23 ACT
Acceptance Rate75.74% 78.81%
Yield (Enrollment Rate)21.08% 28.38%
Population101,392235,903
Undergraduate81,108200,422
Graduate20,28435,481
Graduation Rate61.25%59.04%
Transfer-out Rate23.25%17.10%
Students to Faculty Ratio12.90 to 112.49 to 1

Top Colleges In Iowa Comparison

The next table lists the top 20 colleges in Iowa for academic year 2022-2023. Grinnell College ranked top in the Iowa Best Colleges Comparison and Drake University and Iowa State University follows it. The 2023 average tuition & fees is $38,931 for undergraduate programs $14,428 for graduate programs. The average SAT score of the top colleges in Iowa is 1,164 and the acceptance rate is 75.74%. The average students to faculty ratio is 12.90 to 1 for top colleges in Iowa. You can sort the schools by clicking column name that you want to sort.
2022-2023 Top colleges in Iowa Comparison
Rank*NameTuition & FeesAverage Financial AidPopulationAcceptance RateTest ScoresStudents to Faculty Ratio
1 Grinnell College
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Private, 4-yearsGrinnell, IA
$64,862 $43,476 1,75911% 1,480 SAT
33 ACT
9 to 1
2 Drake University
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Private, 4-yearsDes Moines, IA
$49,944 $29,576 4,68567% 1,270 SAT
28 ACT
10 to 1
3 Iowa State University
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Public, 4-yearsAmes, IA
$27,683
($10,497)
$9,461 29,96990% 1,220 SAT
24 ACT
18 to 1
4 Luther College
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Private, 4-yearsDecorah, IA
$50,320 $35,965 1,61075% 1,205 SAT
26 ACT
11 to 1
5 University of Iowa
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Public, 4-yearsIowa City, IA
$32,927
($10,964)
$10,058 30,01586% 1,230 SAT
25 ACT
16 to 1
6 Simpson College
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Private, 4-yearsIndianola, IA
$46,212 $33,371 1,15189% -
31 ACT
10 to 1
7 University of Northern Iowa
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Public, 4-yearsCedar Falls, IA
$21,272
($9,728)
$7,433 8,94595% 1,150 SAT
22 ACT
17 to 1
8 Central College
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Private, 4-yearsPella, IA
$20,988 $10,764 1,16979% 1,100 SAT
22 ACT
13 to 1
9 Coe College
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Private, 4-yearsCedar Rapids, IA
$52,576 $40,121 1,264- - 10 to 1
10 Wartburg College
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Private, 4-yearsWaverly, IA
$51,040 $36,141 1,44497% 1,060 SAT
22 ACT
13 to 1
11 Buena Vista University
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Private, 4-yearsStorm Lake, IA
$40,190 $20,292 1,97377% 1,020 SAT
22 ACT
12 to 1
12 Cornell College
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Private, 4-yearsMount Vernon, IA
$50,634 $35,483 1,07379% 1,260 SAT
26 ACT
13 to 1
13 Mount Mercy University
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Private, 4-yearsCedar Rapids, IA
$39,070 $22,913 1,52675% -
21 ACT
13 to 1
14 Clarke University
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Private, 4-yearsDubuque, IA
$39,600 $24,206 96585% 1,070 SAT
20 ACT
9 to 1
15 Morningside University
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Private, 4-yearsSioux City, IA
$38,190 $23,591 2,24971% - 13 to 1
16 Saint Ambrose University
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Private, 4-yearsDavenport, IA
$35,598 $22,910 2,74774% 1,100 SAT
24 ACT
12 to 1
17 Upper Iowa University
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Private, 4-yearsFayette, IA
$19,000 $12,470 3,07254% 970 SAT
21 ACT
13 to 1
18 University of Dubuque
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Private, 4-yearsDubuque, IA
$40,065 $26,780 1,77685% - 9 to 1
19 Waldorf University
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Private, 4-yearsForest City, IA
$25,220 $7,445 2,76374% - 24 to 1
20 Graceland University-Lamoni
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Private, 4-yearsLamoni, IA
$33,220 $26,181 1,23774% - 13 to 1
Average$38,931
($10,396)
$23,932 101,39275.74% 1,164 SAT 12.90 to 1
*Ranking data provided by CollegeEvaluator.
All data used in our site is from IPEDS (The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System), U.S. Department of Education, academic year 2022-2023