Resources › For Students and Parents Top Iowa Colleges 12 of the Top Colleges in Iowa Share Flipboard Email Print For Students and Parents College Admissions College Rankings College Admissions Process College Profiles Choosing A College Application Tips Essay Samples & Tips Testing Graphs College Financial Aid Advanced Placement Homework Help Private School Test Prep College Life Graduate School Business School Law School Distance Learning View More By Allen Grove Allen Grove Facebook Twitter College Admissions Expert Ph.D., English, University of Pennsylvania M.A., English, University of Pennsylvania B.S., Materials Science & Engineering and Literature, MIT Dr. Allen Grove is an Alfred University English professor and a college admissions expert with over 20 years of experience helping students transition to college. Learn about our Editorial Process Updated on August 21, 2018 For a state with relatively small population, Iowa offers some excellent options for higher education. My top picks for the state range in size from about 1,000 students to close to 30,000, and the admissions standards vary greatly. The list includes private, public, religious, and secular colleges and universities. My selection criteria include retention rates, four- and six-year graduation rates, value, student engagement, and notable curricular strengths. I have listed the schools alphabetically rather than forcing them into any kind of artificial ranking. The colleges have remarkably different missions and personalities, and ranking a small Christian college with a large public university would be dubious at best. Compare Iowa Colleges: SAT Scores | ACT Scores Top Ranked U.S. Colleges: Universities | Public Universities | Liberal Arts Colleges | Engineering | Business | Women's | Most Selective | More Top Picks Clarke University Dubuque, Iowa. Dirk / Wikimedia Commons Location: Dubuque, Iowa Enrollment: 1,043 (801 undergraduates) Type of Institution: Catholic liberal arts university Distinctions: 9 to 1 student / faculty ratio; good grant aid; strong programs in professional fields such as education, nursing and business; high job and graduate school placement rates For acceptance rate, test scores, costs and other information, visit the Clarke University profile GPA, SAT and ACT Graph for Clarke Admissions Coe College Sculpture at Coe College. srett / Flickr Location: Cedar Rapics, Iowa Enrollment: 1,406 (all undergraduate) Type of Institution: private liberal arts college Distinctions: highly ranked liberal arts college; "Coe Plan" encourages experiential learning; 11 to 1 student / faculty ratio; chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strengths in the liberal arts and sciences For acceptance rate, test scores, costs and other information, visit the Coe College profile GPA, SAT and ACT Graph for Coe Admissions Cornell College Cornell College Campus. courtesy of Cornell College Location: Mount Vernon, Iowa Enrollment: 978 (all undergraduate) Type of Institution: private liberal arts college Distinctions: chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strengths in the liberal arts and sciences; attractive campus on the National Register of Historic Places; unusual one-course-at-a-time curriculum For acceptance rate, test scores, costs and other information, visit the Cornell College profile GPA, SAT and ACT Graph for Cornell College Admissions Drake University Drake University. Picture Des Moines / Flickr Location: Des Moines, Iowa Enrollment: 5,001 (3,267 undergraduates) Type of Institution: private university Distinctions: 12 to 1 student / faculty ratio; chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strengths in the liberal arts and sciences; strong internship programs; high marks for student engagement; member of the NCAA Division I Missouri Valley Conference For acceptance rate, test scores, costs and other information, visit the Drake University profile GPA, SAT and ACT Graph for Drake Admissions Grinnell College Grinnell College. Barry Solow / Flickr Location: Grinnell, Iowa Enrollment: 1,699 (all undergraduate) Type of Institution: private liberal arts college Distinctions: 9 to 1 student / faculty ratio; chapter of Phi Beta Kappa; one of the country's top liberal arts colleges; large endowment and financial resources; individualized approach to graduation requirements; NCAA Division III athletics For acceptance rate, test scores, costs and other information, visit the Grinnell College profile GPA, SAT and ACT Graph for Grinnell Admissions Loras College Loras College. Mike Willis Location: Dubuque, Iowa Enrollment: 1,524 (1,463 undergraduates) Type of Institution: private Catholic liberal arts college Distinctions: 12 to 1 student / faculty ratio; all students receive an IBM laptop; strong experiential learning programs; high level of student engagement with roughly 150 clubs, organizations and activities; 21 NCAA Division III athletic teams For acceptance rate, test scores, costs and other information, visit the Loras College profile GPA, SAT and ACT Graph for Loras Admissions Luther College Luther College. Prizm / Wikimedia Commons Location: Decorah, Iowa Enrollment: 2,169 (all undergraduate) Type of Institution: private liberal arts college affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Distinctions: 12 to 1 student / faculty ratio; chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strengths in the liberal arts and sciences; strong emphasis on service and study abroad; NCAA Division III athletics For acceptance rate, test scores, costs and other information, visit the Luther College profile GPA, SAT and ACT Graph for Luther Admissions Northwestern College Northwestern College in Iowa. Tlandegent / Wikipedia Location: Orange City, Iowa Enrollment: 1,252 (1,091 undergraduate) Type of Institution: private college affiliated with the Reformed Church in America Distinctions: strong commitment to community service and social mobility; the college's Christian identity is woven into the learning environment; 13 to 1 student / faculty ratio; active student life; good grant aid For acceptance rate, test scores, costs and other information, visit the Northwestern College profile GPA, SAT and ACT Graph for Northwestern Admissions Simpson College College Hall at Simpson College. GrandpaDave / Wikimedia Commons Location: Indianola, Iowa Enrollment: 1,608 (1,543 undergraduate) Type of Institution: private liberal arts college affiliated with the United Methodist Church Distinctions: 12 to 1 student / faculty ratio; popular business programs; proximity to Des Moines provides experiential learning opportunities; good grant aid and overall value; active student life including fraternities and sororities; NCAA Division III athletic programs For acceptance rate, test scores, costs and other information, visit the Simpson College profile GPA, SAT and ACT Graph for Simpson Admissions University of Iowa University of Iowa - Old Capitol Building. Alan Kotok / Flickr Location: Iowa City, Iowa Enrollment: 32,011 (24,476 undergraduates) Type of Institution: public university Distinctions: chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strong liberal arts and sciences; highly ranked programs in nursing, art, creative writing, and others; strong graduate programs; attractive campus along the Iowa River; member of the NCAA Division I Big Ten Conference For acceptance rate, test scores, costs and other information, visit the University of Iowa profile GPA, SAT and ACT Graph for University of Iowa Admissions University of Northern Iowa UNI - University of Northern Iowa. MadMaxMarchHare / Wikimedia Commons Location: Cedar Falls, Iowa Enrollment: 11,905 (10,104 undergraduates) Type of Institution: public university Distinctions: robust programs in education and business; curriculum has a global emphasis; strong study abroad programs; member of the NCAA Division I Missouri Valley Conference For acceptance rate, test scores, costs and other information, visit the University of Northern Iowa profile GPA, SAT and ACT Graph for UNI Admissions Wartburg College Wartburg College. Dorsm365 / Wikimedia Commons Location: Waverly, Iowa Enrollment: 1,482 (all undergraduate) Type of Institution: private liberal arts college affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church Distinctions: 11 to 1 student / faculty ratio; strong retention and graduation rates in relation to student profile; high job and graduate school placement rates; many new buildings and campus upgrades; high levels of student participation in music and athletics; NCAA Division III athletic programs For acceptance rate, test scores, costs and other information, visit the Wartburg College profile GPA, SAT and ACT Graph for Wartburg Admissions Calculate Your Chances Calculate Your Chances of Being Admitted. See if you have the grades and test scores you need to get into one of these top Iowa schools with this free tool from Cappex Explore Top Midwest Colleges and Universities Midwest Region. If you're a fan of the Midwest, be sure to check out these schools: 30 Top Midwest Colleges and Universities. Cite this Article Format mla apa chicago Your Citation Grove, Allen. "Top Iowa Colleges." ThoughtCo, Apr. 5, 2023, thoughtco.com/top-iowa-colleges-788310. Grove, Allen. (2023, April 5). Top Iowa Colleges. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/top-iowa-colleges-788310 Grove, Allen. "Top Iowa Colleges." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/top-iowa-colleges-788310 (accessed June 8, 2023). copy citation