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For a state with relatively low 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.
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Clarke University
Dirk / Wikimedia Commons
- Location: Dubuque, Iowa
- Enrollment: 1,255 (993 undergraduates)
- Type of Institution: Catholic liberal arts university
- Distinctions: 11 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
Coe College
srett / Flickr
- Location: Cedar Rapics, Iowa
- Enrollment: 1,300 (1,287 undergraduates)
- 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
Cornell College
courtesy of Cornell College
- Location: Mount Vernon, Iowa
- Enrollment: 1,133 (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
Drake University
Picture Des Moines / Flickr
- Location: Des Moines, Iowa
- Enrollment: 5,653 (3,548 undergraduates)
- Type of Institution: private university
- Distinctions: 14 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
Grinnell College
Aureliusxv / Wikimedia Commons
- Location: Grinnell, Iowa
- Enrollment: 1,688 (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
Loras College
Mike Willis
- Location: Dubuque, Iowa
- Enrollment: 1,562 (1,516 undergraduates)
- Type of Institution: private Catholic liberal arts college
- Distinctions: 13 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
Luther College
Prizm / Wikimedia Commons
- Location: Decorah, Iowa
- Enrollment: 2,519 (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
Northwestern College
Tlandegent / Wikipedia
- Location: Orange City, Iowa
- Enrollment: 1,243 (all 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; 14 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
Simpson College
GrandpaDave / Wikimedia Commons
- Location: Indianola, Iowa
- Enrollment: 2,021 (1,979 undergraduate)
- Type of Institution: private liberal arts college affiliated with the United Methodist Church
- Distinctions: 14 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
University of Iowa
Cbenning / Wikimedia Commons
- Location: Iowa City, Iowa
- Enrollment: 28,987 (20,574 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
University of Northern Iowa
MadMaxMarchHare / Wikimedia Commons
- Location: Cedar Falls, Iowa
- Enrollment: 13,303 (11,381 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
Wartburg College
Dorsm365 / Wikimedia Commons
- Location: Waverly, Iowa
- Enrollment: 1,775 (all undergraduate)
- Type of Institution: private liberal arts college affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church
- Distinctions: 12 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
