Best colleges and universities in Iowa

There are 93 institutions in Iowa: 74 private colleges and 19 public colleges.
Every university in Iowa have a different amount of degree programs, ranged from 3 (Faust Institute of Cosmetology-Storm Lake) to 1194 (University of Iowa). Also Iowa colleges have from 3:1 to 30:1 student-to-faculty ratios.

The acceptance rate in Iowa is between 24% and 100%. The most popular test to enter an institution in Iowa state is ACT - 97% of students submitted it.
The average annual total costs of attendance at Iowa universities range between 6,658$ to 26,864$. The average percent of Iowa students with financial aid is 21%.
The completion of full-time universities education programs in Iowa is between 12% and 100%. Average salary after attending the Iowa’s institutions ranges between $15,800 and $55,700. Please look all the details below.

Find Colleges Near Iowa State that Match Your Needs!

Find colleges near me!

Use the Find Colleges Near You button to create a list of colleges sorted by distance from you to the each college in Iowa or all the US. You could manually set up how many miles around you the tool should perform a search - 50 miles is used by default. At the results page you could filter the results by degree, type of school or major. If you want to use search field instead of a button, you’ll get the list of Iowa colleges sorted by distance from its administrative center.

The most popular searches about Iowa colleges:

More searches

Other states

More states

Average Iowa State Cost

$13,998

ABOVE AVERAGE

The average annual total cost of attendance in Iowa state colleges is 13,998$, that is above the national average by 64 dollars. National average is based on costs of attendance for all institutions in US and includes tuition, fees, books and living, minus the average grant/scholarship aid.

More colleges and universities in Iowa state

By Price Acceptance Rate Graduation Rate Salary After Degree

Price
Institution
$6,658
Divine Word College in Epworth
$6,953
Allen College in Waterloo
$7,090
Faust Institute of Cosmetology-Storm Lake in Storm Lake
$7,259
Western Iowa Tech Community College in Sioux City
$7,366
Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge
$7,385
Southeastern Community College in West Burlington
$8,045
North Iowa Area Community College in Mason City
$8,175
Carlson College of Massage Therapy in Anamosa
$8,347
Southwestern Community College in Creston
$8,508
E Q School of Hair Design in Council Bluffs
$8,688
Total Look School of Cosmetology & Massage Therapy in Cresco
$8,716
Iowa School of Beauty-Des Moines in Des Moines
$8,987
Indian Hills Community College in Ottumwa
$9,400
Eastern Iowa Community College District in Davenport
$9,515
Iowa School of Beauty-Sioux City in Sioux City
$9,705
American College of Hairstyling-Cedar Rapids in Cedar Rapids
$10,101
Iowa School of Beauty-Marshalltown in Marshalltown
$10,131
Iowa School of Beauty-Ottumwa in Ottumwa
$10,293
Iowa Lakes Community College in Estherville
$10,392
Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs
$10,496
La James College of Hairstyling and Cosmetology in Mason City
$10,506
American Hair Academy in Mt. Pleasant
$10,555
Marshalltown Community College in Marshalltown
$10,639
College of Hair Design in Waterloo
$11,024
Northeast Iowa Community College in Calmar
$11,171
Des Moines Area Community College in Ankeny
$11,222
Hawkeye Community College in Waterloo
$11,257
Northwest Iowa Community College in Sheldon
$11,425
Ellsworth Community College in Iowa Falls
$11,685
Faust Institute of Cosmetology-Spirit Lake in Spirit Lake

Acc.Rate
Institution
100%
Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport
99%
Grand View University in Des Moines
97%
Mercy College of Health Sciences in Des Moines
96%
Saint Ambrose University in Davenport
95%
Loras College in Dubuque
93%
ITT Technical Institute-Clive in Clive
91%
Divine Word College in Epworth
87%
Iowa State University in Ames
85%
Simpson College in Indianola
81%
University of Iowa in Iowa City
79%
Wartburg College in Waverly
78%
University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls
78%
Northwestern College in Orange City
78%
University of Dubuque in Dubuque
74%
Cornell College in Mount Vernon
73%
Dordt College in Sioux Center
71%
Luther College in Decorah
70%
Upper Iowa University in Fayette
70%
Clarke University in Dubuque
69%
Waldorf College in Forest City
69%
Central College in Pella
69%
Drake University in Des Moines
68%
Buena Vista University in Storm Lake
67%
Faith Baptist Bible College and Theological Seminary in Ankeny
62%
Briar Cliff University in Sioux City
60%
William Penn University in Oskaloosa
59%
AIB College of Business in Des Moines
57%
Morningside College in Sioux City
57%
Mount Mercy University in Cedar Rapids
55%
Coe College in Cedar Rapids

Grad.Rate
Institution
100%
UnityPoint Health-Des Moines School of Radiologic Technology in Des Moines
98%
Carlson College of Massage Therapy in Anamosa
88%
Grinnell College in Grinnell
83%
La James College of Hairstyling and Cosmetology in Mason City
83%
Faust Institute of Cosmetology-Spirit Lake in Spirit Lake
80%
Iowa School of Beauty-Sioux City in Sioux City
80%
Emmaus Bible College in Dubuque
79%
Luther College in Decorah
77%
Capri College-Davenport in Davenport
77%
Total Look School of Cosmetology & Massage Therapy in Cresco
77%
American College of Hairstyling-Des Moines in Des Moines
75%
Drake University in Des Moines
75%
American Hair Academy in Mt. Pleasant
73%
Hamilton Technical College in Davenport
72%
Mount Mercy University in Cedar Rapids
71%
La James International College-Iowa City in Iowa City
71%
Clarke University in Dubuque
71%
Iowa School of Beauty-Marshalltown in Marshalltown
71%
The Salon Professional Academy-Iowa City in Iowa City
70%
Aveda Institute-Des Moines in West Des Moines
70%
University of Iowa in Iowa City
69%
Simpson College in Indianola
69%
American College of Hairstyling-Cedar Rapids in Cedar Rapids
69%
Coe College in Cedar Rapids
69%
Iowa State University in Ames
69%
La James International College-Cedar Falls in Cedar Falls
68%
PCI Academy-Ames in Ames
68%
Capri College-Cedar Rapids in Cedar Rapids
67%
Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport
67%
Wartburg College in Waverly

Salary
Institution
$55,700
Drake University in Des Moines
$51,100
University of Phoenix-Iowa in Des Moines
$49,100
Allen College in Waterloo
$49,100
University of Iowa in Iowa City
$47,800
Iowa State University in Ames
$46,700
Mercy College of Health Sciences in Des Moines
$46,400
St Luke's College in Sioux City
$44,900
Saint Ambrose University in Davenport
$43,500
Simpson College in Indianola
$43,100
Grinnell College in Grinnell
$43,000
Wartburg College in Waverly
$42,800
Mount Mercy University in Cedar Rapids
$42,400
Coe College in Cedar Rapids
$42,000
Loras College in Dubuque
$42,000
University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls
$41,800
Luther College in Decorah
$41,800
Central College in Pella
$41,000
Clarke University in Dubuque
$40,900
William Penn University in Oskaloosa
$40,900
Cornell College in Mount Vernon
$40,700
Upper Iowa University in Fayette
$40,400
Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport
$40,200
Grand View University in Des Moines
$40,000
Morningside College in Sioux City
$38,800
ITT Technical Institute-Cedar Rapids in Cedar Rapids
$38,800
ITT Technical Institute-Clive in Clive
$38,300
Buena Vista University in Storm Lake
$38,100
Briar Cliff University in Sioux City
$38,100
Dordt College in Sioux Center
$37,700
University of Dubuque in Dubuque

Ac.Prog.
Institution
1194
University of Iowa in Iowa City
927
Iowa State University in Ames
552
University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls
370
Des Moines Area Community College in Ankeny
369
Western Iowa Tech Community College in Sioux City
367
Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids
350
Saint Ambrose University in Davenport
333
Dordt College in Sioux Center
296
Eastern Iowa Community College District in Davenport
282
Kaplan University-Davenport Campus in Davenport
281
Drake University in Des Moines
246
Upper Iowa University in Fayette
231
Buena Vista University in Storm Lake
225
Indian Hills Community College in Ottumwa
216
Iowa Lakes Community College in Estherville
204
Kaplan University-Des Moines Campus in Urbandale
201
Kaplan University-Cedar Falls Campus in Cedar Falls
201
Kaplan University-Mason City Campus in Mason City
201
Kaplan University-Cedar Rapids Campus in Cedar Rapids
198
Northeast Iowa Community College in Calmar
195
North Iowa Area Community College in Mason City
192
Mount Mercy University in Cedar Rapids
190
Hawkeye Community College in Waterloo
171
Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge
168
Morningside College in Sioux City
165
Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs
160
Simpson College in Indianola
159
Graceland University-Lamoni in Lamoni
156
Coe College in Cedar Rapids
153
Marshalltown Community College in Marshalltown

College Rankings

Top 10 Best Liberal Arts Colleges of 2017

Liberal arts colleges emphasize undergraduate education, have smaller classes, students have more access to the professors and research work...

The Top 7 Public Universities, 2017

Explore the best public universities that provide robust education and an extensive range of learning and research opportunities to help you...

Forbes Top 10 Colleges of 2016

How to find a college with a good reputation and a quality education to get a well-paying job after graduation? Explore more about the top c...