Colleges in Iowa
Solyo has full profiles for 5 colleges in Iowa: 2 public, 3 private nonprofit. The median family here pays $18,745 a year after grant aid, $2,820 below the national median. Half of these schools admit more than 72% of applicants. They sit across 5 cities, concentrated in Ames, Cedar Rapids, Decorah.
What Iowa costs
Published in-state tuition at the median Iowa public university is $11,283 a year before aid. Residency is worth the most at University of Iowa, where an out-of-state family pays $22,088 more for the same degree.
After grants and scholarships the range runs from $17,648 at Grinnell College to $23,097 at Luther College. That spread is the reason a sticker price is a poor way to build a list in Iowa.
Why net price beats sticker price, and what an average one does and does not tell a particular family.
How selective Iowa schools are
Grinnell College admits 15% of applicants and Iowa State University admits 89%. A list drawn only from the selective end of that range has no likely school in it, which is the most common mistake in a first draft.
The highest average SAT reported in Iowa is 1486 at Grinnell College.
Every Iowa college profile
Ordered by selectivity, most selective first.
- Grinnell CollegeGrinnell, Iowa · Private nonprofit15% acceptance · $17,648 net price · 1486 avg SAT
- Coe CollegeCedar Rapids, Iowa · Private nonprofit64% acceptance · $18,745 net price · 1223 avg SAT
- Luther CollegeDecorah, Iowa · Private nonprofit72% acceptance · $23,097 net price · 1218 avg SAT
- University of IowaIowa City, Iowa · Public84% acceptance · $22,531 net price · 1200 avg SAT
- Iowa State UniversityAmes, Iowa · Public89% acceptance · $18,589 net price · 1204 avg SAT
Other Midwest states
On median net price Iowa is the 5th most affordable of the 12 Midwest states in this directory, and the 10th most accessible on median acceptance rate. In-state pricing makes the neighbouring states worth checking too.
Where to go next
- College search filter Iowa and every other state by major, cost and selectivity
- How to read these numbers what each figure on a profile measures
- Scholarship directory awards with published odds, filterable by state
- All 50 states and Washington D.C.