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Most Selective Universities in Iowa

Rankings based on government-verified data for qualifying institutions in Iowa.

28 results
# Institution Tuition Avg Earnings Grad Rate Acceptance Rate
1 Grinnell College
Private Non-Profit IA ROI
$64,862 $49,004 88% 13%
2 Faith Baptist Bible College and Theological Seminary
Private Non-Profit IA ROI
$19,530 $33,372 59% 50%
3 William Penn University
Private Non-Profit IA ROI
$28,750 $40,189 30% 57%
4 Drake University
Private Non-Profit IA ROI
$49,944 $58,233 77% 64%
5 Clarke University
Private Non-Profit IA ROI
$39,600 $49,157 56% 68%
6 Morningside University
Private Non-Profit IA ROI
$38,190 $47,687 55% 71%
7 Coe College
Private Non-Profit IA ROI
$52,576 $47,136 62% 71%
8 Dordt University
Private Non-Profit IA ROI
$35,960 $50,551 66% 71%
9 Buena Vista University
Private Non-Profit IA ROI
$40,190 $43,572 52% 72%
10 Waldorf University
Private For-Profit IA ROI
$25,220 $50,515 28% 73%
11 Luther College
Private Non-Profit IA ROI
$50,320 $49,541 75% 73%
12 Saint Ambrose University
Private Non-Profit IA ROI
$35,598 $51,616 63% 73%
13 Mount Mercy University
Private Non-Profit IA ROI
$39,070 $52,871 57% 79%
14 Central College
Private Non-Profit IA ROI
$20,988 $49,115 70% 79%
15 Cornell College
Private Non-Profit IA ROI
$50,634 $39,299 68% 81%
16 Graceland University-Lamoni
Private Non-Profit IA ROI
$33,220 $40,792 43% 83%
17 University of Iowa
Public IA ROI
$10,964 $52,696 73% 85%
18 University of Dubuque
Private Non-Profit IA ROI
$40,065 $44,960 40% 87%
19 Northwestern College
Private Non-Profit IA ROI
$35,300 $46,731 63% 87%
20 Simpson College
Private Non-Profit IA ROI
$46,212 $49,946 66% 89%
21 Iowa State University
Public IA ROI
$10,497 $53,873 75% 89%
22 Loras College
Private Non-Profit IA ROI
$38,298 $46,069 69% 92%
23 Upper Iowa University
Private Non-Profit IA ROI
$19,000 $48,776 42% 93%
24 University of Northern Iowa
Public IA ROI
$9,728 $47,222 66% 94%
25 Maharishi International University
Private Non-Profit IA ROI
$16,530 $26,468 35% 97%
26 Grand View University
Private Non-Profit IA ROI
$33,450 $47,582 54% 98%
27 Mercy College of Health Sciences
Private Non-Profit IA ROI
$17,328 $53,375 47% 99%
28 Wartburg College
Private Non-Profit IA ROI
$51,040 $48,795 67% 99%

About This Ranking

This ranking is based on data from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard, which provides comprehensive information about colleges and universities across the country.

Institutions are ranked by most selective metrics using the most recently available data. Only institutions with complete data for the ranking criteria are included.

Frequently Asked Questions

The top Most Selective university in Iowa is Grinnell College, followed by Faith Baptist Bible College and Theological Seminary. Rankings are based on U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard data.

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