Colleges in Iowa
Every college in Iowa that reports to the federal government: 64 schools, 19 of them public. For each one, what a year actually costs after grant aid, the share of applicants admitted, the share of students who finish, and what graduates earn ten years after starting. All of it from public federal data, none of it ranked by us.
Looking for schools near a particular town rather than a whole state? The College Finder searches every US college by zip code and puts them on a map, and it will compare any two side by side. If you are still deciding what belongs on the list at all, start with building the list.
Nothing in Iowa matches that. Clear the box to see all 64 schools again.
Four-year colleges in Iowa
| Compare | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waterloo | Private | not reported | not reported | not reported | $71,261 | ||
| Sioux City | Private | $23,907 | not reported | 48% | $54,475 | ||
| Storm Lake | Private | $18,846 | 78% | 62% | $49,156 | ||
| Pella | Private | $23,377 | 86% | 66% | $54,317 | ||
| Dubuque | Private | $24,479 | 72% | 56% | $55,396 | ||
| Cedar Rapids | Private | $18,745 | 64% | 66% | $57,125 | ||
| Mount Vernon | Private | $23,634 | 80% | 62% | $53,460 | ||
| West Des Moines | Private | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported | ||
| Epworth | Private | not reported | not reported | 100% | not reported | ||
| Sioux Center | Private | $25,807 | 68% | 70% | $52,559 | ||
| Des Moines | Private | $29,127 | 64% | 74% | $71,901 | ||
| Dubuque | Private | $13,186 | 60% | 83% | $42,631 | ||
| Ankeny | Private | $16,282 | 68% | 68% | $40,650 | ||
| Lamoni | Private | $18,504 | 81% | 42% | $47,361 | ||
| Des Moines | Private | $21,774 | 99% | 54% | $52,824 | ||
| Grinnell | Private | $17,648 | 15% | 88% | $62,830 | ||
| Ames | Public | $18,589 | 89% | 75% | $63,386 | ||
| Dubuque | Private | $20,716 | 100% | 68% | $58,289 | ||
| Decorah | Private | $23,097 | 72% | 71% | $59,850 | ||
| Fairfield | Private | $14,956 | 96% | 50% | $27,981 | ||
| Des Moines | Private | $26,924 | 100% | 66% | $62,234 | ||
| Sioux City | Private | $31,320 | 71% | 50% | $55,494 | ||
| Cedar Rapids | Private | $20,168 | 83% | 58% | $60,787 | ||
| Orange City | Private | $25,907 | 80% | 66% | $49,802 | ||
| Davenport | Private (for-profit) | $26,439 | not reported | 81% | $37,008 | ||
| Davenport | Private | not reported | not reported | not reported | $59,483 | ||
| Davenport | Private | $24,691 | 77% | 61% | $59,531 | ||
| Indianola | Private | $21,936 | 86% | 63% | $59,274 | ||
| Sioux City | Private | $19,820 | 80% | 100% | $61,033 | ||
| Dubuque | Private | $23,386 | 89% | 40% | $51,190 | ||
| Iowa City | Public | $22,531 | 84% | 75% | $64,762 | ||
| Cedar Falls | Public | $15,901 | 93% | 68% | $55,177 | ||
| Fayette | Private | $20,942 | 96% | 34% | $52,766 | ||
| Forest City | Private (for-profit) | $19,693 | 77% | 21% | $51,165 | ||
| Waverly | Private | $32,908 | 76% | 64% | $56,201 | ||
| Dubuque | Private | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported | ||
| Oskaloosa | Private | $22,601 | 52% | 33% | $48,936 |
Two-year colleges in Iowa
Community and technical colleges, where the main award is a two-year associate degree. Read the graduation figure here differently: it counts only students who finish at the school they started, so a student who transfers to a four-year college counts as not graduating even though transferring on is usually the entire point.
| Compare | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ankeny | Public | $11,171 | not reported | 39% | $41,018 | ||
| Davenport | Public | $14,017 | not reported | 45% | $39,060 | ||
| Iowa Falls | Public | $11,451 | not reported | 38% | $40,562 | ||
| Waterloo | Public | $9,649 | not reported | 43% | $42,849 | ||
| Ottumwa | Public | $10,693 | not reported | 40% | $40,507 | ||
| Fort Dodge | Public | $9,328 | not reported | 42% | $42,046 | ||
| Estherville | Public | $13,933 | not reported | 50% | $43,108 | ||
| Des Moines | Private (for-profit) | $12,673 | not reported | 81% | $25,803 | ||
| Sioux City | Private (for-profit) | $16,878 | not reported | 72% | $26,654 | ||
| Council Bluffs | Public | $14,629 | not reported | 40% | $42,793 | ||
| Cedar Rapids | Public | $9,705 | not reported | 43% | $41,016 | ||
| Mason City | Private (for-profit) | $4,522 | not reported | 76% | $27,484 | ||
| Fort Dodge | Private (for-profit) | $14,824 | not reported | 90% | $26,679 | ||
| Johnston | Private (for-profit) | $15,759 | not reported | 88% | $27,401 | ||
| Marshalltown | Public | $8,059 | not reported | 42% | $41,010 | ||
| Cedar Rapids | Private | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported | ||
| Mason City | Public | $10,010 | not reported | 61% | $43,462 | ||
| Calmar | Public | $11,272 | not reported | 51% | $41,306 | ||
| Sheldon | Public | $14,800 | not reported | 58% | $50,776 | ||
| Ames | Private (for-profit) | $20,533 | not reported | 77% | $31,330 | ||
| Iowa City | Private (for-profit) | $20,938 | not reported | 71% | $31,330 | ||
| Davenport | Private (for-profit) | $20,254 | not reported | 65% | $29,898 | ||
| Council Bluffs | Private (for-profit) | $13,198 | not reported | 76% | $17,349 | ||
| West Burlington | Public | $12,347 | not reported | 43% | $36,882 | ||
| Creston | Public | $9,871 | not reported | 59% | $40,129 | ||
| Des Moines | Private | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported | ||
| Sioux City | Public | $8,770 | not reported | 50% | $40,473 |
Data: IPEDS 2024; SAT from IPEDS admissions 2023; College Scorecard released 06/10/2026; financial composite score for fiscal year 2022-23; endowment from IPEDS finance 2022-23 divided by IPEDS 2023 enrollment. Refreshed 2026-08-08.
Nearby states. In-state tuition makes a state line a price line, so the school just over it can cost your family several times what it costs a resident. Worth knowing what is there: Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota, Wisconsin.
Every state is listed on the colleges by state index, and the College Finder searches all of them at once by zip code or name.