Best Christian Colleges in Iowa 2024

Badge for BEST IN IOWA CHRISTIAN COLLEGES

Published: May 6, 2021
Updated: Oct 26, 2023

For prospective college students looking for schools that align with their Christian faith and demonstrate academic excellence, here are the best Christian colleges and universities in Iowa.

10 Best Christian Colleges in Iowa

Cornell College
Luther College
Loras College
Coe College
Graceland University
Grand View University
Iowa Wesleyan University
Wartburg College
Briar Cliff University
University of Dubuque

Coe College
Cornell College
Luther College
Loras College
Graceland University
Clarke University
Simpson College
Iowa Wesleyan University
Wartburg College
St. Ambrose University

Grand View University 98%
Wartburg College 97%
Loras College 90%
Simpson College 89%
Dordt University 88%
Northwestern College 87%
Clarke University 85%
University of Dubuque 85%
Iowa Wesleyan University 81%
Cornell College 79%

William Penn University 18 to 1
Northwestern College 15 to 1
Dordt University 14 to 1
Morningside University 13 to 1
Cornell College 13 to 1
Iowa Wesleyan University 13 to 1
Graceland University 13 to 1
Mount Mercy University 13 to 1
Wartburg College 13 to 1
Buena Vista University 12 to 1

Coe College $50,664
Wartburg College $49,190
Cornell College $49,158
Luther College $48,160
Simpson College $45,108
Buena Vista University $38,644
University of Dubuque $38,526
Clarke University $38,060
Mount Mercy University $37,606
Morningside University $36,610

St. Ambrose University $19,040
Cornell College $14,850
Wartburg College $13,800
Loras College $13,410
Clarke University $12,868
Graceland University $11,688
Mount Mercy University $11,106
Morningside University $10,548
William Penn University $10,500
Buena Vista University $9,936

Morningside University
Northwestern College
Dordt University
William Penn University
Mount Mercy University
Buena Vista University
Clarke University
Simpson College
St. Ambrose University
University of Dubuque

Dordt University
Morningside University
Buena Vista University
Northwestern College
Briar Cliff University
Mount Mercy University
Grand View University
William Penn University
University of Dubuque
St. Ambrose University

William Penn University 58%
Morningside University 71%
St. Ambrose University 74%
Graceland University 74%
Mount Mercy University 75%
Luther College 75%
Buena Vista University 77%
Cornell College 79%
Iowa Wesleyan University 81%
University of Dubuque 85%

University of Dubuque 9 to 1
Clarke University 9 to 1
Coe College 10 to 1
Simpson College 10 to 1
Luther College 11 to 1
Buena Vista University 12 to 1
Grand View University 12 to 1
Briar Cliff University 12 to 1
Loras College 12 to 1
St. Ambrose University 12 to 1

William Penn University $27,800
Graceland University $31,970
Grand View University $32,068
Northwestern College $34,250
Briar Cliff University $34,498
St. Ambrose University $34,570
Dordt University $34,600
Iowa Wesleyan University $34,700
Loras College $36,570
Morningside University $36,610

Northwestern College $6,120
Iowa Wesleyan University $6,420
Simpson College $6,526
University of Dubuque $7,440
Briar Cliff University $8,474
Grand View University $8,730
Dordt University $9,360
Buena Vista University $9,936
William Penn University $10,500
Morningside University $10,548

Table of Contents

Colleges and Universities in Iowa

With a large number of both brick-and-mortar and online colleges in Iowa, students have plenty of great schools to choose from.

Iowa’s largest public university, Iowa State University, serves over 30,000 students and offers extra flexibility for both undergraduate and graduate students through a selection of online degree programs in more than 50 academic fields including business administration, psychology, computer science, and more.

The University of Iowa-home of the Hawkeyes-is also home to some of the nation’s top programs in literature, philosophy, and law. The University of Iowa has also been at the forefront of higher education, starting the nation’s first co-educational medical school, as well as being the first public school to grant a law degree to a woman, Mary B. Hickey Wilkinson, in 1873.

Find college admissions consultants in your state.

For prospective students hoping to obtain their degrees at a smaller school, Iowa offers over 40 options to choose from. For a more affordable option, students can pay $4,000 per year for tuition at Indian Hills Community College. Like most community colleges in Georgia, Indian Hills also offers an array of online programs.

At the other end of the spectrum, students will pay up to $52,000 for an academic year at Grinnell College. Furthermore, nearly half of the schools in Iowa are religiously affiliated.

Iowa is often recognized for its agriculture as it produces the most pork and corn in the nation. Equally noteworthy is Iowa’s wealth of one-of-a-kind roadside attractions. From the largest wooden nickel, to the crookedest street, to the Grotto of Redemption, The Hawkeye State is full of wonders. Students in search of curiosities and oddities while earning a degree can attend one of Iowa’s public or private colleges.

Whether you’re looking to earn your associate, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree, Iowa offers a wealth of on-campus and online learning options. Discover more about Iowa’s top brick-and-mortar and online programs as well as top career paths in the state of Iowa.

What are Iowa’s Colleges & Universities?

Iowa’s Best Overall

The following list of the best Christian schools consists entirely of colleges and universities that offer four-year undergraduate degrees. We’ve identified 19 Christian colleges in Iowa. In order to be included in this ranking list of best Christian colleges and universities, a school must self-identify as Christian, be fully accredited, and offer a broad range of bachelor degree programs.

How do we determine Iowa's best Christian colleges and universities?

Methodology

The people affiliated with a school are ultimately what make it great! If you are serious about finding the best colleges and universities for a bachelor’s degree, you should be asking where the most influential professors are teaching and whether their graduates are themselves advancing the school’s reputation for academic excellence in their fields of study.

Most ranking sites rely on an opaque combination of reputation surveys and arbitrary performance metrics. Concentrated Influence provides a ranking that is freer from bias, insulated from manipulation, and reflective of real-world educational outcomes.

To rank the influence of schools, we first determine the influence of scholars and professionals based on the number of citations and publications they have had over the past 10 years. In addition to publications and citations, we consider the web links to and from these sources, and the page views of those sources. We then match the influential people to their alma maters and institutions of employment, so that their influence is attributed to those schools. Our machine-learning Influence Ranking algorithm produces a numerical score of academic achievements, merits, and citations across Wikipedia, wikidata, Crossref, Semantic Scholar and an ever-growing body of data. If you are interested in exploring how and why we rank by influence, explore our methodology in more depth.

Best Christian Colleges in Iowa 2023

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Iowa’s Best Christian Colleges in Your Area of Interest

2021 Ranking Archive

Many of our 2022 undergraduate focused rankings look considerably different than 2021. That’s because we took a fundamentally different apporach. For 2021 we utilized our Concentrated Influence algorithm, designed to take away the size advantage larger schools have when we rank their faculty and alumni’s academic influence. Concentrated influence highlights smaller schools that are proportionally as successful as larger universities at cultivating influential alumni and faculty.

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Best Christian Colleges in Iowa 2024

10 Best Christian Colleges in Iowa

Colleges and Universities in Iowa

What are Iowa’s Colleges & Universities?

Best Christian Colleges in Iowa 2023

Career Outlook for degree at Cornell College

Most Influential Alumni

Cornell College’s Online Degrees

Degree Concentrations

Career Outlook for degree at Luther College

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Loras College

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Coe College

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Graceland University

Most Influential Alumni

Graceland University’s Online Degrees

Career Outlook for degree at Grand View University

Most Influential Alumni

Grand View University’s Online Degrees

Degree Concentrations

Career Outlook for degree at Iowa Wesleyan University

Most Influential Alumni

Iowa Wesleyan University’s Online Degrees

Degree Concentrations

Degree Concentrations

Career Outlook for degree at Wartburg College

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Briar Cliff University

Most Influential Alumni

Briar Cliff University’s Online Degrees

Career Outlook for degree at University of Dubuque

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at St. Ambrose University

Most Influential Alumni

St. Ambrose University’s Online Degrees

Degree Concentrations

Career Outlook for degree at Simpson College

Most Influential Alumni

Simpson College’s Online Degrees

Career Outlook for degree at Clarke University

Most Influential Alumni

Clarke University’s Online Degrees

Career Outlook for degree at Buena Vista University

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Mount Mercy University

Mount Mercy University’s Online Degrees

Degree Concentrations

Career Outlook for degree at William Penn University

Most Influential Alumni

William Penn University’s Online Degrees

Degree Concentrations

Career Outlook for degree at Dordt University

Most Influential Alumni

Dordt University’s Online Degrees

Degree Concentrations

Career Outlook for degree at Northwestern College

Most Influential Alumni

Northwestern College ’s Online Degrees

Career Outlook for degree at Morningside University

Most Influential Alumni

Morningside University’s Online Degrees

Iowa’s Best Christian Colleges in Your Area of Interest