Graduate school may be a critical step in your higher education, whether you are interested in expanding your knowledge, learning a specialization, or earning advanced credentials required by your profession. The best graduate schools in Iowa offer advanced degrees, such as master’s and doctoral degrees, as well as opportunities for independent research, mentorships, and professional networking.
Iowa’s largest public university, Iowa State University, serves over 30,000 students and offers extra flexibility for those pursuing a graduate-level degree or certificate through online and distance learning opportunities in more than 50 academic fields. Additionally, the home of the Hawkeyes, the University of Iowa, is also home to some of the nation’s top programs in literature, philosophy, and law. This school 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.
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For students hoping to obtain their degrees at a smaller school, Iowa offers over 40 options to choose from, with tuition ranging from $4,000 at Indian Hills Community College 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 many higher education institutes to choose from. Discover more about Iowa’s top programs and career paths.
There are 6 doctorate-granting graduate schools in Iowa. Our ranking of the best graduate schools in the Iowa is composed of both private and public schools. To be included, schools must be fully accredited non-profit institutions, and must offer doctoral degrees and a broad array of graduate degrees.
Tuition + fees
$10K
Acceptance
84%
Graduation
72%
Student body
26K
Median SAT/ACT
1235/25
University of Iowa’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$9K
Acceptance
88%
Graduation
75%
Student body
30K
Median SAT/ACT
1220/25
Iowa State University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$46K
Acceptance
68%
Graduation
78%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1235/27
Drake University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$34K
Acceptance
74%
Graduation
64%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1170/22
St. Ambrose University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$37K
Acceptance
76%
Graduation
57%
Student body
2K
Mount Mercy University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$17K
Acceptance
100%
Graduation
43%
Student body
2K
Maharishi International University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Many of our 2022 undergraduate focused rankings look considerably different than 2021. That’s because we took a fundamentally different apporach. For 2021 we utiulized 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.