Best Private Colleges in Iowa 2023

Published: May 6, 2021
Updated: Sep 8, 2023

Private colleges, unlike large public institutions, can be a great option for students wanting a more intimate campus experience, more personal attention from excellent professors, and more immediate access to support services. Here is our list of the best private colleges in Iowa.

Grand View University 100%
Maharishi International University 95%
Simpson College 91%
Clarke University 89%
Wartburg College 83%
Northwestern College 83%
Iowa Wesleyan University 82%
Cornell College 81%
Mount Mercy University 81%
Luther College 76%

Waldorf University 25 to 1
University of Dubuque 15 to 1
William Penn University 15 to 1
Dordt University 14 to 1
Graceland University 14 to 1
Mount Mercy University 14 to 1
Morningside University 13 to 1
Coe College 12 to 1
Grand View University 12 to 1
Maharishi International University 12 to 1

Grinnell College $58,648
Coe College $48,822
Cornell College $47,726
Wartburg College $47,500
Luther College $46,760
Drake University $45,912
Simpson College $44,030
Buena Vista University $37,518
Clarke University $36,870
Mount Mercy University $36,540

Maharishi International University $32,000
Wartburg College $21,850
Upper Iowa University $19,685
St. Ambrose University $18,360
Cornell College $14,850
Clarke University $13,847
Loras College $12,960
Drake University $11,738
Mount Mercy University $11,106
Graceland University $10,970

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

Grinnell College 11%
William Penn University 58%
Upper Iowa University 65%
Buena Vista University 66%
Graceland University 67%
Drake University 69%
Waldorf University 72%
Loras College 72%
St. Ambrose University 72%
Dordt University 73%

Grinnell College 8 to 1
Clarke University 8 to 1
Buena Vista University 10 to 1
Drake University 10 to 1
Luther College 11 to 1
Simpson College 11 to 1
Northwestern College 11 to 1
Briar Cliff University 11 to 1
Upper Iowa University 11 to 1
Coe College 12 to 1

Maharishi International University $16,530
Waldorf University $23,666
William Penn University $27,200
Grand View University $30,864
Graceland University $31,920
St. Ambrose University $33,570
Northwestern College $33,590
Upper Iowa University $33,609
Iowa Wesleyan University $33,650
Briar Cliff University $33,998

Waldorf University $4,800
Northwestern College $6,120
Iowa Wesleyan University $6,300
Morningside University $6,516
Simpson College $6,526
University of Dubuque $6,960
Grand View University $9,270
Briar Cliff University $9,450
Dordt University $9,750
Buena Vista University $9,936

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

What is the difference between public and private colleges?

Public and private colleges and universities operate under different business models. Public colleges and universities are owned by the state and receive both state and federal funding to operate. Private colleges and universities are private companies with private funding. If you’re looking at the pros and cons of private vs. public colleges, consider that many public colleges provide diverse course offerings, influential professors, and an excellent return on your investment.

Public colleges are schools that receive most of their funding from tax revenues. As a result, the cost of a bachelor’s degree at a public university is often lower than the equivalent cost at a private college — especially for students attending a public school in their home state. Attending a college in-state is usually the cheapest option. Private universities and colleges can be very competitive with their funding opportunities, so do not simply believe that private colleges are always going to be more expensive. According to National Center for Educational Statistics, the average annual cost (tuition, fees, room and board for full-time students) at a public university was slightly over $20,000. In contrast, private universities cost, on average, nearly $43,000 annually. But in the end, the cost of college comes down to each student’s academic and financial situation.

How do we determine Iowa's best private 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.

This list is composed entirely of private colleges and universities that offer bachelor’s degrees. We’ve identified 24 private universities in Iowa. To be included in the list below of the best private universities in Iowa, schools must be fully accredited, private, non-profit institution, and must offer a broad range of bachelor’s degrees.