Best Private Colleges in Iowa 2024

Published: May 6, 2021
Updated: Oct 16, 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.

Grinnell College
Drake University
Coe College
Maharishi International University
Cornell College
Upper Iowa University
Luther College
Loras College
Graceland University
Clarke University

Grand View University 98%
Wartburg College 97%
Maharishi International University 93%
Loras College 90%
Simpson College 89%
Dordt University 88%
Northwestern College 87%
Clarke University 85%
University of Dubuque 85%
Iowa Wesleyan University 81%

Waldorf University 24 to 1
William Penn University 18 to 1
Northwestern College 15 to 1
Dordt University 14 to 1
Mount Mercy University 13 to 1
Cornell College 13 to 1
Wartburg College 13 to 1
Maharishi International University 13 to 1
Graceland University 13 to 1
Morningside University 13 to 1

Grinnell College $61,480
Coe College $50,664
Wartburg College $49,190
Cornell College $49,158
Luther College $48,160
Drake University $47,742
Simpson College $45,108
Buena Vista University $38,644
University of Dubuque $38,526
Clarke University $38,060

Maharishi International University $29,000
St. Ambrose University $19,040
Upper Iowa University $18,870
Cornell College $14,850
Wartburg College $13,800
Loras College $13,410
Clarke University $12,868
Drake University $11,878
Graceland University $11,688
Mount Mercy University $11,106

Morningside University
Northwestern College
Dordt University
William Penn University
Maharishi International University
Mount Mercy University
Waldorf University
Buena Vista University
Clarke University
Simpson College

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

Grinnell College 11%
Upper Iowa University 54%
William Penn University 58%
Drake University 67%
Morningside University 71%
Waldorf University 74%
St. Ambrose University 74%
Graceland University 74%
Mount Mercy University 75%
Luther College 75%

University of Dubuque 9 to 1
Grinnell College 9 to 1
Clarke University 9 to 1
Coe College 10 to 1
Drake University 10 to 1
Simpson College 10 to 1
Luther College 11 to 1
Loras College 12 to 1
Briar Cliff University 12 to 1
Grand View University 12 to 1

Maharishi International University $16,530
Waldorf University $24,526
William Penn University $27,800
Graceland University $31,970
Grand View University $32,068
Upper Iowa University $33,639
Northwestern College $34,250
Briar Cliff University $34,498
St. Ambrose University $34,570
Dordt University $34,600

Waldorf University $5,040
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

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.