Is a research university right for me?–

Research universities are colleges and universities whose faculty are active in research and publishing. Research universities offer a wide array of doctoral programs, especially in the sciences. They tend to be big, with tens of thousands of students. Do you prefer a larger university setting, such as largest public university in your state? Research universities are typically big, offering degrees in many different disciplines. Is a big high-powered research environment the thing for you? If not, you should think about a liberal arts college. In deciding on an undergraduate institution, ask yourself what sort of environment will best help you to be happy and excel. Consider whether you are self motivated enough to be a face in the crowd for some classes and largely unknown on campus at a large university. Of course you can find clubs and friends at a large university, but often liberal arts colleges have a more personal quality to them. If you want the community feel, a research university may not fit you well. Are you interested in STEM fields? Research universities have that name for a reason – real research is happening there. This can create an exciting atmosphere for students interested in STEM. Attending a research university can give you a better chance of getting into better programs for graduate degrees, although a lot of that depends on your performance.

Is an online college right for me?–

Online colleges are typically the same colleges and universities you could attend in-person, but for certain degree programs the college or unviersity has made the degree programs available to be completed online. For over 5 million students, online degree programs allow students to earn their degrees in the most flexible format available. Online degrees are as respected as the on-campus degrees you could earn from the same schools. There’s usually no distinction between the two degrees, and your degree and transcript will not say that the degree was earned online. Online degree programs are offered by a vast majority of colleges and universities, and the number of offering continues to grow. Whether you are searching for an associate, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctorate, there’s a good chance you can earn your degree online from a respectable online college. Are you a self-driven student? Perhaps the hardest aspect of obtaining an online degree is whether you will be disciplined enough to manage your time and course demands. Many online students report that online college made them more disciplined in all areas of their lives, but the flexible, self-paced learning that makes online colleges attractive can often be the same qualities that make it difficult. If you tend to be a procrastinator, you need to be honest with yourself. You can change your habits and propensities, or you can throw money down the drain. Do you need the flexibility of an online degree program? Most online students study online because of time demands of balancing work and life, or because the online college affords them the chance to attend a better school without moving. If you are serious about earning your degree for career advancement, online colleges make it possible. The most flexible options among online degrees are those that are asynchronous, meaning you don’t have scheduled times to meet with your class online. However, many students seek synchronous online degree programs so that they have some structure – set meeting times, scheduled exams, etc. The good news is that attending an online college doesn’t mean you will miss out on getting to know your professors and classmates. In fact, many online students who have experienced both online and on-campus courses report having easier access to their professors. Since most communication with your professor is expected to be in text – via email or your class learning management system – it makes asking your questions easier. The same students also report that they got to better know the thoughts of their classmates. While in-person course conversations can be dominated by a few extroverts, online courses that require online discussions make it so that you see all of your classmates’ thoughts and questions. If you’re interested in an online bachelor’s degree, check out what the best online colleges offer, or search our online degrees for the exact program that interests you. In either case, you will find well respected colleges and universities that offer online degrees.

Best Research Universities in Iowa 2026

Q: Is a liberal arts college right for me?–

Often referred to as “teaching colleges” liberal arts colleges put a premium on undergraduate studies and offers a broad range of subjects for students to study. A college of liberal arts typically provides smaller class sizes, more direct engagement with professors, and, most importantly, the opportunity to sample a wide range of subject areas on the way to a bachelor’s degree. Do you want your professors to know you? Liberal arts colleges strive to cultivate campus cultures that encourage tight bonds between professors and students. Professors at these schools will typically conduct original research. Yet the best of these schools offer their faculty reduced teaching loads so that they can both be productive researchers and still have plenty of time for students (both in and outside the classroom). Do you want to feel like you know everybody? One of the most enticing features of a liberal arts college is that in very little time, you can feel like you know who’s who, which can create strong friendships and make walks across campus more fun. While your sports teams may never be on ESPN, it’s more likely that you’ll know the athletes as your peers. Beyond student and faculty relationships, it’s not unusual for the school president and other administrators to learn who you are. When faced with problems with your student account or the need to switch classes, this can be comforting during a stressful moment.

Badge for BEST IN IOWA RESEARCH UNIVERSITIES

By Dr. James Barham
Reviewed By Chloe Dembski

Updated: Jan 30, 2026

Interested in attending a STEM school in Iowa? Our ranking of top research universities for bachelor’s degrees displays schools that will best prepare you for STEM careers.

Key Takeaways

The best research universities in Iowa lead cutting-edge studies in sustainable farming practices, renewable energy, and climate resilience, offering students opportunities to work on globally impactful research.
Known for their contributions to medical and public health advancements, the best research universities in Iowa provide access to top-tier research facilities, clinical internships, and collaborative projects in fields like biomedical engineering and epidemiology.
The best research universities in Iowa have robust connections with industries in technology, agriculture, and manufacturing, facilitating internships, research funding, and job placement opportunities for students.

Table of Contents

Best Research Universities in Iowa in 2026

University of Iowa
Iowa State University
Drake University
Clarke University

This list identifies the top research universities in Iowa for 2026, focused on institutions that award doctoral degrees across STEM fields and make substantial institutional investments in research. We include only fully accredited universities that provide regular, supervised research opportunities for undergraduates and graduate students, plus active faculty programs and infrastructure that support sustained inquiry. You can view the full set of institutions we evaluated here: 4 research universities in Iowa.

Use this ranking to compare research intensity, program breadth, and student research access when choosing a graduate or STEM-focused undergraduate program; subsequent sections summarize strengths, standout programs, and factors to weigh for fit and career preparation.

Best Research Universities in Iowa

Last Year’s Ranking:
1. University of Iowa
2. Iowa State University
3. Drake University
4. Clarke University
#1
University of Iowa
Iowa City , IA
#2 15 Best Online Colleges for Veterans to Start Their Careers 2026 #18 50 Best Public Colleges and Universities Ranked for Students in 2026 #18 50 Best Public Grad Schools 2026 #1 Most Affordable Colleges in Iowa 2026
Tuition + fees
$12K
Acceptance
84%
Graduation
76%
Student body
33K
Median SAT/ACT
1230/24
Career Outlook for degree at University of Iowa
Cost of Degree: $10,964
Expenses: $17,632
Starting Salary: $70,727
Cost Recoup Time: 9 years
Paid back at 15% of annual salary
What is University of Iowa known for?

University of Iowa’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

Literature
Psychology
Communications
History
Medical
Economics
Biology
Education
Law
Philosophy

Most Influential Alumni

Albert Bandura
Tennessee Williams
Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak
Tom Brokaw
Oswald Veblen
Jayaprakash Narayan
Leon Festinger
Henry Jenkins
Everett Rogers
Julian Rotter
John Robert Anderson
Wallace Stegner
University of Iowa’s Online Degrees
BA in Applied Studies

Degree Concentrations
Creative Writing
Human Relations
Justice Studies
Political Science

Required Credits: 60
Format: Fully online
BA in Enterprise Leadership

Required Credits: 120-136
Format: Fully online
BA in Liberal Studies

Degree Concentrations
Expression in Writing and Arts
Global Studies
Family
Community
and Social Support
Health and Human Studies
Justice and Ethics
Organizational Studies

Required Credits: 120
Format: Fully online
BS in Nursing

Required Credits: 32
Format: Fully online
BS in Radiation Sciences

Required Credits: 60
Format: Fully online
BA in Social Work

Required Credits: 121-132
Completion Time: 4 years
Format: Fully online
BS in Sport and Recreation Management

Degree Concentrations
Business Studies
Coaching and Sport Instruction
Communications Public Relations/Journalism
Entrepreneurship
Event Management
Interscholastic Athletic/Activities Administration
Sport and Diversity
Student-Designed

Required Credits: 123-129
Completion Time: 4 years
Format: Fully online
Compare school
#2
Iowa State University
Ames , IA
#2 Most Affordable Colleges in Iowa 2026 #2 Best Public Colleges in Iowa 2026 #2 Best Colleges in Iowa 2026 #2 Best Grad Schools in Iowa 2026
Tuition + fees
$11K
Acceptance
89%
Graduation
77%
Student body
32K
Median SAT/ACT
1240/24
Career Outlook for degree at Iowa State University
Cost of Degree: $10,497
Expenses: $13,707
Starting Salary: $67,568
Cost Recoup Time: 8 years
Paid back at 15% of annual salary
What is Iowa State University known for?

Iowa State University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

Chemistry
Economics
Engineering
Computer Science
Biology
Mathematics
Physics
Earth Sciences
Education
History

Most Influential Alumni

George Washington Carver
Everett Rogers
Subra Suresh
Carrie Chapman Catt
Henry A. Wallace
Ezra Taft Benson
Clifford Berry
Harlan Mills
Lee Teng-hui
Allen Walker Read
Luis Ernesto Derbez
Donald Cressey
Iowa State University’s Online Degrees
BS in Early childcare education and programming

Required Credits: 120
Format: Fully online
BA in Liberal Studies

Required Credits: 120
Format: Fully online
Compare school
#3
Drake University
Des Moines , IA
#2 Best Private Colleges in Iowa 2026 #2 Best Small Colleges in Iowa 2026 #3 Best Grad Schools in Iowa 2026 #4 Best Colleges in Iowa 2026
Tuition + fees
$52K
Acceptance
64%
Graduation
71%
Student body
5K
Median SAT/ACT
1230/26
Career Outlook for degree at Drake University
Cost of Degree: $49,944
Expenses: $17,136
Starting Salary: $78,855
Cost Recoup Time: 15 years
Paid back at 15% of annual salary
What is Drake University known for?

Drake University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

Law
Communications
Biology
Literature
Political Science
Business
History
Physics
Chemistry
Economics

Most Influential Alumni

Bill Bryson
Susan Glaspell
Ira Levin
Brian Wansink
Jessie Taft
Larry Zox
Mark Doty
G. I. Williamson
Goli Taraghi
Mark W. Bennett
Terry Branstad
Billy Cundiff
Drake University’s Online Degrees
BA in Journalism and Mass Communication

Required Credits: 124
Format: Fully online
Compare school
#4
Clarke University
Dubuque , IA
#24 The Best Catholic Colleges and Universities Ranked for 2026 #6 Best Christian Colleges in Iowa 2026 #10 Best Private Colleges in Iowa 2026 #10 Best Small Colleges in Iowa 2026
Tuition + fees
$42K
Acceptance
72%
Graduation
52%
Student body
1K
Median SAT/ACT
1030/20
Career Outlook for degree at Clarke University
Cost of Degree: $39,600
Expenses: $15,888
Starting Salary: $58,625
Cost Recoup Time: 16 years
Paid back at 15% of annual salary
What is Clarke University known for?

Clarke University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:

Computer Science
Literature
Communications
Philosophy
Mathematics
Social Work
History
Biology
Chemistry
Psychology

Most Influential Alumni

Mary Kenneth Keller
Peggy Sullivan
Margaret Feldner
Adam Rapp
Karen Morrow
Nancy Dickerson Whitehead
Clarke University’s Online Degrees
BS in Nursing

Required Credits: 31
Format: Fully online
Compare school

Build your own college rankings

Find the Best Research Universities in Iowa for Your Area of Interest

Frequently Asked Questions About Research Universities, Liberal Arts Colleges, Online Colleges

In pursuing a bachelor’s degree, you will need to choose between three kinds of schools: research universities, liberal arts colleges, and online colleges.

Research universities are colleges and universities whose faculty are active in research and publishing. Research universities offer a wide array of doctoral programs, especially in the sciences. They tend to be big, with tens of thousands of students.

Do you prefer a larger university setting, such as largest public university in your state? Research universities are typically big, offering degrees in many different disciplines.

Is a big high-powered research environment the thing for you? If not, you should think about a liberal arts college. In deciding on an undergraduate institution, ask yourself what sort of environment will best help you to be happy and excel.

Consider whether you are self motivated enough to be a face in the crowd for some classes and largely unknown on campus at a large university. Of course you can find clubs and friends at a large university, but often liberal arts colleges have a more personal quality to them. If you want the community feel, a research university may not fit you well.
Are you interested in STEM fields? Research universities have that name for a reason – real research is happening there. This can create an exciting atmosphere for students interested in STEM. Attending a research university can give you a better chance of getting into better programs for graduate degrees, although a lot of that depends on your performance.

Learn more about research universities by reading about the best research universities in the US.

Often referred to as “teaching colleges” liberal arts colleges put a premium on undergraduate studies and offers a broad range of subjects for students to study. A college of liberal arts typically provides smaller class sizes, more direct engagement with professors, and, most importantly, the opportunity to sample a wide range of subject areas on the way to a bachelor’s degree.

Do you want your professors to know you? Liberal arts colleges strive to cultivate campus cultures that encourage tight bonds between professors and students.

Professors at these schools will typically conduct original research. Yet the best of these schools offer their faculty reduced teaching loads so that they can both be productive researchers and still have plenty of time for students (both in and outside the classroom).

Do you want to feel like you know everybody? One of the most enticing features of a liberal arts college is that in very little time, you can feel like you know who’s who, which can create strong friendships and make walks across campus more fun. While your sports teams may never be on ESPN, it’s more likely that you’ll know the athletes as your peers.

Beyond student and faculty relationships, it’s not unusual for the school president and other administrators to learn who you are. When faced with problems with your student account or the need to switch classes, this can be comforting during a stressful moment.

Learn more about liberal arts colleges by reading about the best liberal arts colleges in the US.

Online colleges are typically the same colleges and universities you could attend in-person, but for certain degree programs the college or unviersity has made the degree programs available to be completed online. For over 5 million students, online degree programs allow students to earn their degrees in the most flexible format available.

Online degrees are as respected as the on-campus degrees you could earn from the same schools. There’s usually no distinction between the two degrees, and your degree and transcript will not say that the degree was earned online.

Online degree programs are offered by a vast majority of colleges and universities, and the number of offering continues to grow. Whether you are searching for an associate, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctorate, there’s a good chance you can earn your degree online from a respectable online college.

Are you a self-driven student? Perhaps the hardest aspect of obtaining an online degree is whether you will be disciplined enough to manage your time and course demands.

Many online students report that online college made them more disciplined in all areas of their lives, but the flexible, self-paced learning that makes online colleges attractive can often be the same qualities that make it difficult. If you tend to be a procrastinator, you need to be honest with yourself. You can change your habits and propensities, or you can throw money down the drain.

Do you need the flexibility of an online degree program? Most online students study online because of time demands of balancing work and life, or because the online college affords them the chance to attend a better school without moving.

If you are serious about earning your degree for career advancement, online colleges make it possible. The most flexible options among online degrees are those that are asynchronous, meaning you don’t have scheduled times to meet with your class online. However, many students seek synchronous online degree programs so that they have some structure – set meeting times, scheduled exams, etc.

The good news is that attending an online college doesn’t mean you will miss out on getting to know your professors and classmates. In fact, many online students who have experienced both online and on-campus courses report having easier access to their professors.

Since most communication with your professor is expected to be in text – via email or your class learning management system – it makes asking your questions easier. The same students also report that they got to better know the thoughts of their classmates. While in-person course conversations can be dominated by a few extroverts, online courses that require online discussions make it so that you see all of your classmates’ thoughts and questions.

If you’re interested in an online bachelor’s degree, check out what the best online colleges offer, or search our online degrees for the exact program that interests you. In either case, you will find well respected colleges and universities that offer online degrees.

2021 Ranking Archive

Many of our 2024 undergraduate focused rankings look considerably different than 2023. That’s because we took a fundamentally different approach. For 2024 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.

Check out our directory of research universities throughout the U.S. for a look at the top research institutions in every state.

Do you have a question about this topic? Ask it here

Best Research Universities in Iowa 2026

Key Takeaways

Best Research Universities in Iowa in 2026

Best Research Universities in Iowa

Last Year’s Ranking:

University of Iowa

Career Outlook for degree at University of Iowa

Most Influential Alumni

University of Iowa’s Online Degrees

Degree Concentrations

Degree Concentrations

Degree Concentrations

Iowa State University

Career Outlook for degree at Iowa State University

Most Influential Alumni

Iowa State University’s Online Degrees

Drake University

Career Outlook for degree at Drake University

Most Influential Alumni

Drake University’s Online Degrees

Clarke University

Career Outlook for degree at Clarke University

Most Influential Alumni

Clarke University’s Online Degrees

Find the Best Research Universities in Iowa for Your Area of Interest