Grinnell College
Grinnell College at a Glance
Reviewed by James A. Barham, PhD, Vice President and Academic Editor. Influence ranks come from our InfluenceRanking™ methodology; other figures come from federal data, with the year shown under each section. Report an error
Grinnell College Featured Rankings
About Grinnell College
According to Wikipedia, Grinnell College is a private liberal arts college in Grinnell, Iowa, United States. It was founded in 1846 when a group of New England Congregationalists established Iowa College. It has an open curriculum, which means students may choose most of the classes they take, instead of taking a prescribed list of classes.
Grinnell College Admissions, Retention, and Graduation Information
| Annual Applications | Acceptance | Retention Rate | Graduation Rate | Median SAT Score | Median ACT Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9,988 | 15% | 93% | 86% | 1475 | 32 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); acceptance rate for fall 2024; test scores for fall 2024; applications and enrollment for fall 2023; retention for students who started in fall 2023; graduation rate within six years for students who started in 2019.
How Much Does Grinnell College Cost To Attend?
| Tuition and fees (in-state) |
|---|
| $72,346 |
| Income | Average Net Cost |
|---|---|
| 0 - 30K | $8,161 |
| 30K - 48K | $10,181 |
| 48K - 75K | $8,994 |
| 75K - 110K | $14,345 |
| 110K+ | $41,634 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); tuition and fees for 2025–26; net price for 2024–25, for first-time, full-time students receiving financial aid.
How Much Do Grinnell College Graduates Make?
Ten years after starting college, former Grinnell College students who received federal financial aid earn a median of $72,106 a year, and 94% of those not still in school are working.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard; students who started college in 2011–12 or 2012–13, measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars.
Grinnell College's Demographics
Students enrolled at any time during the 2023–24 school year, including part-time and online students.
| Student Body | Under-Grads |
|---|---|
| 1,798 | 1,798 |
Source: National Center for Education Statistics; 12-month enrollment for 2023–24.
Where is Grinnell College?
Grinnell College is located at 1121 Park Street, Grinnell, IA 50112-1690.
How Safe is Grinnell College?
Relative to its enrollment, Grinnell College has a violent crime rate of 0.11% and a property crime rate of 0.45%. Grinnell has a violent crime rate of 0.17% and a property crime rate of 1.24%. Sources: campus: U.S. Department of Education Campus Safety and Security data, on-campus offenses in 2024 (violent: murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault; property: burglary, motor vehicle theft and arson, which excludes ordinary theft); city: FBI Crime Data Explorer, offenses reported to the city police in 2024.
What Is Grinnell College Known For?
Grinnell College is known for its academic work in the following disciplines:
- Computer Science
- Chemistry
- Literature
- Economics
- Physics
- Political Science
- Philosophy
- History
- Anthropology
- Mathematics
- Sociology
- Biology
- Religious Studies
- Psychology
Grinnell College's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered
Each rank compares how much Grinnell College's faculty and alumni have shaped a field with other schools, using Wikipedia, Wikidata and scholarly citation databases such as Crossref and Semantic Scholar. World and U.S. ranks reflect modern influence; the historical rank counts influence across all time. How we rank influence
Grinnell College ranks #124 in the U.S. and #453 worldwide for influence in Computer Science.
computer-science DegreesGrinnell College ranks #149 in the U.S. and #673 worldwide for influence in Chemistry.
chemistry DegreesGrinnell College ranks #182 in the U.S. and #514 worldwide for influence in Literature.
literature DegreesGrinnell College ranks #195 in the U.S. and #920 worldwide for influence in Economics.
economics DegreesGrinnell College ranks #200 in the U.S. and #838 worldwide for influence in Physics.
physics DegreesGrinnell College ranks #224 in the U.S. and #884 worldwide for influence in Political Science.
political-science DegreesGrinnell College ranks #229 in the U.S. and #755 worldwide for influence in Philosophy.
philosophy DegreesGrinnell College ranks #254 in the U.S. and #713 worldwide for influence in History.
history DegreesGrinnell College ranks #256 in the U.S. and #784 worldwide for influence in Anthropology.
anthropology DegreesGrinnell College ranks #287 in the U.S. and #1125 worldwide for influence in Mathematics.
math DegreesGrinnell College ranks #301 in the U.S. and #1066 worldwide for influence in Sociology.
sociology DegreesGrinnell College ranks #312 in the U.S. and #1263 worldwide for influence in Biology.
biology DegreesGrinnell College ranks #349 in the U.S. and #1527 worldwide for influence in Religious Studies.
religious-studies-hub DegreesGrinnell College ranks #488 in the U.S. and #1249 worldwide for influence in Psychology.
psychology DegreesWho Are Grinnell College's Most Influential Alumni?
Grinnell College's most influential alumni include professors and professionals in the fields of Computer Science, Literature, and Chemistry. Here are some of Grinnell College's most famous alumni:
- Benjamin Barber
- A Walt Whitman Professor Emeritus at Rutgers University.
- Thomas Cech
- An American chemist.
- Charles H. Moore
- An American computer programmer.
- Harry Hopkins
- An American politician, 8th United States Secretary of Commerce, assistant to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt .
- Alan Wolfe
- An American political scientist.
- Herbie Hancock
- An American jazz pianist and composer .
- Yoweri Museveni
- A President of Uganda since 1986.
- Paul H. Appleby
- A Theorist.
- Roberta Smith
- An American art critic.
- Henry Carter Adams
- A U.S. economist and Professor of Political Economy and finance at the University of Michigan .
- Gary Cooper
- An American actor .
- Hallie Flanagan
- An American theatrical producer .
