In Iowa, there are a total of 208,398 students enrolled in higher education institutions. Of these, 157,056 attend public colleges and universities, while 51,342 are enrolled in private institutions. This comprehensive overview highlights the scale and diversity of college enrollment in Iowa, helping prospective students and families understand their options among the largest educational institutions.
Explore Largest Iowa Colleges with the Most Students, where 30,779 students are enrolled at University of Iowa, making it the largest institution in terms of enrollment.
Following closely, Iowa State University ranks second with 30,380 students, while University of Northern Iowa holds the third spot at 9,278. These institutions set the benchmark for large-scale education.
The average undergraduate tuition & fees of the schools is $33,777 and graduate tuition & fees is $16,860 for the academic year 2024-2025.
At these High Enrollment Iowa Colleges, the average acceptance rate is 81.49%, and the average SAT score is 1,188, making them not only cost-effective but also accessible options for a wide range of students.
Our analysis includes colleges with at least 1,000 total enrollments and excludes online universities to provide a balanced overview. For a comprehensive list of online universities, visit the largest Iowa online colleges.
| School Name | Total Population | Undergraduate | Graduate | Men | Women | Online Enrollment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 1 | University of Iowa Iowa City, IAPublic, 4-year | 30,779 737 | 22,738 (73.88%) | 8,041 (26.12%) | 13,512 (43.90%) | 17,267 (56.10%) | 3,028 (9.84%) |
| 2 1 | Iowa State University Ames, IAPublic, 4-year | 30,380 203 | 25,628 (84.36%) | 4,752 (15.64%) | 16,525 (54.39%) | 13,855 (45.61%) | 972 (3.20%) |
| 3 - | University of Northern Iowa Cedar Falls, IAPublic, 4-year | 9,278 265 | 7,711 (83.11%) | 1,567 (16.89%) | 3,374 (36.37%) | 5,904 (63.63%) | 1,482 (15.97%) |
| 4 - | Drake University Des Moines, IAPrivate, 4-year | 4,345 159 | 2,585 (59.49%) | 1,760 (40.51%) | 1,630 (37.51%) | 2,715 (62.49%) | 546 (12.57%) |
| 5 - | Saint Ambrose University Davenport, IAPrivate, 4-year | 2,498 205 | 1,939 (77.62%) | 559 (22.38%) | 1,073 (42.95%) | 1,425 (57.05%) | 225 (9.01%) |
| 6 - | Palmer College of Chiropractic Davenport, IAPrivate, 4-year | 2,161 58 | 47 (2.17%) | 2,114 (97.83%) | 1,170 (54.14%) | 991 (45.86%) | 6 (0.28%) |
| 7 - | Morningside University Sioux City, IAPrivate, 4-year | 2,056 102 | 1,172 (57.00%) | 884 (43.00%) | 727 (35.36%) | 1,329 (64.64%) | 926 (45.04%) |
| 8 - | Dordt University Sioux Center, IAPrivate, 4-year | 1,952 23 | 1,716 (87.91%) | 236 (12.09%) | 909 (46.57%) | 1,043 (53.43%) | 342 (17.52%) |
| 9 - | Grand View University Des Moines, IAPrivate, 4-year | 1,856 60 | 1,500 (80.82%) | 356 (19.18%) | 779 (41.97%) | 1,077 (58.03%) | 279 (15.03%) |
| 10 - | University of Dubuque Dubuque, IAPrivate, 4-year | 1,757 38 | 1,440 (81.96%) | 317 (18.04%) | 1,020 (58.05%) | 737 (41.95%) | 98 (5.58%) |
| Average | 8,706 | 6,648 (76.35%) | 2,059 (23.65%) | 4,072 (46.77%) | 4,634 (53.23%) | 790 (9.08%) |