2025-26 Statistics

Colleges in Iowa

At a Glance
Admission, Tuition, Population, and more
Updated: May 14, 2026
Iowa has 84 colleges and universities.
82 schools offer undergraduate programs and 35 schools offer graduate programs.
In Iowa, there are 2 ABA-accredited law schools and 1 LCME-accredited medical schools.
By school type, 24 public and 60 private colleges are active for the academic year 2024-2025 in Iowa.
By school level, there are 42 4-Years Colleges, 27 Community Colleges, and 15 Technical Colleges in Iowa.
4-Years CollegesCommunity CollegesTechnical Colleges
Total422715
Public8160
Private (not-for-profit)3320
Private (for-profit)1915
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Average Tuition & Fees

For 4-year colleges, the average undergraduate tuition & fees are $10,669 for Iowa residents and $27,988 for out-of-state students.
For graduate programs, the average tuition & fees are $12,665 for Iowa residents and $28,751 for out-of-state students.
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4-Year Colleges Tuition

Over the past 5 years, 4-year college tuition has increased 14.9% for in-state and 8.6% for out-of-state students at public schools.
At private schools, the tuition has increased 8.3%. See the detailed tuition history below.
Iowa Colleges Tuition & Fees
Public SchoolsPrivate Schools
IA ResidentsOut-of-State
2021$9,287$25,765$31,831
2022$9,543$25,701$32,953
2023$9,966$26,499$33,961
2024$10,396$27,294$34,712
2025$10,669$27,988$34,472
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Community Colleges Tuition

Over the past 5 years, community college tuition has increased 13.6% for in-state and 13.5% for out-of-state students at public schools.
At private community colleges, the tuition has increased 4.8%.
Iowa Community Colleges Tuition & Fees
Public SchoolsPrivate Schools
IA ResidentsOut-of-State
2021$5,686$6,493$3,940
2022$5,856$6,691$4,128
2023$5,977$6,807$4,128
2024$6,184$7,031$4,128
2025$6,459$7,367$4,128
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Graduate Schools Tuition

The graduate tuition has increased 14.8% for in-state and 13.2% for out-of-state students over the past 5 years
At private graduate schools, the tuition has increased 0.3%.
Iowa Graduate Schools Tuition & Fees
Public SchoolsPrivate Schools
IA ResidentsOut-of-State
2021$11,028$25,403$13,876
2022$11,346$26,387$13,597
2023$11,845$27,257$13,130
2024$12,341$29,006$13,242
2025$12,665$28,751$13,920
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Living Costs

The average living costs at Iowa colleges are $14,425 when a student lives on-campus and $14,937 when living-off campus.
On-campus living costs have increased 20.7% and off-campus costs have increased 22.9% over the past 5 years.
Living Costs at Iowa Colleges
On-CampusOff-Campus
2021$11,955$12,150
2022$12,264$12,504
2023$12,568$12,941
2024$13,479$14,120
2025$14,425$14,937
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Admission & SAT Scores

On average, 77.8% of applicants are admitted to Iowa colleges.
The admission rate ranges from 14.5% to 99.9% across colleges in Iowa.
The average SAT score at Iowa colleges is 1,166. SAT scores range from 990 to 1,490 across colleges in Iowa.

Financial Aid

On average, 65.64% students have received grants and/or scholarships at Iowa colleges. The average amount of aid received is $13,607
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Enrollment

A total of 240,427 students is attending Iowa colleges - 205,276 undergraduate and 35,097 graduate students.
Of them, 70,469 students enrolled in online programs exclusively.
Total Number of Students
240,427
Undergraduate
205,276
Graduate
35,097
Online Students
70,469
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Faculty & Staff

A total of 15,516 faculties (instructional staffs) are working for colleges in Iowa and the average faculty salary is $65,377.
There are 42,293 non-instructional staffs and its average salary is $59,464.
Number of Faculties
15,516
Average Faculty Salary
$65,377
Number of Staffs
42,293
Average Staff Salary
$59,464
Faculty/Staff Salary

Best Iowa colleges

Grinnell College is ranked #1 in the Iowa college rankings, followed by Drake University in second place.
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Highest Tuition & Fees

Grinnell College is the most expensive college in Iowa with a tuition & fees of $68,196 and Coe College has the second-highest tuition & fees of $54,666.
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Highest Graduate Tuition

For graduate programs, University of Iowa requires the most expensive tuition & fees of $32,372 and Des Moines University-Osteopathic Medical Center has the second-highest graduate tuition & fees of $32,060.
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Highest SAT Scores

Grinnell College has the highest SAT scores of 1,490 submitted by enrolled students and Drake University has the second-highest SAT score of 1,300.
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Largest Iowa colleges

University of Iowa is the largest college with 30,779 students and Purdue University Global-Davenport has the second-most students of 30,512.
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Largest Online colleges

Purdue University Global-Davenport has the most online students of 30,512 students and Des Moines Area Community College has the second-most online students of 5,497.
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