Colleges in Iowa by Acceptance Rate
26 Iowa colleges ranked from most to least selective, using the latest federal IPEDS admissions data.
| # | College | State | Rate | Trend | Applicants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grinnell College | Iowa | 12.7% | 9,988 | |
| 2 | William Penn University | Iowa | 57% | 1,112 | |
| 3 | Drake University | Iowa | 64.1% | 7,741 | |
| 4 | Clarke University | Iowa | 68.2% | 3,087 | |
| 5 | Morningside University | Iowa | 70.6% | 2,756 | |
| 6 | Coe College | Iowa | 70.7% | 7,171 | |
| 7 | Dordt University | Iowa | 71.2% | 1,595 | |
| 8 | Buena Vista University | Iowa | 71.8% | 1,544 | |
| 9 | Waldorf University | Iowa | 72.6% | 1,033 | |
| 10 | Luther College | Iowa | 73.3% | 2,447 | |
| 11 | Saint Ambrose University | Iowa | 73.3% | 3,456 | |
| 12 | Mount Mercy University | Iowa | 78.8% | 1,436 | |
| 13 | Central College | Iowa | 79% | 1,978 | |
| 14 | Cornell College | Iowa | 80.7% | 3,087 | |
| 15 | Iowa Wesleyan University | Iowa | 80.8% | 2,975 | |
| 16 | Graceland University-Lamoni | Iowa | 83.2% | 2,259 | |
| 17 | University of Iowa | Iowa | 84.7% | 25,682 | |
| 18 | University of Dubuque | Iowa | 86.9% | 1,560 | |
| 19 | Northwestern College | Iowa | 87% | 1,155 | |
| 20 | Simpson College | Iowa | 88.9% | 1,646 | |
| 21 | Iowa State University | Iowa | 89.1% | 22,995 | |
| 22 | Loras College | Iowa | 91.8% | 1,652 | |
| 23 | Upper Iowa University | Iowa | 93.4% | 695 | |
| 24 | University of Northern Iowa | Iowa | 94.4% | 4,913 | |
| 25 | Grand View University | Iowa | 98.4% | 1,665 | |
| 26 | Wartburg College | Iowa | 99.4% | 2,543 |