Iowa’s Top 10 Colleges Released; Schools Back In Session

School is back in session and in full force. For me, it's a return to college football action, and glory, as I get to watch the Hawkeyes Football team yet again. And speaking of college; according to the latest ranking from US News the top colleges in Iowa for this year have been released.

Iowa has many top colleges and universities throughout the state. Did you know, Iowa State University is the oldest land-grant university in the United States? In addition, only a few of the many four-year, degree-granting institutions in Iowa are publicly funded; the rest are a combination of private midsize universities and small colleges. Top colleges on this list are located in the cities of Dubuque, Cedar Rapids, Sioux City, Iowa City, Davenport and the state capital, Des Moines.

What are Iowa's Best Colleges?

I was bummed to see my alma mater Wartburg College fall so far down the "best of list," sitting right around #28 for the state. Rounding out the top 15 is well known private college Northwestern, a Christian school in Orange City. The public institution of UNI comes in at #14, they also ranked #17 in Regional Universities of the Midwest. Loras College of Dubuque sits at #13 on the overall list, but at #10 when looking at Regional Midwest Colleges. #12 is the Christian institution of Dordt University located in Sioux Center, it also comes in at #9 in Regional Universities of the Midwest. At #11 overall, Simpson College of Indianola brings us to the top 10; they also sit at #7 in Regional Midwest Colleges.

10) Central College

Central College is a private institution that was founded in 1853. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 1,139 (fall 2021). It's situated in rural Pella with a campus size of around 200 acres. Tuition and Fees are approximately $19,800.

9) Coe College

Coe College is a private institution founded in 1851. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 1,371 (fall 2021). It's settled in the middle of Cedar Rapids, with a campus size of 65 acres. It utilizes a 4-4-1-based academic calendar. Its tuition and fees are around $50,664.

8) Luther College

Luther College is a private institution founded in 1861. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 1,744 (fall 2021). Set in rural Decorah, just outside of town, the campus size is 200 acres. Its tuition and fees are approximately $48,160.

7) Cornell College

Cornell College is a private institution founded in 1853. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of around 1,045 (fall 2021). The campus size is 129 acres situated in Mt. Vernon, with tuition and fees around $49,158.

6) Grinnell College

Grinnell College is a private institution founded in 1846 in the town it's named for. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 1,748 (fall 2021). The campus size is 120 acres, with tuition and fees set at $61,480.

5) Clarke University

Clarke University, original Clarke College, is a private institution that was founded in 1843. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 707 (fall 2021). Located in urban Dubuque, the campus size is 55 acres. Tuition and fee rates are around $36,870.

4) St. Ambrose University

St. Ambrose University is a private institution founded in 1882, with a total undergraduate enrollment of 2,228 (fall 2021). Located in Davenport, the campus size is about 113 acres. Current tuition and fees are around $34,570.

3) Drake University

Drake University is a private institution founded in 1881 in Des Moines. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 2,902 (fall 2021), and a campus size of 150 acres. Its tuition and fees are $47,912. Drake is made up of six schools and colleges. Graduate programs include those in the School of Education, School of Law, and the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.

2) Iowa State University of Science and Technology

ISU is a public institution founded in 1858. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 25,808 (fall 2021), and a campus size is 1,813 acres located in Ames. Its in-state tuition and fees are $9,634; out-of-state tuition and fees are $25,446. There are more than 100 undergraduate majors offered at Iowa State. Qualified undergrads can take special courses in human-computer interaction. They also offer highly ranked graduate programs through the College of Veterinary Medicine and College of Engineering. The university is a land-grant institution, meaning faculty and students work on research projects that better the community as a whole.

1) University of Iowa

The University of Iowa is a public institution founded in 1847. With a total undergraduate enrollment of 21,608 (fall 2021), it's located in Iowa City on a campus the size of 2,122 acres. Its in-state tuition and fees are $9,942; out-of-state tuition and fees are $31,904. The University of Iowa offers academic programming in more than 100 areas. The University of Iowa has many well-ranked graduate programs, including degrees offered through its College of Law, Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, Henry B. Tippie School of Management and College of Education. In addition, the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics is a very highly ranked facility.

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How'd the top 10 list get compiled?

US News calculated 10 distinct overall rankings where colleges and universities were grouped by their academic missions. For each ranking, the sum of weighted, normalized values across 17 indicators of academic quality determine each school's overall score and, by extension, its overall rank. Those 17 indicators include;

• Graduation and Retention Rates; subcategories include Average Six-Year Grad rate and average 1st year student retention rate.
• Social Mobility; subcategories include Pell Grant Grad Rates and Pell Grant Grad Rate Performance.
• Graduation Rate Performance
• Undergraduate Academic Reputation; subcategory here is a peer assessment survey.
• Faculty Resources for Previous Academic Year; subcategories include class size index, faculty compensation, % of full and part time faculty with terminal degree in their field, % of faculty that is full time, and student to faculty ratio.
• Student Selectivity for Previous Academic Year's Start; subcategories include math and evidenced-based reading and writing portions of the SAT and composite ACT scores, high school standing in top 10%, and high school class standing in to 25%.
• Financial Resources per Student
• Average Alumni Giving Rate
• Graduate Indebtedness: subcategories include graduate indebtedness total and graduate indebtedness proportion with debt.