Universities in Iowa
Iowa has 75 degree-granting institutions reporting to the U.S. Department of Education – 19 public, 35 private nonprofit, 21 for-profit, together enrolling about 134,174 undergraduates (2024-25 data). Each links to a full financial-health and student-outcomes profile.
| # | Institution | Sector | Undergrads |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iowa State UniversityAmes · R1: Doctoral, Very High Research | Public | 25,367 |
| 2 | University of IowaIowa City · R1: Doctoral, Very High Research | Public | 22,264 |
| 3 | Des Moines Area Community CollegeAnkeny · Associate's: Mixed Transfer/Career-Technical-High Nontraditional | Public | 10,446 |
| 4 | Kirkwood Community CollegeCedar Rapids · Associate's: High Career-Technical-Mixed | Public | 7,591 |
| 5 | University of Northern IowaCedar Falls · Master's, Larger Programs | Public | 7,529 |
| 6 | Eastern Iowa Community College DistrictDavenport · Associate's: Mixed Transfer/Career-Technical-High Nontraditional | Public | 3,520 |
| 7 | Iowa Central Community CollegeFort Dodge · Associate's: Mixed Transfer/Career-Technical-Mixed | Public | 3,103 |
| 8 | Iowa Western Community CollegeCouncil Bluffs · Associate's: Mixed Transfer/Career-Technical-High Nontraditional | Public | 2,916 |
| 9 | Western Iowa Tech Community CollegeSioux City · Associate's: High Career-Technical-High Nontraditional | Public | 2,647 |
| 10 | Hawkeye Community CollegeWaterloo · Associate's: High Career-Technical-Mixed | Public | 2,626 |
| 11 | Drake UniversityDes Moines · Doctoral/Professional University | Private | 2,543 |
| 12 | Upper Iowa UniversityFayette · Master's, Larger Programs | Private | 1,994 |
| 13 | Saint Ambrose UniversityDavenport · Doctoral/Professional University | Private | 1,916 |
| 14 | Waldorf UniversityForest City · Master's, Medium Programs | Private | 1,827 |
| 15 | Grinnell CollegeGrinnell · Baccalaureate: Arts & Sciences | Private | 1,729 |
| 16 | Southeastern Community CollegeWest Burlington · Associate's: High Career-Technical-High Traditional | Public | 1,699 |
| 17 | Northeast Iowa Community CollegeCalmar · Associate's: High Career-Technical-High Nontraditional | Public | 1,697 |
| 18 | Dordt UniversitySioux Center · Master's, Small Programs | Private | 1,597 |
| 19 | Indian Hills Community CollegeOttumwa · Associate's: High Career-Technical-Mixed | Public | 1,495 |
| 20 | Grand View UniversityDes Moines · Master's, Small Programs | Private | 1,486 |
| 21 | Wartburg CollegeWaverly · Baccalaureate: Arts & Sciences | Private | 1,452 |
| 22 | University of DubuqueDubuque · Master's, Medium Programs | Private | 1,440 |
| 23 | Luther CollegeDecorah · Baccalaureate: Arts & Sciences | Private | 1,379 |
| 24 | Buena Vista UniversityStorm Lake · Master's, Medium Programs | Private | 1,366 |
| 25 | North Iowa Area Community CollegeMason City · Associate's: Mixed Transfer/Career-Technical-Mixed | Public | 1,320 |
| 26 | William Penn UniversityOskaloosa · Baccalaureate: Diverse Fields | Private | 1,301 |
| 27 | Simpson CollegeIndianola · Baccalaureate: Diverse Fields | Private | 1,227 |
| 28 | Northwestern CollegeOrange City · Master's, Medium Programs | Private | 1,175 |
| 29 | Coe CollegeCedar Rapids · Baccalaureate: Arts & Sciences | Private | 1,164 |
| 30 | Morningside UniversitySioux City · Master's, Larger Programs | Private | 1,163 |
| 31 | Mount Mercy UniversityCedar Rapids · Master's, Medium Programs | Private | 1,107 |
| 32 | Cornell CollegeMount Vernon · Baccalaureate: Arts & Sciences | Private | 1,086 |
| 33 | Loras CollegeDubuque · Baccalaureate: Diverse Fields | Private | 1,083 |
| 34 | Central CollegePella · Baccalaureate: Arts & Sciences | Private | 1,070 |
| 35 | Iowa Lakes Community CollegeEstherville · Associate's: High Career-Technical-Mixed | Public | 941 |
| 36 | Maharishi International UniversityFairfield · Master's, Larger Programs | Private | 922 |
| 37 | Mercy College of Health SciencesDes Moines · Special Focus: Other Health Professions | Private | 867 |
| 38 | Northwest Iowa Community CollegeSheldon · Associate's: High Career-Technical-High Nontraditional | Public | 864 |
| 39 | Graceland University-LamoniLamoni · Master's, Larger Programs | Private | 798 |
| 40 | Marshalltown Community CollegeMarshalltown · Associate's: Mixed Transfer/Career-Technical-High Nontraditional | Public | 788 |
| 41 | Clarke UniversityDubuque · Doctoral/Professional University | Private | 742 |
| 42 | Southwestern Community CollegeCreston · Associate's: Mixed Transfer/Career-Technical-Mixed | Public | 729 |
| 43 | Briar Cliff UniversitySioux City · Doctoral/Professional University | Private | 624 |
| 44 | Ellsworth Community CollegeIowa Falls · Associate's: Mixed Transfer/Career-Technical-High Traditional | Public | 499 |
| 45 | Faith Baptist Bible College and Theological SeminaryAnkeny · Baccalaureate: Diverse Fields | Private | 405 |
| 46 | Allen CollegeWaterloo · Special Focus: Other Health Professions | Private | 261 |
| 47 | Aveda Institute-Des MoinesWest Des Moines · Less-than-two-year institution (not classified by Carnegie) | Private for-profit | 244 |
| 48 | Emmaus Bible CollegeDubuque · Baccalaureate: Diverse Fields | Private | 224 |
| 49 | PCI Academy-AmesAmes · Less-than-two-year institution (not classified by Carnegie) | Private for-profit | 176 |
| 50 | St Luke's CollegeSioux City · Special Focus: Other Health Professions | Private | 167 |
| 51 | Capri College-DubuqueDubuque · Less-than-two-year institution (not classified by Carnegie) | Private for-profit | 165 |
| 52 | La James International College-JohnstonJohnston · Less-than-two-year institution (not classified by Carnegie) | Private for-profit | 141 |
| 53 | Capri College-DavenportDavenport · Less-than-two-year institution (not classified by Carnegie) | Private for-profit | 135 |
| 54 | Capri College-Cedar RapidsCedar Rapids · Less-than-two-year institution (not classified by Carnegie) | Private for-profit | 129 |
| 55 | La James International College-DavenportDavenport · Less-than-two-year institution (not classified by Carnegie) | Private for-profit | 127 |
| 56 | PCI Academy-Iowa CityIowa City · Less-than-two-year institution (not classified by Carnegie) | Private for-profit | 113 |
| 57 | The Salon Professional Academy-Cedar FallsCedar Falls · Less-than-two-year institution (not classified by Carnegie) | Private for-profit | 91 |
| 58 | Iowa School of Beauty-Des MoinesDes Moines · Two-year institution (not classified by Carnegie) | Private for-profit | 74 |
| 59 | Iowa School of Beauty-Sioux CitySioux City · Two-year institution (not classified by Carnegie) | Private for-profit | 67 |
| 60 | SOHO Hair AcademyCouncil Bluffs · Two-year institution (not classified by Carnegie) | Private for-profit | 66 |
| 61 | Divine Word CollegeEpworth · Baccalaureate: Arts & Sciences | Private | 64 |
| 62 | La James College of Hairstyling and CosmetologyMason City · Two-year institution (not classified by Carnegie) | Private for-profit | 56 |
| 63 | La James International College-Cedar FallsCedar Falls · Less-than-two-year institution (not classified by Carnegie) | Private for-profit | 54 |
| 64 | Body Wisdom Massage Therapy SchoolUrbandale · Less-than-two-year institution (not classified by Carnegie) | Private for-profit | 45 |
| 65 | Palmer College of ChiropracticDavenport · Special Focus: Other Health Professions | Private | 43 |
| 66 | Ross College-DavenportDavenport · Special Focus Two-Year: Health Professions | Private for-profit | 42 |
| 67 | Orion Technical CollegeDavenport · Special Focus: Engineering & Technology | Private for-profit | 41 |
| 68 | Carlson College of Massage TherapyAnamosa · Less-than-two-year institution (not classified by Carnegie) | Private for-profit | 39 |
| 69 | American Hair AcademyMt. Pleasant · Less-than-two-year institution (not classified by Carnegie) | Private for-profit | 25 |
| 70 | Faust Institute of Cosmetology-Spirit LakeSpirit Lake · Less-than-two-year institution (not classified by Carnegie) | Private for-profit | 22 |
| 71 | La James International College-Ft DodgeFort Dodge · Less-than-two-year institution (not classified by Carnegie) | Private for-profit | 22 |
| 72 | Mercy-St Luke's School of Radiologic TechnologyCedar Rapids · Two-year institution (not classified by Carnegie) | Private | 21 |
| 73 | UnityPoint Health-Des Moines School of Radiologic TechnologyDes Moines · Two-year institution (not classified by Carnegie) | Private | 16 |
| 74 | Des Moines University-Osteopathic Medical CenterWest Des Moines · Special Focus: Medical Schools/Centers | Private | – |
| 75 | Wartburg Theological SeminaryDubuque · Special Focus: Faith-Related | Private | – |
A directory, not a ranking, listed by undergraduate enrollment. Counts and figures come from the most recent College Scorecard & IPEDS release (2024-25), which lags the current academic year by 2–3 years. Open each institution’s profile for financial health, outcomes and peer benchmarks.
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Frequently asked
How many colleges and universities are in Iowa?
75 degree-granting institutions in Iowa report to the U.S. Department of Education: 19 public, 35 private nonprofit, 21 for-profit. Together they enroll about 134,174 undergraduates (2024-25 data).
Which Iowa college enrolls the most undergraduates?
Iowa State University in Ames, with about 25,367 undergraduates (2024-25 data). It is the largest of the 75 institutions listed on this page by undergraduate enrollment.
Where does this Iowa college data come from?
The U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard and IPEDS collections, most recent release (2024-25). Every figure is federal, published and free to check; nothing on this page is estimated or AI-generated.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard & IPEDS (most recent release, 2024-25). Compiled by Ibex Insights. See the methodology.