Universities in Iowa
Iowa has 75 degree-granting institutions reporting to the U.S. Department of Education – 19 public, 34 private nonprofit, 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 for-profit | 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: Medical Schools/Centers | 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: Medical Schools/Centers | Private | 261 |
| 47 | Aveda Institute-Des MoinesWest Des Moines · Other / Unclassified | Private for-profit | 244 |
| 48 | Emmaus Bible CollegeDubuque · Baccalaureate: Diverse Fields | Private | 224 |
| 49 | PCI Academy-AmesAmes · Other / Unclassified | Private for-profit | 176 |
| 50 | St Luke's CollegeSioux City · Special Focus: Medical Schools/Centers | Private | 167 |
| 51 | Capri College-DubuqueDubuque · Other / Unclassified | Private for-profit | 165 |
| 52 | La James International College-JohnstonJohnston · Other / Unclassified | Private for-profit | 141 |
| 53 | Capri College-DavenportDavenport · Other / Unclassified | Private for-profit | 135 |
| 54 | Capri College-Cedar RapidsCedar Rapids · Other / Unclassified | Private for-profit | 129 |
| 55 | La James International College-DavenportDavenport · Other / Unclassified | Private for-profit | 127 |
| 56 | PCI Academy-Iowa CityIowa City · Other / Unclassified | Private for-profit | 113 |
| 57 | The Salon Professional Academy-Cedar FallsCedar Falls · Other / Unclassified | Private for-profit | 91 |
| 58 | Iowa School of Beauty-Des MoinesDes Moines · Other / Unclassified | Private for-profit | 74 |
| 59 | Iowa School of Beauty-Sioux CitySioux City · Other / Unclassified | Private for-profit | 67 |
| 60 | SOHO Hair AcademyCouncil Bluffs · Other / Unclassified | Private for-profit | 66 |
| 61 | Divine Word CollegeEpworth · Baccalaureate: Arts & Sciences | Private | 64 |
| 62 | La James College of Hairstyling and CosmetologyMason City · Other / Unclassified | Private for-profit | 56 |
| 63 | La James International College-Cedar FallsCedar Falls · Other / Unclassified | Private for-profit | 54 |
| 64 | Body Wisdom Massage Therapy SchoolUrbandale · Other / Unclassified | Private for-profit | 45 |
| 65 | Palmer College of ChiropracticDavenport · Special Focus: Medical Schools/Centers | Private | 43 |
| 66 | Ross College-DavenportDavenport · Special Focus Two-Year: Health Professions | Private for-profit | 42 |
| 67 | Orion Technical CollegeDavenport · Special Focus: Research Institution | Private for-profit | 41 |
| 68 | Carlson College of Massage TherapyAnamosa · Other / Unclassified | Private for-profit | 39 |
| 69 | American Hair AcademyMt. Pleasant · Other / Unclassified | Private for-profit | 25 |
| 70 | Faust Institute of Cosmetology-Spirit LakeSpirit Lake · Other / Unclassified | Private for-profit | 22 |
| 71 | La James International College-Ft DodgeFort Dodge · Other / Unclassified | Private for-profit | 22 |
| 72 | Mercy-St Luke's School of Radiologic TechnologyCedar Rapids · Other / Unclassified | Private | 21 |
| 73 | UnityPoint Health-Des Moines School of Radiologic TechnologyDes Moines · Other / Unclassified | Private | 16 |
| 74 | Des Moines University-Osteopathic Medical CenterWest Des Moines · Special Focus: Faith-Related | Private | – |
| 75 | Wartburg Theological SeminaryDubuque · Baccalaureate/Associate's: Assoc. Dominant | 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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Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard & IPEDS (most recent release, 2024-25). Compiled by Ibex Insights. See the methodology.