Popular Iowa Colleges Easy to Get Into
Iowa has 22 four-year colleges that accept 75% or more of applicants. If your GPA and test scores meet their typical thresholds, these are strong safety options, ordered by student interest online.
Leading examples include Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa, accepting 89% of applicants. Also frequently researched: University of Iowa, Cornell College and Northwestern College.
Use the filters below to narrow by GPA, SAT, or ACT and see your estimated admission chance. For the highest academic quality among easy-admission schools, see best-ranked colleges with high acceptance rates. For schools with the highest acceptance rates regardless of popularity, see highest acceptance rate colleges.
Iowa State University
- Public 4 Year
- Ames, IA
-
4.0 | 4 reviews
- 89% acceptance rate
Iowa State is a large public university known for undergraduate engineering, agriculture, and design. Ames is a college town built around the campus.
- SAT Range 1120-1360
- Avg GPA 3.7
- Net Price $17,779
University of Iowa
- Public 4 Year
- Iowa City, IA
-
3.0 | 3 reviews
- 84% acceptance rate
- May 1 application deadline
Iowa is a large public university known for undergraduate creative writing and journalism. The campus sits in the college town of Iowa City along the Iowa River.
- SAT Range 1130-1330
- Avg GPA 3.81
- Net Price $21,765
Cornell College
- Private 4 Year
- Mount Vernon, IA
-
| 0 reviews
- 80% acceptance rate
Cornell College is a private liberal arts college known for its One Course At A Time calendar of intensive undergraduate courses. Most students live on the residential campus in the small town of Mount Vernon.
- SAT Range 1120-1285
- Avg GPA 3.53
- Net Price $25,220
Northwestern College
- Private 4 Year
- Orange City, IA
-
4.0 | 2 reviews
- 80% acceptance rate
Northwestern College is a private Christian liberal arts college known for undergraduate education and nursing. The campus sits in the small town of Orange City in northwest Iowa.
- SAT Range 940-1240
- Avg GPA 3.57
- Net Price $26,347
University of Northern Iowa
- Public 4 Year
- Cedar Falls, IA
-
3.5 | 4 reviews
- 93% acceptance rate
UNI is a public university known for undergraduate teacher education and business. The residential campus sits in the college town of Cedar Falls.
- SAT Range 1020-1280
- Avg GPA 3.61
- Net Price $16,437
University of Dubuque
- Private 4 Year
- Dubuque, IA
-
| 0 reviews
- 89% acceptance rate
University of Dubuque is a private Presbyterian university known for undergraduate aviation and nursing. Most students live on the residential campus near the Mississippi River.
- SAT Range 980-1220
- Avg GPA 3.24
- Net Price $26,067
Wartburg College
- Private 4 Year
- Waverly, IA
-
| 0 reviews
- 76% acceptance rate
Wartburg is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate music, education, and biology. Most students live on the residential campus in the small Iowa town of Waverly, with long ties to the Evangelical Lutheran Church.
- SAT Range 930-1200
- Avg GPA 3.48
- Net Price $24,031
Saint Ambrose University
- Private 4 Year
- Davenport, IA
-
| 0 reviews
- 77% acceptance rate
Saint Ambrose is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate nursing, business, and education. The residential campus sits in the Quad Cities along the Mississippi River.
- SAT Range 930-1170
- Avg GPA 3.39
- Net Price $25,345
Grand View University
- Private 4 Year
- Des Moines, IA
-
| 0 reviews
- 99% acceptance rate
- Aug 15 application deadline
Grand View is a private Lutheran university known for undergraduate nursing, business, and education. The urban campus sits in Des Moines, Iowa's capital city.
- SAT Range 920-1080
- Avg GPA 3.3
- Net Price $22,319
Loras College
- Private 4 Year
- Dubuque, IA
-
| 0 reviews
- 100% acceptance rate
Loras is a private Catholic liberal arts college known for undergraduate business, education, and the humanities. The hilltop campus in Dubuque overlooks the Mississippi River.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA 3.48
- Net Price $21,631
Upper Iowa University
- Private 4 Year
- Fayette, IA
-
| 0 reviews
- 96% acceptance rate
Upper Iowa is a private university known for undergraduate business, education, and human services. The residential campus sits in the small town of Fayette in northeast Iowa.
- SAT Range 970-1160
- Avg GPA 3.34
- Net Price $20,426
Central College
- Private 4 Year
- Pella, IA
-
| 0 reviews
- 86% acceptance rate
Central is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate sciences, education, and study abroad. Most undergrads live on a residential campus in the small college town of Pella.
- SAT Range 1056-1120
- Avg GPA 3.52
- Net Price $23,848
Mount Mercy University
- Private 4 Year
- Cedar Rapids, IA
-
1.0 | 2 reviews
- 83% acceptance rate
- Aug 15 application deadline
Mount Mercy is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate nursing, business, and education. The compact residential campus sits in a neighborhood setting in Cedar Rapids.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA 3.5
- Net Price $24,347
Buena Vista University
- Private 4 Year
- Storm Lake, IA
-
| 0 reviews
- 78% acceptance rate
Buena Vista is a private university known for undergraduate education and business. The residential campus sits beside Storm Lake in northwest Iowa.
- SAT Range 930-1130
- Avg GPA 3.49
- Net Price $19,704
Simpson College
- Private 4 Year
- Indianola, IA
-
2.0 | 1 reviews
- 86% acceptance rate
- Aug 15 application deadline
Simpson is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate music, business, and education. The residential campus is in the small college town of Indianola near Des Moines.
- SAT Range 890-1280
- Avg GPA 3.62
- Net Price $23,282
Palmer College of Chiropractic
- Private 4 Year
- Davenport, IA
-
| 0 reviews
- 100% acceptance rate
Palmer is a private chiropractic college known for professional chiropractic training as the profession's founding school. The campus sits near the Mississippi River in downtown Davenport.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA NA
- Net Price -
Briar Cliff University
- Private 4 Year
- Sioux City, IA
-
1.0 | 1 reviews
- 100% acceptance rate
Briar Cliff is a small private Catholic university known for undergraduate nursing and education. The campus sits on a bluff overlooking Sioux City and the Missouri River.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA 3.21
- Net Price $23,263
Graceland University Lamoni
- Private 4 Year
- Lamoni, IA
-
| 0 reviews
- 81% acceptance rate
Graceland is a private university known for undergraduate nursing and education. Most students live on the residential campus in the small college town of Lamoni.
- SAT Range 880-1120
- Avg GPA 3.22
- Net Price $19,574