The Best Iowa Big Colleges
These are the top ranked large, public and private, four-year colleges in Iowa as ranked by CollegeSimply. These schools all have total enrollment of 20,000 or more. Leading the list for 2027 is University of Iowa. Learn how the Best Large Colleges rankings are calculated on our ranking methodology page.
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4 Year
University of Iowa
- Public 4 Year
- Iowa City, IA
-
3.0 | 3 reviews
- 30,779 total enrollment
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.
#1 Best Public Universities in Iowa
7/10 Overall Rating
- SAT Range 1130-1330
- Avg GPA 3.81
- Acceptance Rate 84%
- Net Price $21,765
Iowa State University
- Public 4 Year
- Ames, IA
-
4.0 | 4 reviews
- 30,380 total enrollment
Iowa State is a large public university known for undergraduate engineering, agriculture, and design. Ames is a college town built around the campus.
#2 Best Public Universities in Iowa
7/10 Overall Rating
- SAT Range 1120-1360
- Avg GPA 3.7
- Acceptance Rate 89%
- Net Price $17,779