univstats

Iowa Colleges' Graduation Rate

What is the Average Graduation Rate in Iowa?

The average graduation rate of Iowa colleges is 63.36%. It includes all institutions' rate (i.e. 4-years and 2-years or less) where the graduation data is available. In public colleges, the graduation rate is 50.63% and private schools' rate is 62.96%.
By gender, the female students' graduation rate is 72.99% and male students' rate is 64.21%.
The schools in below list are the top 3 Iowa colleges that have the highest graduation rate. Iowa State University has the highest graduation rate of 75% among Iowa colleges. University of Iowa and University of Northern Iowa also have higher graduation rate of 75% and 68% respectively. For the ranking, we exclude colleges with less than 5,000 students. You can view more schools at Iowa colleges with high graduation rate.
The following table summarizes the average graduation rate in Iowa by school type and level.
The Average Graduation Rate In Iowa
TotalPublicPrivate (not-for-profit)Private (for-profit)
Total63.36%50.63%62.96%74.86%
4 Years Colleges63.12%72.67%62.96%51.00%
Community Colleges59.79%46.50%-76.15%
Trade Schools79.29%--79.29%

Bachelor's degree Graduation Rate

For the four-years Iowa institutions where BS degree grants, the average graduation rate is 68.68%. 13,906 students graduated out of 20,248 candidates. 161 students are still enrolled in the schools and 3,604 students are no longer enrolled or transferred out to other institutions.
By completion time, 10,908 students have completed their degree in 4 years or less as the rate is 53.87% at Iowa colleges. 2,631 students completed in 5 years and 3,443 students earned their BS degree in 6 years.
The following table summarizes the graduation rate and number of completers by gender and completion time for Iowa collegesNumbers in parentheses in each column indicate the number of completers over candidates in the corresponding category.
Graduation Rate by Gender and Completion Time at Iowa colleges
TotalFemale StudentsMale Students
Graduation Rate (in 150% normal time)68.68%
(13,906/20,248)
64.21%
(6,383/9,941)
72.99%
(7,523/10,307)
In 4 Years or Less53.87%
(10,908/20,248)
46.78%
(4,650/9,941)
60.72%
(6,258/10,307)
In 5 Years12.99%
(2,631/20,248)
15.26%
(1,517/9,941)
10.81%
(1,114/10,307)
In 6 Years1.81%
(367/20,248)
2.17%
(216/9,941)
1.47%
(151/10,307)
Transfer-out17.00%
(3,443/20,248)
17.72%
(1,762/9,941)
16.31%
(1,681/10,307)
No longer Enrolled0.80%
(161/20,248)
1.03%
(102/9,941)
0.57%
(59/10,307)
Still Enrolled13.43%
(2,719/20,248)
16.98%
(1,688/9,941)
10.00%
(1,031/10,307)
The following table shows the Iowa Colleges. You can see more schools and narrow down the results in search result page.
AllPublicPrivate4-Years CollegeCommunity CollegesTrade Schools
Iowa Colleges
School NameLocationTuition & FeesEnrollmentAcceptance RateGraduation Rate
Allen College
Private (not-for-profit), four-years
Waterloo, IA $24,787 483 - -
Briar Cliff University
Private (not-for-profit), four-years
Sioux City, IA $35,642 947 - 48%
Buena Vista University
Private (not-for-profit), four-years
Storm Lake, IA $41,798 1,890 77.61% 62%
Capri College-Dubuque
Private (for-profit), less than 2-years
Dubuque, IA $19,180 165 - 74%
Capri College-Cedar Rapids
Private (for-profit), less than 2-years
Cedar Rapids, IA $19,180 129 - 65%
Central College
Private (not-for-profit), four-years
Pella, IA $20,988 1,084 86.17% 66%
Clarke University
Private (not-for-profit), four-years
Dubuque, IA $40,910 962 71.83% 56%
Coe College
Private (not-for-profit), four-years
Cedar Rapids, IA $54,666 1,195 64.04% 66%
Cornell College
Private (not-for-profit), four-years
Mount Vernon, IA $52,660 1,094 79.90% 62%
Des Moines Area Community College
Public, 2-4 years
Ankeny, IA $6,690 ($5,790) 23,697 - 39%
Divine Word College
Private (not-for-profit), four-years
Epworth, IA $15,600 64 - 100%
Dordt University
Private (not-for-profit), four-years
Sioux Center, IA $37,050 1,952 68.47% 70%
Drake University
Private (not-for-profit), four-years
Des Moines, IA $51,960 4,345 63.85% 74%
University of Dubuque
Private (not-for-profit), four-years
Dubuque, IA $42,095 1,757 88.63% 40%
Ellsworth Community College
Public, 2-4 years
Iowa Falls, IA $6,504 ($5,496) 685 - 38%
Emmaus Bible College
Private (not-for-profit), four-years
Dubuque, IA $20,800 234 59.79% 83%
Eastern Iowa Community College District
Public, 2-4 years
Davenport, IA $6,456 ($4,848) 7,426 - 45%
Faith Baptist Bible College and Theological Seminary
Private (not-for-profit), four-years
Ankeny, IA $20,270 611 67.52% 68%
Graceland University-Lamoni
Private (not-for-profit), four-years
Lamoni, IA $19,848 1,102 80.83% 42%
Grand View University
Private (not-for-profit), four-years
Des Moines, IA $34,762 1,856 99.09% 54%
Grinnell College
Private (not-for-profit), four-years
Grinnell, IA $68,196 1,788 14.51% 88%
Orion Technical College
Private (for-profit), four-years
Davenport, IA $15,600 41 - 81%
Hawkeye Community College
Public, 2-4 years
Waterloo, IA $6,612 ($6,525) 5,120 - 43%
American Hair Academy
Private (for-profit), 2-4 years
Mt. Pleasant, IA $17,680 25 - 44%
Indian Hills Community College
Public, 2-4 years
Ottumwa, IA $6,120 ($5,040) 3,184 - 40%
Iowa Central Community College
Public, 2-4 years
Fort Dodge, IA $7,788 ($5,496) 4,949 - 42%
Iowa Lakes Community College
Public, 2-4 years
Estherville, IA $7,872 ($7,392) 1,945 - 50%
UnityPoint Health-Des Moines School of Radiologic Technology
Private (not-for-profit), 2-4 years
Des Moines, IA $4,000 16 - -
Iowa School of Beauty-Des Moines
Private (for-profit), 2-4 years
Des Moines, IA $9,172 74 - 81%
Iowa State University
Public, four-years
Ames, IA $28,881 ($10,787) 30,380 88.66% 75%
Iowa Western Community College
Public, 2-4 years
Council Bluffs, IA $7,080 ($6,930) 5,540 - 40%
University of Iowa
Public, four-years
Iowa City, IA $33,371 ($11,283) 30,779 83.62% 75%
Kirkwood Community College
Public, 2-4 years
Cedar Rapids, IA $8,220 ($6,176) 12,763 - 43%
La James International College-Cedar Falls
Private (for-profit), 2-4 years
Cedar Falls, IA $11,655 54 - 71%
La James International College-Johnston
Private (for-profit), 2-4 years
Johnston, IA $23,441 141 - 88%
La James College of Hairstyling and Cosmetology
Private (for-profit), 2-4 years
Mason City, IA $20,650 56 - 76%
La James International College-Ft Dodge
Private (for-profit), 2-4 years
Fort Dodge, IA $23,441 22 - 90%
Loras College
Private (not-for-profit), four-years
Dubuque, IA $39,824 1,189 99.86% 68%
Luther College
Private (not-for-profit), four-years
Decorah, IA $52,120 1,384 71.54% 71%
Maharishi International University
Private (not-for-profit), four-years
Fairfield, IA $16,530 2,592 95.70% 50%
Marshalltown Community College
Public, 2-4 years
Marshalltown, IA $6,504 ($5,496) 1,857 - 42%
Mercy College of Health Sciences
Private (not-for-profit), four-years
Des Moines, IA $17,664 869 99.71% 66%
Morningside University
Private (not-for-profit), four-years
Sioux City, IA $39,519 2,056 71.04% 50%
Mount Mercy University
Private (not-for-profit), four-years
Cedar Rapids, IA $40,878 1,417 82.52% 58%
North Iowa Area Community College
Public, 2-4 years
Mason City, IA $9,551 ($6,653) 2,662 - 61%
University of Northern Iowa
Public, four-years
Cedar Falls, IA $21,712 ($9,936) 9,278 92.74% 68%
Northwestern College
Private (not-for-profit), four-years
Orange City, IA $36,710 1,705 80.36% 66%
Northeast Iowa Community College
Public, 2-4 years
Calmar, IA $7,770 ($6,780) 4,808 - 51%
Northwest Iowa Community College
Public, 2-4 years
Sheldon, IA $7,650 ($7,350) 1,907 - 58%
Des Moines University-Osteopathic Medical Center
Private (not-for-profit), four-years
West Des Moines, IA - 1,534 - -
Palmer College of Chiropractic
Private (not-for-profit), four-years
Davenport, IA $11,760 2,161 - -
PCI Academy-Ames
Private (for-profit), 2-4 years
Ames, IA $14,988 176 - 77%
Saint Ambrose University
Private (not-for-profit), four-years
Davenport, IA $36,658 2,498 77.33% 61%
St Luke's College
Private (not-for-profit), four-years
Sioux City, IA $23,335 176 80.00% 100%
La James International College-Davenport
Private (for-profit), 2-4 years
Davenport, IA $11,559 127 - 91%
Simpson College
Private (not-for-profit), four-years
Indianola, IA $47,656 1,251 86.22% 63%
Southeastern Community College
Public, 2-4 years
West Burlington, IA $6,570 ($6,420) 3,028 - 43%
Southwestern Community College
Public, 2-4 years
Creston, IA $8,316 ($8,064) 1,566 - 59%
Capri College-Davenport
Private (for-profit), less than 2-years
Davenport, IA $19,180 135 - 82%
Iowa School of Beauty-Sioux City
Private (for-profit), 2-4 years
Sioux City, IA $19,756 67 - 72%
SOHO Hair Academy
Private (for-profit), 2-4 years
Council Bluffs, IA $22,131 66 - 76%
Upper Iowa University
Private (not-for-profit), four-years
Fayette, IA $19,475 3,941 96.46% 34%
Waldorf University
Private (for-profit), four-years
Forest City, IA $25,978 2,225 76.98% 21%
Wartburg College
Private (not-for-profit), four-years
Waverly, IA $26,250 1,483 75.84% 64%
Wartburg Theological Seminary
Private (not-for-profit), four-years
Dubuque, IA - 161 - -
The Salon Professional Academy-Cedar Falls
Private (for-profit), less than 2-years
Cedar Falls, IA $16,900 91 - 52%
Western Iowa Tech Community College
Public, 2-4 years
Sioux City, IA $5,330 ($5,186) 5,482 - 50%
William Penn University
Private (not-for-profit), four-years
Oskaloosa, IA $29,750 1,425 51.88% 33%
Mercy-St Luke's School of Radiologic Technology
Private (not-for-profit), 2-4 years
Cedar Rapids, IA $4,255 21 - -
Ross College-Davenport
Private (for-profit), 2-4 years
Davenport, IA $16,297 42 - 65%
Faust Institute of Cosmetology-Spirit Lake
Private (for-profit), less than 2-years
Spirit Lake, IA $14,000 22 - 92%
Carlson College of Massage Therapy
Private (for-profit), less than 2-years
Anamosa, IA $9,000 39 - 100%
Aveda Institute-Des Moines
Private (for-profit), 2-4 years
West Des Moines, IA $21,100 244 - 88%
PCI Academy-Iowa City
Private (for-profit), 2-4 years
Iowa City, IA $14,988 113 - 71%
Body Wisdom Massage Therapy School
Private (for-profit), less than 2-years
Urbandale, IA $16,915 45 - 90%