What is the Average Retention Rate in Iowa?
The retention rate is the percentage of first-time students who attend and continue their study in next year at colleges. The low retention rate means that more students transfer out to or stop/pause the program at a school. In general, high ranked colleges or special purpose colleges' retention rate is higher than others.
The average retention rate of Iowa colleges is 73.43% for full-time students and 49.52% for part-time students. 22,381 out of 29,886 full-time first-year students continued their study in next year at Iowa colleges. In public Iowa colleges, the retention rate is 66% and private schools' rate is 73% By school levels, the retention rate at four-years colleges is 74% and community colleges' rate is 73% in Iowa.
The next schools are the top 3 Iowa colleges that have the highest retention rate. University of Iowa has the highest retention rate of 89% among Iowa colleges. Iowa State University and University of Northern Iowa also have higher rate of 86% and 83% respectively. For the ranking, we exclude community colleges and four-colleges with less than 1,000 first-time students.
- University of Iowa Retention Rate: 89% (full-time), 80% (part-time)
- Iowa State University Retention Rate: 86% (full-time), 64% (part-time)
- University of Northern Iowa Retention Rate: 83% (full-time), 38% (part-time)
The following table summarizes the average retention rate in Iowa by school type and level.
| Total | Public | Private (not-for-profit) | Private (for-profit) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 73.73% | 65.89% | 72.63% | 82.65% |
| 4 Years Colleges | 73.84% | 86.00% | 72.63% | 70.00% |
| Community Colleges | 73.03% | 62.13% | - | 82.72% |
| Trade Schools | 94.00% | - | - | 94.00% |
The following table summarizes the retention rate and number of students by attending status for Iowa collegesNumbers in parentheses in each column indicate the number of students in the corresponding category.
| Retention Rate | First-time Students | Enrolled in Next Year | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full-time | 73.43% | 29,886 | 22,381 |
| Part-time | 49.52% | 2,990 | 1,360 |
The following table shows the Iowa Colleges. You can see more schools and narrow down the results in search result page.
| School Name | Location | Tuition & Fees | Enrollment | Acceptance Rate | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allen College Private (not-for-profit), four-years | Waterloo, IA | $20,444 | 497 | - | - |
| Briar Cliff University Private (not-for-profit), four-years | Sioux City, IA | $35,534 | 927 | - | 43% |
| Buena Vista University Private (not-for-profit), four-years | Storm Lake, IA | $40,190 | 1,973 | 77.27% | 57% |
| Capri College-Dubuque Private (for-profit), 2-4 years | Dubuque, IA | $19,180 | 175 | - | 71% |
| Capri College-Cedar Rapids Private (for-profit), 2-4 years | Cedar Rapids, IA | $19,180 | 142 | - | 71% |
| Central College Private (not-for-profit), four-years | Pella, IA | $20,988 | 1,169 | 79.24% | 71% |
| Clarke University Private (not-for-profit), four-years | Dubuque, IA | $39,600 | 965 | 84.80% | 57% |
| Coe College Private (not-for-profit), four-years | Cedar Rapids, IA | $52,576 | 1,264 | - | 65% |
| Cornell College Private (not-for-profit), four-years | Mount Vernon, IA | $50,634 | 1,073 | 79.33% | 63% |
| Des Moines Area Community College Public, 2-4 years | Ankeny, IA | $11,100 ($5,550) | 21,637 | - | 33% |
| Divine Word College Private (not-for-profit), four-years | Epworth, IA | $15,000 | 68 | - | 100% |
| Dordt University Private (not-for-profit), four-years | Sioux Center, IA | $35,960 | 1,861 | 87.67% | 67% |
| Drake University Private (not-for-profit), four-years | Des Moines, IA | $49,944 | 4,685 | 67.23% | 76% |
| University of Dubuque Private (not-for-profit), four-years | Dubuque, IA | $40,065 | 1,776 | 85.05% | 39% |
| Ellsworth Community College Public, 2-4 years | Iowa Falls, IA | $6,312 ($5,304) | 718 | - | 29% |
| Emmaus Bible College Private (not-for-profit), four-years | Dubuque, IA | $20,000 | 206 | 100.00% | 81% |
| Eastern Iowa Community College District Public, 2-4 years | Davenport, IA | $6,299 ($4,680) | 7,145 | - | 39% |
| Faith Baptist Bible College and Theological Seminary Private (not-for-profit), four-years | Ankeny, IA | $19,530 | 448 | 52.45% | 54% |
| Graceland University-Lamoni Private (not-for-profit), four-years | Lamoni, IA | $33,220 | 1,237 | 74.49% | 48% |
| Grand View University Private (not-for-profit), four-years | Des Moines, IA | $33,450 | 1,827 | 98.41% | 52% |
| Grinnell College Private (not-for-profit), four-years | Grinnell, IA | $64,862 | 1,759 | 10.76% | 88% |
| Orion Technical College Private (for-profit), four-years | Davenport, IA | $15,600 | 75 | - | 86% |
| Hawkeye Community College Public, 2-4 years | Waterloo, IA | $6,598 ($6,308) | 4,787 | - | 33% |
| American Hair Academy Private (for-profit), 2-4 years | Mt. Pleasant, IA | $17,590 | 20 | - | 71% |
| Indian Hills Community College Public, 2-4 years | Ottumwa, IA | $6,120 ($4,872) | 3,361 | - | 36% |
| Iowa Central Community College Public, 2-4 years | Fort Dodge, IA | $7,668 ($5,376) | 5,058 | - | 37% |
| Iowa Lakes Community College Public, 2-4 years | Estherville, IA | $7,644 ($7,196) | 1,960 | - | 37% |
| UnityPoint Health-Des Moines School of Radiologic Technology Private (not-for-profit), 2-4 years | Des Moines, IA | $4,000 | 19 | - | - |
| Iowa School of Beauty-Des Moines Private (for-profit), 2-4 years | Des Moines, IA | $19,756 | 77 | - | 66% |
| Iowa State University Public, four-years | Ames, IA | $27,683 ($10,497) | 29,969 | 90.22% | 74% |
| Iowa Western Community College Public, 2-4 years | Council Bluffs, IA | $6,930 ($6,780) | 5,342 | - | 36% |
| University of Iowa Public, four-years | Iowa City, IA | $32,927 ($10,964) | 30,015 | 86.00% | 73% |
| Kirkwood Community College Public, 2-4 years | Cedar Rapids, IA | $7,968 ($5,980) | 12,406 | - | 35% |
| La James International College-Cedar Falls Private (for-profit), 2-4 years | Cedar Falls, IA | $11,145 | 39 | - | 44% |
| La James International College-Johnston Private (for-profit), 2-4 years | Johnston, IA | $19,311 | 57 | - | 65% |
| La James College of Hairstyling and Cosmetology Private (for-profit), 2-4 years | Mason City, IA | $20,650 | 59 | - | 71% |
| La James International College-Ft Dodge Private (for-profit), 2-4 years | Fort Dodge, IA | $19,311 | 21 | - | 100% |
| Loras College Private (not-for-profit), four-years | Dubuque, IA | $38,298 | 1,319 | 89.84% | 67% |
| Luther College Private (not-for-profit), four-years | Decorah, IA | $50,320 | 1,610 | 75.32% | 74% |
| Maharishi International University Private (not-for-profit), four-years | Fairfield, IA | $16,530 | 2,673 | 94.29% | 50% |
| Marshalltown Community College Public, 2-4 years | Marshalltown, IA | $5,808 ($5,304) | 1,707 | - | 35% |
| Mercy College of Health Sciences Private (not-for-profit), four-years | Des Moines, IA | $17,328 | 911 | 96.71% | 44% |
| Morningside University Private (not-for-profit), four-years | Sioux City, IA | $38,190 | 2,249 | 70.61% | 56% |
| Mount Mercy University Private (not-for-profit), four-years | Cedar Rapids, IA | $39,070 | 1,526 | 75.27% | 57% |
| North Iowa Area Community College Public, 2-4 years | Mason City, IA | $9,245 ($6,436) | 2,479 | - | 54% |
| University of Northern Iowa Public, four-years | Cedar Falls, IA | $21,272 ($9,728) | 8,945 | 94.95% | 63% |
| Northwestern College Private (not-for-profit), four-years | Orange City, IA | $35,300 | 1,651 | 87.33% | 62% |
| Northeast Iowa Community College Public, 2-4 years | Calmar, IA | $7,470 ($6,600) | 4,355 | - | 48% |
| Northwest Iowa Community College Public, 2-4 years | Sheldon, IA | $7,410 ($7,110) | 1,811 | - | 64% |
| Des Moines University-Osteopathic Medical Center Private (not-for-profit), four-years | Des Moines, IA | - | 1,527 | - | - |
| Palmer College of Chiropractic Private (not-for-profit), four-years | Davenport, IA | $11,340 | 2,178 | - | - |
| PCI Academy-Ames Private (for-profit), 2-4 years | Ames, IA | $27,988 | 126 | - | 94% |
| Saint Ambrose University Private (not-for-profit), four-years | Davenport, IA | $35,598 | 2,747 | 73.92% | 64% |
| St Luke's College Private (not-for-profit), four-years | Sioux City, IA | $20,940 | 196 | 80.00% | 100% |
| La James International College-Davenport Private (for-profit), 2-4 years | Davenport, IA | $11,145 | 96 | - | 50% |
| Simpson College Private (not-for-profit), four-years | Indianola, IA | $46,212 | 1,151 | 89.10% | 66% |
| Southeastern Community College Public, 2-4 years | West Burlington, IA | $6,450 ($6,450) | 2,476 | - | 38% |
| Southwestern Community College Public, 2-4 years | Creston, IA | $7,248 ($7,024) | 1,581 | - | 52% |
| Capri College-Davenport Private (for-profit), 2-4 years | Davenport, IA | $19,180 | 146 | - | 68% |
| Iowa School of Beauty-Sioux City Private (for-profit), 2-4 years | Sioux City, IA | $19,756 | 13 | - | 66% |
| E Q School of Hair Design Private (for-profit), 2-4 years | Council Bluffs, IA | $22,131 | 30 | - | 72% |
| Upper Iowa University Private (not-for-profit), four-years | Fayette, IA | $19,000 | 3,072 | 54.23% | 42% |
| Waldorf University Private (for-profit), four-years | Forest City, IA | $25,220 | 2,763 | 73.86% | 25% |
| Wartburg College Private (not-for-profit), four-years | Waverly, IA | $51,040 | 1,444 | 97.45% | 67% |
| Wartburg Theological Seminary Private (not-for-profit), four-years | Dubuque, IA | - | 186 | - | - |
| The Salon Professional Academy-Cedar Falls Private (for-profit), 2-4 years | Cedar Falls, IA | $16,900 | 94 | - | 70% |
| Western Iowa Tech Community College Public, 2-4 years | Sioux City, IA | $5,186 ($5,042) | 5,150 | - | 42% |
| William Penn University Private (not-for-profit), four-years | Oskaloosa, IA | $28,750 | 1,473 | 57.67% | 29% |
| Mercy-St Luke's School of Radiologic Technology Private (not-for-profit), 2-4 years | Cedar Rapids, IA | $4,125 | 22 | - | - |
| Ross College-Davenport Private (for-profit), 2-4 years | Davenport, IA | $16,297 | 28 | - | 61% |
| Faust Institute of Cosmetology-Spirit Lake Private (for-profit), 2-4 years | Spirit Lake, IA | $13,000 | 19 | - | 100% |
| Carlson College of Massage Therapy Private (for-profit), less than 2-years | Anamosa, IA | $10,375 | 32 | - | - |
| Aveda Institute-Des Moines Private (for-profit), 2-4 years | West Des Moines, IA | $21,100 | 180 | - | 100% |
| PCI Academy-Iowa City Private (for-profit), 2-4 years | Iowa City, IA | $27,988 | 73 | - | - |
| Body Wisdom Massage Therapy School Private (for-profit), less than 2-years | Urbandale, IA | $16,915 | 43 | - | - |
Related Iowa Statistics
- Graduation Rate Statistics Comparison Between Iowa Best Schools
- Graduation Rate Statistics Comparison Between All Iowa Schools
- Core Statistics for College Graduation Rate Stats at Iowa
- Average Iowa Graduation Rate Statistics
- Colleges with Highest Graduation Rate in Iowa
- Colleges with Lowest Graduation Rate in Iowa
- Lowest Students to Faculty Ratio in Iowa
- Highest Students to Faculty Ratio in Iowa