Liberal arts college
#14 Best small colleges in AmericaGrinnell College
Grinnell, IA · Private nonprofit · 4-year
Your real cost
Average price after aid $17,648 a year
Median debt at graduation: $17,500 (all students)
Estimate your own price · the college’s net price calculator
Rankings
Where this college places on our top lists. Lists are worked out from official data and our own research; places in the top quarter of each list are shown. See every list
In America
- Best small colleges in America#14 of 906
- Colleges with the biggest discount off the sticker price in America#15 of 690
- Best colleges in America#51 of 1,829
- Best test-optional colleges in America#45 of 1,481
- Best colleges for psychology in America#45 of 1,418
- Best colleges for biology and pre-med in America#46 of 1,358
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- Best colleges for English in America#47 of 1,283
- Best colleges for art and design in America#44 of 1,187
- Best colleges for history in America#49 of 1,247
- Best colleges for mathematics in America#49 of 1,215
- Best colleges for chemistry in America#49 of 1,162
- Best colleges for music in America#45 of 1,063
- Best colleges for political science and pre-law in America#48 of 1,116
- Best colleges for computer science in America#36 of 750
- Colleges with the highest graduation rates in America#93 of 1,829
- Best colleges for NCAA Division III athletes in America#22 of 430
- Best colleges for economics in America#49 of 788
- Most selective colleges in America#57 of 683
- Colleges that spend the most on teaching in America#61 of 704
- Best colleges under $20,000 a year in America#18 of 197
- Lowest net price for middle-income families in America#68 of 682
- Best value colleges in the Midwest in America#20 of 177
- Colleges with the lowest student debt in America#95 of 684
- Best value colleges in America#96 of 674
- Colleges with the most faculty per student in America#105 of 704
- Colleges with the best earnings for the price in America#109 of 681
- Most affordable colleges with strong academics in America#121 of 690
- Colleges where the most freshmen return in America#136 of 693
In Iowa
- Best colleges in Iowa#1 of 30
- Best test-optional colleges in Iowa#1 of 29
- Best colleges for psychology in Iowa#1 of 27
- Best colleges for biology and pre-med in Iowa#1 of 26
- Best colleges for English in Iowa#1 of 26
- Best colleges for history in Iowa#1 of 25
Show 22 more
- Best colleges for mathematics in Iowa#1 of 25
- Best colleges for music in Iowa#1 of 25
- Best colleges for art and design in Iowa#1 of 24
- Best colleges for chemistry in Iowa#1 of 23
- Best small colleges in Iowa#1 of 23
- Best colleges for political science and pre-law in Iowa#1 of 21
- Best colleges for computer science in Iowa#1 of 19
- Best colleges for economics in Iowa#1 of 17
- Best value colleges in Iowa#1 of 16
- Best value colleges in the Midwest in Iowa#1 of 16
- Colleges with the best earnings for the price in Iowa#1 of 16
- Colleges with the biggest discount off the sticker price in Iowa#1 of 16
- Lowest net price for middle-income families in Iowa#1 of 16
- Colleges that spend the most on teaching in Iowa#1 of 16
- Most selective colleges in Iowa#1 of 16
- Colleges that pay for themselves fastest in Iowa#1 of 15
- Colleges where the most freshmen return in Iowa#1 of 15
- Colleges with the highest graduation rates in Iowa#2 of 30
- Best colleges for NCAA Division III athletes in Iowa#1 of 10
- Colleges with the lowest student debt in Iowa#3 of 16
- Colleges with the most faculty per student in Iowa#3 of 16
- Most affordable colleges with strong academics in Iowa#3 of 16
Academic Excellence
Each measure counts for the share shown.
- Graduation rate 35% of scoreThis measure counts for 35% of the Academic Excellence score.88%
- First-year retention 20% of scoreThis measure counts for 20% of the Academic Excellence score.93%
- Entering students' test scores 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.SAT 1,486 · ACT 32.5
- Student-to-faculty ratio 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.9 to 1
- Instructional spending per student 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.$32,882
Bars show points on each measure’s scale. How Academic Excellence is computed.
Source: College Scorecard (College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026))
What families pay, by income
Average yearly price after grants and scholarships, for students who receive federal aid.
| Family income | Price after aid |
|---|---|
| Up to $30,000 | |
| $30,001–$48,000 | |
| $48,001–$75,000 | |
| $75,001–$110,000 | |
| Over $110,000 |
Full cost of attendance before aid: $83,440 a year.
Use the college’s net price calculator for your own estimate.
Cost and value
Federal data: what families pay after aid, what graduates earn, and what they owe.
| Undergraduate students Fall enrollment (IPEDS) | 1,775 |
|---|---|
| Men and women Undergraduates, fall 2023 (College Scorecard) | Men 46% · Women 54% |
| First-generation students Share of students who are first-generation, by the College Scorecard’s definition | 18% |
| First-year students from another state Of first-time students whose home is a U.S. state, fall 2023 (IPEDS) | 90% |
| Total students | 1,775 |
| Average net price (per year) After grants and scholarships, for students receiving federal aid | $17,648 |
| Cost of attendance (per year) | $83,440 |
| Median federal debt at graduation | $17,500 |
| Graduation rate First-time, full-time students finishing within 150% of normal time | 88% |
| Graduation rate for Pell grant recipients Finishing within 6 years (College Scorecard) | 91% |
| Graduation rate for first-generation students Finishing within 6 years (College Scorecard) | 87% |
| Borrowers paying down their loans within 3 years Borrowers who repaid at least $1 of principal within 3 years (College Scorecard) | 89% |
| First-year retention | 93% |
| Median earnings 10 years after entry | $62,830 |
| Admission rate | 15% |
| Application fee Undergraduate application fee, 2023–24 (IPEDS) | No application fee |
| Students receiving Pell grants | 18% |
| Average SAT | 1486 |
|---|---|
| SAT reading & writing | 700–750 |
| SAT math | 710–790 |
| ACT composite | 31–34 |
| Test policy | Considered but not required |
Value: Excellent · Top 14% (how it’s computed)
Sources: College Scorecard · IPEDS College Navigator · Net price calculator
College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026); IPEDS 2024-25 directory and institutional characteristics; fall 2023 enrollment.
Earnings by major
Median earnings of bachelor’s graduates a few years after finishing, by major (College Scorecard).
| Major | Median earnings |
|---|---|
| Economics | |
| Computer science | |
| Political science | |
| Liberal arts | |
| Experimental psychology | |
| Biology | |
| Romance languages | |
| History | |
| Biochemistry | |
| English |
Also offered (no earnings published yet): Anthropology, Chemistry, Classics, East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Ethnic and gender studies, Fine arts, German, Interdisciplinary studies, Mathematics, Music, Other biological and biomedical sciences, Other computer and information sciences and support services, Other mathematics and statistics, Other psychology, Philosophy, Physics, Psychology, Religious studies, Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Sociology, Theatre.
What students study most
Share of bachelor’s degrees by field, first majors in 2023–24 (IPEDS).
| Field | Share of degrees |
|---|---|
| Social sciences | |
| Biology | |
| Computer and information sciences | |
| Psychology | |
| Physical sciences |
Campus life
| School colors | |
|---|---|
| Setting | Town |
| Part-time undergraduates | 0% |
| Undergraduates aged 25 and older | 0% |
| On-campus room and board (per year) | $16,842 |
| Sports | NCAA Division III · Midwest Conference |
| Study abroad | Offered |
| Students per faculty member | 9 to 1 |
| Faculty who are full-time | 81%Of instructional faculty, fall 2023 (College Scorecard) |
| Endowment per student | $1,445,127Endowment at the end of fiscal year 2023, per full-time-equivalent student (IPEDS) |
| Dorm space | For about 82% of studentsCampus beds divided by undergraduate enrollment. Not how many students live on campus (IPEDS) |
| Nearest airport with scheduled flights | Des Moines International Airport (DSM)About 50 miles away in a straight line (OurAirports) |
| Town population | 9,5052020–2024 five-year estimate (U.S. Census Bureau) |
| Nearest city of 250,000 people or more | OmahaAbout 176 miles away in a straight line (U.S. Census Bureau) |
| Average temperature in January | 19°F1991–2020 normal, from GRINNELL 3 SW, IA US, about 2 miles away (NOAA) |
| Average temperature in July | 73°F1991–2020 normal, from GRINNELL 3 SW, IA US, about 2 miles away (NOAA) |
Federal data (IPEDS and College Scorecard), except school colors.
Campus safety reports
On-campus crimes reported in 2024, per 1,000 students.
| Category | This campus | U.S. rate |
|---|---|---|
| Rape | 0.19 | 0.07 |
| Robbery | 0.00 | 0.01 |
| Aggravated assault | 0.19 | 0.04 |
| Burglary | 1.30 | 0.08 |
| Motor vehicle theft | 0.00 | 0.15 |
Numbers reflect what each campus reported. They differ with campus size and how reporting is done, so compare with care. U.S. rate: total reported offenses divided by total students at every institution in the report.
Questions families ask
- What is Grinnell College’s Compass Score?
- Exceptional (grade A+). It ranks in the top 4% of rated colleges. The grade comes from outcomes (40%: graduation, retention and earnings), entering students (40%: test scores and selectivity), cost (15%: debt and price after aid) and teaching (5%: class size), all from federal data.
- How much does Grinnell College cost after financial aid?
- The average net price is $17,648 a year for students who receive federal aid, after grants and scholarships. What your family pays depends on income; the college’s net price calculator gives your own estimate.
- How hard is it to get into Grinnell College?
- Grinnell College admitted 15% of applicants in the most recent federal data.
- How do Grinnell College’s graduates do?
- 88% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years; the median earnings of former students ten years after entry are $62,830; the median federal debt at graduation is $17,500.
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About this school’s data
- IPEDS unit ID 153384
- Carnegie classification: Baccalaureate college (arts & sciences)
- Accreditation: Higher Learning Commission (U.S. Department of Education DAPIP)
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