College Compass GuideTrue north for every college search.

Every accredited U.S. college

Colleges

Every accredited four-year college, rated on Academic Excellence and Value (what families pay after aid, what graduates earn, and student debt), all from federal data.

Filters

Search & sort
Compass Score sorts by outcomes, students and cost together. The other sorts order every college by a different measure.
Ratings
Compass ScoreCompass Score: a letter grade set by rank among rated colleges from federal data: outcomes (40%), entering students (40%), cost (15%) and teaching (5%). Choose the lowest grade to show.
ValueValue: what families pay after aid, graduation rate, earnings and debt, from federal data.
Academic ExcellenceAcademic Excellence: a letter grade set by rank among rated colleges, from federal data on graduation, retention, test scores, faculty ratio, and spending. It never uses rankings or surveys.
Only Compass Recommended colleges: the top 35% of rated colleges by Compass Score.
Only Honor Roll colleges: the top 10% of rated colleges by Compass Score.
Only the eight Ivy League universities.
Location1
Distance (miles)
A broad region of the country, as the guide groups the states. Territories are listed separately.
School
Type of college, as college guides group them (from the federal Carnegie Classification): national universities offer a full range of bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programs and do research; liberal arts colleges focus on undergraduates in the arts and sciences; regional universities mostly offer bachelor’s and master’s degrees; regional colleges mostly offer bachelor’s degrees in many fields; specialized schools focus on one field, such as health, art or business.
Public or privatePublic: run by a state or local government. Private: nonprofit or for-profit.
Total enrollment: small is under 2,000 students, medium 2,000 to 9,999, large 10,000 to 24,999, and very large 25,000 or more.
Net price: what a typical student pays per year after grants and scholarships, from the federal College Scorecard.
Coed: men and women together. Single-sex: all-male or all-female.
Campus life
College sports level from federal data: NCAA Division I (the biggest programs), Division II, Division III, or NAIA.
Where the campus is, from federal data: in a city, a suburb, a town, or a rural area.
The college offers Army, Navy or Air Force ROTC, on campus or with a nearby college (federal data).
The college offers study abroad (federal data).
Admissions and outcomes
How many applicants are admitted (federal data). Most: 65% or more. Selective: 25% to 64%. Highly selective: under 25%.
Your SAT or ACT, to sort colleges Target, Likely and Reach. Signed in, it is kept on your account (private to you); otherwise only in this browser.
Reach, Target or LikelyA rough guide from admitted students' scores and admission rates, not a prediction. Target: your score is in the college's middle range. Likely: above it, or the college admits most applicants. Reach: below it, or the college admits fewer than 1 in 5.
Small classes: 12 or fewer students per faculty member (federal data).
Strong outcomes: 75% or more of students graduate (federal data).
Major
Colleges that offer a bachelor's degree in this major or field, from the federal College Scorecard.
Clear all
RecommendedOnly Compass Recommended colleges: the top 35% of rated colleges by Compass Score.Honor RollOnly Honor Roll colleges: the top 10% of rated colleges by Compass Score.ValueOnly colleges with a Value score of 85 or higher (grade A), from federal data.AcademicsOnly schools with an Academic Excellence grade of A or better (the top 10% of rated colleges), from federal data.Ivy LeagueOnly the eight Ivy League universities.Clear
Division I sportsCollege sports level from federal data: NCAA Division I (the biggest programs), Division II, Division III, or NAIA.ROTCThe college offers Army, Navy or Air Force ROTC, on campus or with a nearby college (federal data).Study abroadThe college offers study abroad (federal data).NursingColleges that offer a bachelor's degree in this major or field, from the federal College Scorecard.EngineeringColleges that offer a bachelor's degree in this major or field, from the federal College Scorecard.Under $20kNet price under $20,000 a year: what a typical student pays after grants and scholarships (federal data).Small classesSmall classes: 12 or fewer students per faculty member (federal data).
State: IowaClear all

34 schools · Sorted by Compass Score

  • Compass ScoreSolid

    William Penn University

    #26 in Iowa
    Oskaloosa, IA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,536 students

    $22,601 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsFair
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    Maharishi International University

    Solid: Compass grade C+
    Fairfield, IA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 2,666 students

    $14,956 a year after aid, on average

    ValueFairAcademicsStrong
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    Upper Iowa University

    #28 in Iowa
    Fayette, IA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 3,102 students

    $20,942 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsFair
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    Graceland University-Lamoni

    Solid: Compass grade C+
    Lamoni, IA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,195 students

    $18,504 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsStrong
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    Waldorf University

    Solid: Compass grade C+
    Forest City, IA · Private for-profit · 4-year · 2,657 students

    $19,693 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrongAcademicsFair
  • Not yet rated

    Palmer College of Chiropractic

    Davenport, IA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 2,219 students

    Value not rated yet
  • Not yet rated

    Allen College

    Top 14% for earnings
    Waterloo, IA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 489 students

    Value not rated yet
  • Not yet rated

    Orion Technical College

    Top 6% for low debt
    Davenport, IA · Private for-profit · 4-year · 73 students

    $26,439 a year after aid, on average

    ValueStrong
  • Not yet rated

    Divine Word College

    Top 1% for graduation
    Epworth, IA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 61 students

    Value not rated yet

Don’t see a school? Suggest it.

Sort by

0 school selectedCompare

What would it cost your family?

Pick your family’s yearly income. Each college then shows what families like yours paid on average after grants and scholarships (federal data).

Reach, Target or Likely?

Enter an SAT or ACT to sort every college in this search.

Will you get in?

Enter your SAT or ACT. We compare it with the middle range of students the college admitted.