Iowa Private Colleges Ranked by Highest ACT Score

Below is a list of the 21 private colleges in Iowa with the highest ACT Score for incoming freshmen. Grinnell College leads the list with an average ACT Score of 32. Alternatively, check out the SAT version of these rankings.

The ACT is a standardized test used by colleges to evaluate applicants. It is not a guarantee of success in college, but it is a strong indicator of academic potential.

List of Iowa Private Colleges Ranked by Highest ACT Score
College	Average ACT Score
Grinnell College Grinnell, Iowa	32
Coe College Cedar Rapids, Iowa	26
Cornell College Mount Vernon, Iowa	26
Drake University Des Moines, Iowa	26
Dordt University Sioux Center, Iowa	25
Emmaus Bible College Dubuque, Iowa	25
Luther College Decorah, Iowa	25
Wartburg College Waverly, Iowa	24
Central College Pella, Iowa	23
Northwestern College Orange City, Iowa	23
Simpson College Indianola, Iowa	23
Buena Vista University Storm Lake, Iowa	22
Faith Baptist Bible College and Theological Seminary Ankeny, Iowa	22
Saint Ambrose University Davenport, Iowa	22
University of Dubuque Dubuque, Iowa	21
Mercy College of Health Sciences Des Moines, Iowa	21
Clarke University Dubuque, Iowa	20
Graceland University Lamoni Lamoni, Iowa	20

Search and filter all 21 colleges

This list is updated annually based on the latest data from the National Center for Education Statistics.
Last updated: August 2026

Data source: IPEDS 2025 survey for academic year 2024/2025 - National Center for Education Statistics.