Iowa Private Colleges Ranked by Highest In State Tution

Below is a college cost ranking of the 29 private colleges in Iowa with the highest in state tution. What is the most expensive college in Iowa? Grinnell College leads the list with a tuition and fee total of $68,652. Note these costs do not include room and board or living expenses.

All price data are reprinted from the U.S. Department of Education's IPEDS 2025 survey and reflect reported costs for academic year 2024/2025.

List of Iowa Private Colleges Ranked by Highest In State Tution
College	Tuition In State
Grinnell College Grinnell, Iowa	$68,652
Coe College Cedar Rapids, Iowa	$55,016
Cornell College Mount Vernon, Iowa	$53,350
Luther College Decorah, Iowa	$53,100
Drake University Des Moines, Iowa	$52,816
Simpson College Indianola, Iowa	$48,562
University of Dubuque Dubuque, Iowa	$44,020
Clarke University Dubuque, Iowa	$42,270
Mount Mercy University Cedar Rapids, Iowa	$41,878
Buena Vista University Storm Lake, Iowa	$41,798
Loras College Dubuque, Iowa	$41,736
Morningside University Sioux City, Iowa	$41,170
Briar Cliff University Sioux City, Iowa	$38,368
Dordt University Sioux Center, Iowa	$37,700
Northwestern College Orange City, Iowa	$37,020
Saint Ambrose University Davenport, Iowa	$36,938
Grand View University Des Moines, Iowa	$35,412
William Penn University Oskaloosa, Iowa	$29,750

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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.