Iowa Colleges with high acceptance rates

Colleges with the Highest Acceptance Rate in Iowa for 2025

These are the least selective public and private four-year colleges in Iowa. These colleges historically accept more than seventy-five percent of students who apply for admission and are ranked by acceptance rate. These are good safety schools for your college list and you should have a good chance on getting in if your grades and test scores are above or within their typical admission thresholds. Just because a school is less selective doesn't mean it's a lesser school academically and easy to get into for all students. Unless a college has guaranteed admission or accepts 100% of applicants, you still need sufficient grades to be accepted.

Use the filters on this page to narrow down the list based on your high school GPA, SAT and ACT scores. Once you do, your estimated admission chance will be displayed for each school. Additionally, you can filter the list by state, region or distance from your home to narrow down the list of colleges that are easiest for you to get into.

See also, the best and popular Iowa colleges with high acceptance rates. If you're looking for colleges that have easy admission requirements, explore rankings of Iowa colleges with the lowest SAT scores, lowest ACT scores and lowest GPA's.
Iowa High Acceptance % Public Private 4 year

22 results

Allen College
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A
Waterloo, IA
 

Allen College

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

100% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 489enrollment
  • -net price
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Applications Due Feb 1

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Briar Cliff University
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B
Sioux City, IA
 

Briar Cliff University

Private 4 Year

1 reviews

100% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 940enrollment
  • $23,292net price
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • 3.21Avg GPA

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Divine Word College
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D
Epworth, IA
 

Divine Word College

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

100% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 61enrollment
  • -net price
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Applications Due Jul 15

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Iowa Wesleyan College
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I
Mount Pleasant, IA

Iowa Wesleyan College

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

100% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 871enrollment
  • -net price
  • 830-1010SAT range
  • 16-22ACT range
  • 3.02Avg GPA

Applications Due Aug 15

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Palmer College of Chiropractic Davenport
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P
Davenport, IA
 

Palmer College of Chiropractic Davenport

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

100% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 2,219enrollment
  • -net price
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

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Mercy College of Health Sciences
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M
Des Moines, IA
 

Mercy College of Health Sciences

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

99% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 907enrollment
  • $24,881net price
  • -SAT range
  • 19-24ACT range
  • 3.12Estimated Avg GPA

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Wartburg College
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W
Waverly, IA
 

Wartburg College

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

99% Acceptance Rate

#11 Best Private Colleges in Iowa

  • 1,472enrollment
  • $23,321net price
  • 978-1235SAT range
  • 19-27ACT range
  • 3.48Avg GPA

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Emmaus Bible College
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E
Dubuque, IA
 

Emmaus Bible College

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

98% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 197enrollment
  • $14,393net price
  • 910-1060SAT range
  • 20-26ACT range
  • 3.58Avg GPA

Applications Due Aug 1

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Grand View University
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G
Des Moines, IA
 

Grand View University

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

98% Acceptance Rate

#16 Best Private Colleges in Iowa

  • 1,796enrollment
  • $22,296net price
  • 920-1080SAT range
  • 17-22ACT range
  • 3.3Avg GPA

Applications Due Aug 15

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Maharishi International University
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M
Fairfield, IA
 

Maharishi International University

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

97% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 2,666enrollment
  • $18,875net price
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

Applications Due Jul 30

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University of Northern Iowa
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N
Cedar Falls, IA

University of Northern Iowa

Public 4 Year

4 reviews

94% Acceptance Rate

#3 Best Public Universities in Iowa

  • 9,013enrollment
  • $15,931net price
  • 860-1210SAT range
  • 20-26ACT range
  • 3.61Avg GPA

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Upper Iowa University
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U
Fayette, IA
 

Upper Iowa University

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

93% Acceptance Rate

#18 Best Private Colleges in Iowa

  • 3,102enrollment
  • $22,427net price
  • 970-1160SAT range
  • 14-21ACT range
  • 3.34Avg GPA

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Loras College
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L
Dubuque, IA

Loras College

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

92% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 1,213enrollment
  • $22,338net price
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • 3.48Avg GPA

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Iowa State University
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I
Ames, IA

Iowa State University

Public 4 Year

4 reviews

89% Acceptance Rate

#2 Best Public Universities in Iowa

  • 30,177enrollment
  • $17,354net price
  • 1110-1350SAT range
  • 21-28ACT range
  • 3.7Avg GPA

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Simpson College
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S
Indianola, IA

Simpson College

Private 4 Year

1 reviews

89% Acceptance Rate

#6 Best Private Colleges in Iowa

  • 1,163enrollment
  • $23,637net price
  • 890-1280SAT range
  • 20-27ACT range
  • 3.62Avg GPA

Applications Due Aug 15

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University of Dubuque
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D
Dubuque, IA

University of Dubuque

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

87% Acceptance Rate

#14 Best Private Colleges in Iowa

  • 1,795enrollment
  • $25,216net price
  • 950-1160SAT range
  • 19-25ACT range
  • 3.24Avg GPA

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Northwestern College
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N
Orange City, IA

Northwestern College

Private 4 Year

2 reviews

87% Acceptance Rate

#12 Best Private Colleges in Iowa

  • 1,665enrollment
  • $24,737net price
  • 940-1240SAT range
  • 20-27ACT range
  • 3.57Avg GPA

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University of Iowa
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I
Iowa City, IA

University of Iowa

Public 4 Year

3 reviews

85% Acceptance Rate

#1 Best Public Universities in Iowa

  • 30,042enrollment
  • $20,121net price
  • 1130-1320SAT range
  • 22-28ACT range
  • 3.81Avg GPA

Applications Due May 1

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