34 colleges ranked by return on investment — based on U.S. Department of Education data.
| # | College / University | ROI Rating | Break-Even | Grad Salary | Med. Debt | Grad Rate | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥇 |
Drake University
Des Moines, IA
|
High ROI | 0.7 yrs | $71,901 | $23,000 | 74% | Private Non-profit |
| 🥈 |
Allen College
Waterloo, IA
|
High ROI | 0.6 yrs | $71,261 | $18,750 | N/A | Private Non-profit |
| 🥉 |
Grinnell College
Grinnell, IA
|
High ROI | 0.7 yrs | $62,830 | $17,500 | 88% | Private Non-profit |
| 4 |
Mercy College of Health Sciences
Des Moines, IA
|
High ROI | 0.6 yrs | $62,234 | $14,745 | 66% | Private Non-profit |
| 5 |
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA
|
High ROI | 0.9 yrs | $64,762 | $22,500 | 75% | Public |
| 6 |
Iowa State University
Ames, IA
|
High ROI | 0.9 yrs | $63,386 | $22,869 | 75% | Public |
| 7 |
Mount Mercy University
Cedar Rapids, IA
|
High ROI | 1.1 yrs | $60,787 | $23,699 | 58% | Private Non-profit |
| 8 |
Saint Ambrose University
Davenport, IA
|
High ROI | 1.2 yrs | $59,531 | $25,000 | 61% | Private Non-profit |
| 9 |
University of Northern Iowa
Cedar Falls, IA
|
High ROI | 1.2 yrs | $55,177 | $19,691 | 68% | Public |
| 10 |
Luther College
Decorah, IA
|
High ROI | 1.3 yrs | $59,850 | $27,000 | 71% | Private Non-profit |
| 11 |
Simpson College
Indianola, IA
|
High ROI | 1.3 yrs | $59,274 | $26,000 | 63% | Private Non-profit |
| 12 |
Loras College
Dubuque, IA
|
High ROI | 1.3 yrs | $58,289 | $26,000 | 68% | Private Non-profit |
| 13 |
Coe College
Cedar Rapids, IA
|
High ROI | 1.5 yrs | $57,125 | $27,000 | 66% | Private Non-profit |
| 14 |
Briar Cliff University
Sioux City, IA
|
High ROI | 1.5 yrs | $54,475 | $23,250 | 48% | Private Non-profit |
| 15 |
Waldorf University
Forest City, IA
|
High ROI | 1.5 yrs | $51,165 | $18,752 | 21% | Private For-profit |
| 16 |
Wartburg College
Waverly, IA
|
High ROI | 1.6 yrs | $56,201 | $27,000 | 64% | Private Non-profit |
| 17 |
Morningside University
Sioux City, IA
|
High ROI | 1.6 yrs | $55,494 | $26,028 | 50% | Private Non-profit |
| 18 |
Clarke University
Dubuque, IA
|
High ROI | 1.6 yrs | $55,396 | $26,717 | 56% | Private Non-profit |
| 19 |
Central College
Pella, IA
|
High ROI | 1.7 yrs | $54,317 | $26,984 | 66% | Private Non-profit |
| 20 |
Grand View University
Des Moines, IA
|
High ROI | 1.6 yrs | $52,824 | $22,500 | 54% | Private Non-profit |
| 21 |
Dordt University
Sioux Center, IA
|
High ROI | 1.6 yrs | $52,559 | $21,500 | 70% | Private Non-profit |
| 22 |
Cornell College
Mount Vernon, IA
|
High ROI | 1.8 yrs | $53,460 | $27,000 | 62% | Private Non-profit |
| 23 |
Upper Iowa University
Fayette, IA
|
High ROI | 1.8 yrs | $52,766 | $25,000 | 34% | Private Non-profit |
| 24 |
University of Dubuque
Dubuque, IA
|
High ROI | 2.1 yrs | $51,190 | $25,750 | 40% | Private Non-profit |
| 25 |
Northwestern College
Orange City, IA
|
High ROI | 2.1 yrs | $49,802 | $23,249 | 66% | Private Non-profit |
| 26 |
William Penn University
Oskaloosa, IA
|
High ROI | 2.2 yrs | $48,936 | $22,415 | 33% | Private Non-profit |
| 27 |
Buena Vista University
Storm Lake, IA
|
High ROI | 2.4 yrs | $49,156 | $25,000 | 62% | Private Non-profit |
| 28 |
Graceland University-Lamoni
Lamoni, IA
|
High ROI | 2.5 yrs | $47,361 | $21,212 | 42% | Private Non-profit |
| 29 |
Faith Baptist Bible College and Theological Seminary
Ankeny, IA
|
Moderate ROI | 7 yrs | $40,650 | $12,971 | 68% | Private Non-profit |
| 30 |
Palmer College of Chiropractic
Davenport, IA
|
Insufficient Data | N/A | $59,483 | N/A | N/A | Private Non-profit |
| 31 |
Maharishi International University
Fairfield, IA
|
Insufficient Data | N/A | $27,981 | $24,781 | 50% | Private Non-profit |
| 32 |
Des Moines University-Osteopathic Medical Center
West Des Moines, IA
|
Insufficient Data | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | Private Non-profit |
| 33 |
Divine Word College
Epworth, IA
|
Insufficient Data | N/A | N/A | N/A | 100% | Private Non-profit |
| 34 |
Wartburg Theological Seminary
Dubuque, IA
|
Insufficient Data | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | Private Non-profit |