Grinnell College
#1 Best Colleges in Iowa- Graduation Rate
- 88% A
- Most students who enroll finish their degree here
- Earnings (10yr)
- $62,830 A-
- Well above the typical college graduate
- Net Price
- $17,648 C
- Close to the national average
- Acceptance Rate
- 15% A
- Admits roughly 15% — highly selective
Bottom line: A B overall grade — strong outcomes across the board. 24.7× return on investment — every $1 spent returns $24.7 over 20 years. Ranked #1 in Best Colleges in Iowa.
Every $1 spent returns $24.7 over 20 years — debt pays back in ~under a year. Net gain: $1,669,575.
What The Data Says
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A B overall — outcomes above the typical U.S. college.
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Graduates earn 54% more than the national college median.
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A 88% graduation rate — 54% above the national average.
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Inventor rate in the top 20% nationally — patents, startups, and new technology flow from its graduates.
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Admits just 15% of applicants — one of the most selective institutions in the country.
Economic Footprint
- Inventor Rate
- 1.1%
- Top 20%
- Patents
- 35
- Linked to graduates
- Patent Citations
- 146
- Downstream influence
Why Grinnell College Matters
Grinnell College is a private liberal arts college in Grinnell, IA and its outcomes are not an accident. They are driven by exceptional admissions selectivity, an unusually high rate of inventors and patents, and a well-connected, high-opportunity alumni network. The result: graduate earnings well above the typical college.
Interpretation generated from this school's federal outcomes, research, and mobility data.
Institutional Profile
- Institution Type
- Private Liberal Arts College
- Carnegie Class
- Baccalaureate · Arts & Sciences
- Enrollment
- 1,729
- Setting
- Town
- Primary Strengths
- Social Sciences, Biology & Biomedical, Computer Science & IT, Psychology
Why students choose Grinnell College
CollegeRanker Report Card
Graded on outcomes, against every U.S. college.
Each grade is this school's national percentile on a real outcome — earnings, value, mobility, and more.
How we grade →Admissions
Highly selective — admits about 15% of applicants, with a middle-50% SAT of 1410–1540. Run your numbers in the admissions predictor below.
Check your odds →Net price + aid
Students pay about $17,648 a year after grants and scholarships — 3% above the typical U.S. college. See net price by family income below.
See cost & aid →Earnings + debt
Graduates earn a median of $62,830 ten years after enrolling — 54% above the typical college, against $17,500 in median debt.
See outcomes →Mobility + social capital
Moves 1.5% of its students from the bottom income fifth to the top — top 50% nationally for mobility. High social capital (1.75 economic connectedness).
See mobility →Overview
Grinnell College has an impressive graduation rate of 88%. This high number reflects the school’s commitment to student success and academic support. With a small enrollment of 1,729 students, the college fosters an intimate learning environment that encourages close relationships between students and faculty.
Data from the Chetty/Opportunity Insights research highlights that Grinnell graduates can expect to earn about $62,830 within ten years of completing their degree. While specific mobility rates are not available, the college's focus on liberal arts education prepares students for diverse career paths, enhancing their economic outcomes over time.
The net price for attending Grinnell is $17,648, with a median debt of $17,500 for graduates. This financial landscape allows many students to thrive without overwhelming debt. Students who excel here often have strong interests in social sciences, biology, computer science, and psychology, making Grinnell a fitting choice for those passionate about these fields.
Rankings
Can I Get In?
How selective Grinnell College is — and how your numbers stack up.
Tool
Will I Be Accepted?
Enter your credentials to see your chances at this school.
Academics & Admissions
Is It Hard to Get Into Grinnell College? Acceptance Rate & Requirements
Based in Grinnell, Iowa, Grinnell College sets a competitive bar: about 15% of applicants get an offer. Admitted students typically arrive with an average SAT score near 1,486. The graduation rate is roughly 88%.
- Acceptance Rate
- 15%
- Retention Rate
- 93%
- SAT Average
- 1486
- ACT Midpoint
- 32
- SAT Range
- 1410–1540
- ACT Range
- 31–34
- Full-Time Faculty
- 81%
- Faculty Salary (mo)
- $12,576
- Student–Faculty Ratio
- 9:1
- Diversity Index
- 0.70
- First-Gen Students
- 18%
- Applicants
- 9,997
- Admitted
- 1,076
Inside the Admissions Office
School-reported Common Data Set · 2024-25
The acceptance rate tells you how hard Grinnell College is to get into. Its Common Data Set tells you what happens once you are admitted: how many students say yes, how many arrived without test scores, and whether applying early tilts the odds. 31% of admitted students go on to enroll here, making it a school many admits weigh against other offers.
- Yield Rate
- 31%
- of admits enroll
- Submitted SAT
- 29%
- of enrolled freshmen
- Submitted ACT
- 21%
- of enrolled freshmen
- Early Decision Admit Rate
- 34.2%
- vs 14.5% overall
Applying early pays off here. Of 828 Early Decision applicants, 283 were admitted — a 34.2% admit rate, roughly 2.4× the 14.5% rate for the overall pool. That binding round alone filled about 65% of the entering class (283 of 438 first-years). The catch: Early Decision is a commitment you make before you can compare aid offers.
Test-optional, in practice. Only about 50% of enrolled freshmen submitted an SAT or ACT score, so a strong application without test scores is genuinely competitive here, not a long shot.
Can I Afford It?
What you'll actually pay after grants and aid — not the sticker price.
Cost & Financial Aid
How Much Does It Cost to Attend Grinnell College? Tuition, Net Price & Aid
Published tuition at Grinnell College is $68,106, but few families pay that. The number to watch is net price, what students actually pay each year after federal grants and institutional scholarships. Here it averages about $17,648. Students from families earning under $30,000 typically pay closer to $9,970 after need-based grants. The median graduate leaves with about $17,500 in federal student loans.
- In-State Tuition
- $68,106
- Out-of-State
- $68,106
- Avg Net Price
- $17,648
- Median Debt
- $17,500
- Pell Grant Rate
- 18%
- Federal Loan Rate
- 13%
What Families Actually Pay
- Family Income $0–$30K
- $9,970
- Family Income $30K–$48K
- $7,789
- Family Income $48K–$75K
- $9,669
- Family Income $110K+
- $37,725
What Happens After?
Earnings, debt, and where graduates actually land.
Students Like You
Tell us a little about yourself to see what students like you have typically experienced at Grinnell College — the net price for your income, your admission odds, and the outcomes that follow. These are patterns from federal data, not predictions.
Graduate Outcomes
Is Grinnell College Worth It? Graduate Earnings & ROI
Ten years out, alumni of Grinnell College earn a median of $62,830, roughly in line with the national average for college graduates.
- 6 Years After Entry
- $49,004
- 8 Years
- $58,562
- 10 Years
- $62,830
- Debt-to-Earnings
- 0.28x
- Earning > $25K
- 65%
Earnings Trajectory
Graduation by Timeframe
- 100% (351)
- 81%
- 100% (351)
- 81%
- 100% (351)
- 81%
- 100% (351)
- 81%
How Grinnell Compares
Dot right of center = above national average.
Net Price by Family Income
What families actually pay after aid, by income bracket.
The Mobility Equation
Mobility = Access x Success. How many low-income students get in, and how many reach the top 20%?
College ROI Calculator
Is Grinnell College Worth It?
A data-driven look at the return on your educational investment — using real federal data.
Yes — for most students, Grinnell College delivers a positive return. Over four years, the typical net price is $17,648/year ($70,592 total). Graduates earn $62,830 at ten years, and over a 20-year career we project $1,740,167 in total earnings — a net gain of $1,669,575 (24.7× your investment). The median debt is $17,500, which takes less than a year to pay back at typical earnings. With a 88% graduation rate, the path to that return is well-tested. This is a exceptional ROI compared to national averages.
- Total Cost (4yr)
- $70,592
- Projected 20yr Earnings
- $1,740,167
- Net Return
- $1,669,575
- ROI Multiple
- 24.7×
- Cost Per Year
- $17,648
- Median Debt
- $17,500
- Debt Payback
- Less than 1 yr
- Graduation Rate
- 88%
Does It Change Lives?
Mobility, social capital, and innovation — does it move people up?
Social Mobility
Data: Raj Chetty's Mobility Report Card · 30M+ anonymized tax records
Does Grinnell College Drive Upward Mobility? Economic Mobility & Low-Income Outcomes
Grinnell College is a genuine engine of upward mobility. Its mobility rate, the share of students who start in the bottom income quintile and climb to the top, is 1.46%, well above the typical college. Access is narrower: only about 3.5% of students come from the bottom income quintile, typical of more selective, higher-income institutions. Among bottom-quintile students who attend, roughly 41.2% go on to reach the top of the income ladder. The median family income of students sits near $126,400, a snapshot of the campus's socioeconomic mix.
- Mobility Rate
- 1.46%
- Bottom 20% → Top 20%
- Success Rate
- 41.2%
- If bottom 20% get in
- From Bottom 20%
- 3.5%
- Share of students
- Parent Median Income
- $171,733
- today's $ (2015 cohort data)
Innovation & Knowledge Creation
Patents, inventors, and research influence · Opportunity Insights & Times Higher Education
Grinnell College produces inventors at an above-average rate (top 20% nationally), with 35 patents tied to its graduates.
- Inventor Rate
- 1.15%
- Top 20% nationally
- Patents Produced
- 35
- Linked to graduates
- Patent Citations
- 146
- Downstream influence
Institutional Finances
Data: NCES IPEDS
- Federal Grants
- $4,129,000
- Investment Income
- $-373,439,000
Top Programs
The fields Grinnell College awards the most degrees in, by share of completions. Where federal field-of-study data exists, we show what graduates in that major earned early in their careers. Each links to its degree guide — or see what someone with your income, scores, and major would pay and earn here in the Students Like You simulator.
- Social Sciences 29% $62,904 early-career
- Biology & Biomedical 17% $37,783 early-career
- Computer Science & IT 13% $109,009 early-career
- Psychology 9% $31,312 early-career
- Physical Sciences 7%
- English & Literature 5% $34,625 early-career
- Mathematics & Statistics 4% $46,778 early-career
- Visual & Performing Arts 2% $23,930 early-career
Early-career median earnings by major (typically 1–2 years after completion, bachelor's level where available), in today's dollars (CPI-adjusted). Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard field of study. Distinct from the school-wide 10-year median; suppressed for small programs.
Top Careers
Where these majors tend to lead — common career paths for Grinnell College's most popular programs, ranked by median pay with our proprietary scorecard insights.
- C+IT Manager$169,510 · 15% growthAdaptable 52
- B-AI/ML Engineer$156,000 · 23% growthAdaptable 52
- B-Computer Vision Engineer$145,000 · 20% growthAdaptable 52
- CPhysicist$142,850 · 5% growthAdaptable 66
- CAstronomer$142,850 · 4% growthAdaptable 66
- C+Cloud Architect$142,000 · 15% growthAdaptable 52
- B-Site Reliability Engineer$140,000 · 20% growthAdaptable 52
- CSolutions Architect$138,000 · 12% growthAdaptable 52
Frequently Asked Questions
Is It Hard to Get Into Grinnell College? Acceptance Rate & Requirements
Based in Grinnell, Iowa, Grinnell College sets a competitive bar: about 15% of applicants get an offer. Admitted students typically arrive with an average SAT score near 1,486. The graduation rate is roughly 88%.
How Much Does It Cost to Attend Grinnell College? Tuition, Net Price & Aid
Published tuition at Grinnell College is $68,106, but few families pay that. The number to watch is net price, what students actually pay each year after federal grants and institutional scholarships. Here it averages about $17,648. Students from families earning under $30,000 typically pay closer to $9,970 after need-based grants. The median graduate leaves with about $17,500 in federal student loans.
Is Grinnell College Worth It? Graduate Earnings & ROI
Ten years out, alumni of Grinnell College earn a median of $62,830, roughly in line with the national average for college graduates.
Does Grinnell College Drive Upward Mobility? Economic Mobility & Low-Income Outcomes
Grinnell College is a genuine engine of upward mobility. Its mobility rate, the share of students who start in the bottom income quintile and climb to the top, is 1.46%, well above the typical college. Access is narrower: only about 3.5% of students come from the bottom income quintile, typical of more selective, higher-income institutions. Among bottom-quintile students who attend, roughly 41.2% go on to reach the top of the income ladder. The median family income of students sits near $126,400, a snapshot of the campus's socioeconomic mix.
How Connected Is Grinnell College? Social Capital & Cross-Class Networks
Social capital, the web of cross-class friendships that researchers link to long-run upward mobility, runs high at Grinnell College. Its economic connectedness score is 1.75, where about 1.0 is the national norm. Its friending bias is low (-0.01), a sign that students from different economic backgrounds actually mix rather than self-segregate. Around 16% of students take part in civic and volunteering activity.
Does Grinnell College offer Early Decision, and does it improve admission chances?
Yes. Grinnell College offers a binding Early Decision plan, and it carries a real advantage: Early Decision applicants were admitted at 34%, about 2.4 times the overall 15% acceptance rate, and ED filled roughly 65% of the entering class. Because ED is binding, it makes sense only if Grinnell College is a clear first choice and you can commit before comparing aid offers (2024-25 Common Data Set).
Is Grinnell College really test-optional?
In practice, yes. Only about 50% of enrolled first-year students submitted an SAT or ACT score, so a strong application without test scores is genuinely competitive at Grinnell College (2024-25 Common Data Set).
What percentage of admitted students enroll at Grinnell College?
About 31% of admitted students choose to enroll at Grinnell College — its yield rate (2024-25 Common Data Set). Yield reflects how often a school wins when applicants weigh competing offers.
Compare Grinnell College
Similar Schools
Schools with similar outcomes, selectivity, and student profiles to Grinnell College.
- Colorado CollegeColorado Springs, CO · Close peer87% grad $65,222 earn 18% acceptWhy: similar earnings · similar selectivity · similar grad rate
- Pomona CollegeClaremont, CA · Close peer93% grad $77,779 earn 7% acceptWhy: similar selectivity · similar grad rate · similar size
- Macalester CollegeSaint Paul, MN · Close peer89% grad $63,878 earn 29% acceptWhy: similar earnings · similar grad rate · similar size
- Bates CollegeLewiston, ME · Close peer90% grad $69,498 earn 13% acceptWhy: similar earnings · similar selectivity · similar grad rate
- Smith CollegeNorthampton, MA · Close peer89% grad $64,027 earn 21% acceptWhy: similar earnings · similar selectivity · similar grad rate
- Carleton CollegeNorthfield, MN · Close peer90% grad $75,525 earn 20% acceptWhy: similar selectivity · similar grad rate · similar size
Social Capital
Data: Opportunity Insights Social Capital Atlas
How Connected Is Grinnell College? Social Capital & Cross-Class Networks
Social capital, the web of cross-class friendships that researchers link to long-run upward mobility, runs high at Grinnell College. Its economic connectedness score is 1.75, where about 1.0 is the national norm. Its friending bias is low (-0.01), a sign that students from different economic backgrounds actually mix rather than self-segregate. Around 16% of students take part in civic and volunteering activity.
Research Note