The University of Iowa and Iowa State University dropped in rank on the 2025 U.S. News Best Colleges list, but one school remained in the top 100.
The Wall Street Journal has rated Iowa State University the best public university in Iowa, but U.S. News has a different take, ranking the University of Iowa 23 places higher.
U.S. News divided its rankings into four categories: national universities, national liberal arts colleges, regional universities and regional junior colleges, which are ranked by region and not across the nation, the magazine said.
Iowa had three schools ranked among the top 200 universities in the nation and six schools ranked among the top 200 liberal arts colleges in the nation. Grinnell College ranked 19th among liberal arts colleges in the nation, earning the highest ranking of any school on the national list.
Which Iowa colleges were ranked highest according to U.S. News?
The University of Iowa had the highest overall ranking of six Iowa schools on U.S. News’ list of the best colleges in America for 2025, coming in at No. 98. But it dropped from last year, when it was No. 93 on the 2024 list.
Iowa State was the second-best performing school of all schools on the list. The Gazette reported that Iowa State was ranked 115th on the 2024 list, but dropped to 121st for 2025.
Read more: Former UI official indicted after audit, claims he misappropriated $1M from department
How do Iowa’s colleges rank?
Below are all of the colleges in Iowa ranked for 2025 by U.S. News.
University of Iowa: #98Iowa State University: #121Drake University: #179Saint Ambrose University: #315Clark University: #329Briar Cliff University: #371
The University of Northern Iowa is classified as a regional university by U.S. News and is ranked 11th in the Midwest. Dordt University is also ranked 6th on the Midwest list.
Read more: What are the top private universities in Iowa? Read the Wall Street Journal article.
Which Iowa liberal arts colleges were ranked highest?
Grinnell College ranked among the top 20 liberal arts colleges in the nation, tying it with Middlebury College in Vermont and Washington and Lee University in Virginia for 19th place.
How do Iowa’s liberal arts colleges rank?
Grinnell College: #19Luther College: #108Central University: #126Cornell University: #132Coe College: #136Wartburg College: #158
Simpson University is classified as a regional university by U.S. News and is ranked 6th in the Midwest. Loras College is also ranked 12th on the regional list.
More: Which Iowa colleges have the most students? Enrollment remains mostly unchanged for fall 2024
How were other schools?
According to US News, the top five universities in the US are:
Princeton University Massachusetts Institute of Technology Harvard University Stanford University Yale University
Kate Kealey is the Register’s reporter at large. Contact her at kkealey@registermedia.com. Follow her on Twitter: @Kkealey17.
