Simpson College vs Iowa State

Simpson College and Iowa State University, both esteemed educational institutions in Iowa, offer distinct academic experiences. Simpson College, a private liberal arts college, boasts a tight-knit community with a focus on personalized education, while Iowa State University, a public research university, excels in STEM fields and offers a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs. With different acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates, these universities cater to diverse student needs and aspirations. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover which institution aligns best with your academic goals and preferences.
Iowa State University logo

Iowa State University

Simpson College logo

Simpson College

Overview

Location Ames, Iowa Indianola, Iowa
Campus setting City: Small Town: Fringe
College type 4 year 4 year
Control/business model Public Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system Semester 4-1-4
Degrees offered Undergraduate and Graduate Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate 88.0% 70.0%
Common app member Yes Yes
Religious affiliation Methodism

Admission

Acceptance rate 91.1% 90.8%
Application fees
Undergraduate: $40

Graduate: $60
SAT range 1083 - 1330 890 - 1280
ACT range 21 - 28 20 - 27
Students submitting SAT score 13.0% 2.0%
Students submitting ACT score 63.0% 35.0%
Total number of applicants 20,357 1,330
Total number of admissions given out 18,550 1,208
Admitted students who chose to enroll 5,387 286
Yield rate 29.0% 23.7%
Test scores (SAT/ACT) N/A N/A
High school GPA Required Required
Recommendation letters Not required Not required
High school transcript Not required Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL) Required Required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price
In state: $22,152

Out of state: $37,964
$56,520
Average net price $15,422 $20,986
Tuition
In state: $8,324

Out of state: $24,136
$43,124
Room & board
Room/dormitory: $4,590

Meal plan: $4,498
Room/dormitory: $4,680

Meal plan: $4,974
Available payment plans
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

87.0%
Average amount $8,833
100.0%
Average amount $34,582
Students receiving federal student loan 47.0%
Average amount $5,202
73.0%
Average amount $5,158
Students taking out private loans 11.0%
Average amount $11,630
16.0%
Average amount $10,172

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 25,808
Men 56.1% Women 43.9%
1,172
Men 46.9% Women 53.1%
Graduate students 4,900
Men 50.6% Women 49.4%
46
Men 39.1% Women 60.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity
Very Low
Very Low
Out-of-state students N/A 28.9%
International students 8.2% 1.4%
Campus local/setting City: Small Town: Fringe
Dormitory capacity 9,400 1,264
First year students are required to live on campus? No No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from N/A Iowa Arizona Texas Missouri Nebraska

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Engineering
  • Agriculture
  • Education
  • Business
  • Biological and Biomedical Sciences
  • Education
  • Business
  • Liberal Arts
  • Law Enforcement and Firefighting
  • Communication and Journalism
Students to faculty ratio 18:1 11:1
Institutional accreditation Higher Learning Commission Higher Learning Commission

Outcome

Graduation rate 76.0% 68.9%
Dropout rate 6.1% 30.8%
Transferred out 16.7% N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $85,739
  • Year 2: $94,408
  • Year 3: $101,292
Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $80,956
  • Year 2: N/A
  • Year 3: $95,081
Industrial Engineering (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $99,120
  • Year 2: $89,059
  • Year 3: $92,521
Veterinary Medicine (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $77,573
  • Year 2: N/A
  • Year 3: $85,108
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $74,299
  • Year 2: $73,321
  • Year 3: $83,452
Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $72,598
  • Year 2: $73,839
  • Year 3: $83,292
Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $71,184
  • Year 2: $71,734
  • Year 3: $81,196
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $83,223
  • Year 2: $70,680
  • Year 3: $79,916
Construction Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $71,580
  • Year 2: $70,083
  • Year 3: $77,479
Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $70,534
  • Year 2: $67,156
  • Year 3: $76,113
Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $63,021
  • Year 2: $73,041
  • Year 3: $81,168
Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $54,180
  • Year 2: $54,509
  • Year 3: $62,305
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $44,866
  • Year 2: $49,787
  • Year 3: $53,487
Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $37,401
  • Year 2: $42,012
  • Year 3: $46,368
Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $40,370
  • Year 2: $36,668
  • Year 3: $44,730
Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $31,991
  • Year 2: $33,993
  • Year 3: $42,375
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $37,249
  • Year 2: $39,729
  • Year 3: $41,996
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $37,017
  • Year 2: $38,289
  • Year 3: $41,102
English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $30,449
  • Year 2: $32,029
  • Year 3: $38,526
Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $32,925
  • Year 3: $35,030

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.
Iowa State University Iowa State vs University of Arizona University of Arizona
Iowa State University Iowa State vs University of Arkansas University of Arkansas
Iowa State University Iowa State vs University of Colorado Boulder University of Colorado Boulder
Iowa State University Iowa State vs Colorado State University-Fort Collins Colorado State University-Fort Collins
Iowa State University Iowa State vs University of Delaware University of Delaware
Iowa State University Iowa State vs Florida State University Florida State University
Iowa State University Iowa State vs University of Georgia University of Georgia
Iowa State University Iowa State vs University of Idaho University of Idaho
Iowa State University Iowa State vs University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Iowa State University Iowa State vs University of North Dakota University of North Dakota
Iowa State University Iowa State vs North Dakota State University-Main Campus North Dakota State University-Main Campus
Iowa State University Iowa State vs South Dakota State University South Dakota State University
Iowa State University Iowa State vs The University of Texas at Dallas The University of Texas at Dallas
Iowa State University Iowa State vs Brigham Young University Brigham Young University
Simpson College Simpson College vs Illinois College Illinois College
Simpson College Simpson College vs Buena Vista University Buena Vista University
Simpson College Simpson College vs Central College Central College
Simpson College Simpson College vs Clarke University Clarke University
Simpson College Simpson College vs Coe College Coe College
Simpson College Simpson College vs Cornell College Cornell College
Simpson College Simpson College vs Drake University Drake University
Simpson College Simpson College vs Graceland University-Lamoni Graceland University-Lamoni
Simpson College Simpson College vs Grand View University Grand View University
Simpson College Simpson College vs Grinnell College Grinnell College
Simpson College Simpson College vs Iowa State University Iowa State University
Simpson College Simpson College vs Iowa Wesleyan University Iowa Wesleyan University
Simpson College Simpson College vs University of Iowa University of Iowa
Simpson College Simpson College vs Loras College Loras College
Simpson College Simpson College vs Luther College Luther College
Simpson College Simpson College vs Morningside University Morningside University
Simpson College Simpson College vs Mount Mercy University Mount Mercy University
Simpson College Simpson College vs University of Northern Iowa University of Northern Iowa
Simpson College Simpson College vs Northwestern College Northwestern College
Simpson College Simpson College vs Saint Ambrose University Saint Ambrose University
Simpson College Simpson College vs Central Methodist University-College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Central Methodist University-College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Simpson College Simpson College vs William Jewell College William Jewell College
Simpson College Simpson College vs Rocky Mountain College Rocky Mountain College
Simpson College Simpson College vs Saint Anselm College Saint Anselm College
Simpson College Simpson College vs Marietta College Marietta College
Simpson College Simpson College vs Westminster College Westminster College
Simpson College Simpson College vs Roanoke College Roanoke College