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After Grinnell: graduation, pay and debt

Grinnell, Iowa · Private · 1,729 undergrads

87% of Grinnell students finish within six years, the typical student earns $72,106 ten years after starting and graduates leave with $8,750 in federal loans at the median.

The short answers

$72.1k
median pay 10 years after starting college.
87%
finish within six years.
74%
finish in four years.
93%
of first-years come back for year two.
$8,750
median federal debt at graduation.
89%
of borrowers were paying down their loans three years after leaving.
All the federal numbers

Finishing

Finished in four yearsIPEDS, fall 2023
74%
Finished within six yearsIPEDS, fall 2023
87%
First-years who came back for year twoCollege Scorecard, fall 2024
93%
Men who finished within six yearsIPEDS, students who started in 2017
83%
Women who finished within six yearsIPEDS, students who started in 2017
92%
Students in that six-year groupIPEDS, students who started in 2017
447
Earned a degree or certificate here within eight yearsIPEDS, full-time students who started in 2015
87%
Still enrolled here after eight yearsIPEDS, full-time students who started in 2015
10%
Students in that eight-year groupIPEDS, full-time students who started in 2015
441

Pay after college

Median pay 6 years after starting collegeCollege Scorecard
$52,781
Median pay 10 years after starting collegeCollege Scorecard, 2022-23
$72,106
Earning more than $25,000 six years after startingCollege Scorecard, earlier release
65%

Pay is for students who got federal aid and are working, counted from the year they started college, whether or not they finished.

Debt and paying it back

Median federal debt, students who graduatedCollege Scorecard, 2024-25
$8,750
Median federal debt, everyone who borrowed (finished or not)College Scorecard, earlier release
$14,151
Median federal debt, students with a Pell GrantCollege Scorecard, earlier release
$12,775
Median federal debt, students without a Pell GrantCollege Scorecard, earlier release
$15,089
Paying down their loans 3 years after leavingCollege Scorecard, 2024-25
89%
Paying down their loans 5 years after leavingCollege Scorecard, earlier release
90%
Paying down their loans 7 years after leavingCollege Scorecard, earlier release
94%

Federal student loans only. Private loans and Parent PLUS loans aren't counted.

Where these numbers come from
  • Admit rate and applicants: IPEDS, fall 2024 (checked Oct 31, 2026)
  • GPA, early rounds and wait list: Common Data Set, fall 2024 (checked Oct 31, 2026)
  • Cost, pay and debt: College Scorecard, 2024-25 (checked Oct 31, 2026)
  • Deadlines: grinnell.edu, 2026-27 (checked Nov 5, 2026)
  • Test rule: grinnell.edu, fall 2027 (checked Nov 2, 2026)

Updated Nov 5, 2026Spot a mistake?How we get our numbers