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Easiest colleges to get into in Iowa

Updated Federal and Common Data Set numbers, each with its year

The short answer

The easiest four-year colleges to get into in Iowa are Briar Cliff University (open admission), Loras College (99.9%) and Mercy College of Health Sciences (99.7%), by the share of applicants admitted.

A high acceptance rate means the college admits most people who apply. Open-admission colleges admit anyone with a high school diploma or equivalent. Each row also shows the average price after grants, so you can weigh the two.

The list (14 of 28)

Four-year colleges in Iowa with 500 or more undergraduates, open-admission colleges first, then the highest acceptance rate. The list shows 14 of the 28 colleges with an acceptance rate or open admission on file. Rates come from IPEDS (fall 2024) for 11 colleges and each college's own Common Data Set (fall 2025) for 2 colleges.

  1. Briar Cliff University Open admission Sioux City, IA · Admits every applicant with a high school diploma. Average price after grants: $27,472 a year (College Scorecard, 2024-25) Source: IPEDS, 2024-25
  2. Loras College 99.9% admitted Dubuque, IA · Average price after grants: $22,910 a year (College Scorecard, 2024-25) Source: IPEDS, fall 2024
  3. Mercy College of Health Sciences 99.7% admitted Des Moines, IA · Average price after grants: $25,670 a year (College Scorecard, 2024-25) Source: IPEDS, fall 2024
  4. Grand View University 99.1% admitted Des Moines, IA · Average price after grants: $21,705 a year (College Scorecard, 2024-25) Source: IPEDS, fall 2024
  5. Upper Iowa University 97% admitted Fayette, IA · Average price after grants: $21,119 a year (College Scorecard, 2024-25) Source: IPEDS, fall 2024
  6. Maharishi International University 96% admitted Fairfield, IA · Average price after grants: $16,579 a year (College Scorecard, 2024-25) Source: IPEDS, fall 2024
  7. University of Northern Iowa 93% admitted Cedar Falls, IA · Average price after grants: $16,038 a year in-state, about $28,196 out of state (College Scorecard, 2024-25) Source: Common Data Set, fall 2025
  8. University of Dubuque 89% admitted Dubuque, IA · Average price after grants: $25,171 a year (College Scorecard, 2024-25) Source: IPEDS, fall 2024
  9. Iowa State University 88% admitted Ames, IA · Average price after grants: $18,517 a year in-state, about $37,565 out of state (College Scorecard, 2024-25) Source: Common Data Set, fall 2025
  10. Simpson College 86% admitted Indianola, IA · Average price after grants: $20,460 a year (College Scorecard, 2024-25) Source: IPEDS, fall 2024
  11. Central College 86% admitted Pella, IA · Average price after grants: $22,894 a year (College Scorecard, 2024-25) Source: IPEDS, fall 2024
  12. Mount Mercy University 83% admitted Cedar Rapids, IA · Average price after grants: $23,935 a year (College Scorecard, 2024-25) Source: IPEDS, fall 2024
  13. Graceland University-Lamoni 81% admitted Lamoni, IA · Average price after grants: $19,899 a year (College Scorecard, 2024-25) Source: IPEDS, fall 2024
  14. Northwestern College 80% admitted Orange City, IA · Average price after grants: $24,716 a year (College Scorecard, 2024-25) Source: IPEDS, fall 2024
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What are the easiest colleges to get into in Iowa?

The easiest four-year colleges to get into in Iowa are Briar Cliff University (open admission), Loras College (99.9%) and Mercy College of Health Sciences (99.7%), by the share of applicants admitted.

How many of these colleges have open admission?

1 of the 14 colleges listed have open admission: they admit anyone with a high school diploma or equivalent. The others admitted 80% to 99.9% of applicants.

How recent are these acceptance rates?

Each row shows its year. Rates come from IPEDS, the federal college survey, for students who applied for fall 2024, or from the college's own Common Data Set for fall 2025 where that is newer.

Numbers change each year when colleges and the Department of Education publish new data. Confirm costs and admission rules with the college before you apply.

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