Grinnell College
Grinnell, Iowa · Also known as Grinnell · Website
$62,830
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$62,830
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Grinnell College is a private nonprofit 4-year college in Grinnell, Iowa with 1,729 undergraduates. Its average net price after grants is $17,648 a year (tuition and fees $68,106). It admits 15% of applicants and 88% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $62,830 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $17,500 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$17,648
US median $17,138
Tuition and fees
$68,106
US median $11,837
Admission rate
15%
US median 78%
Completion rate
88%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$17,500
About $186 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$62,830
Rank 637 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $17,648
- Tuition and fees
- $68,106
- Cost of attendance
- $83,440
- Students with a need-based grant
- 18%
- Students with federal loans
- 13%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $9,970
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $7,789
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $9,669
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $19,348
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $37,725
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $46,990 in 2015-16 to $68,106 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- 15%
- Average SAT
- 1,486
- SAT reading, middle
- 710
- SAT math, middle
- 740
- ACT, middle
- 32
- Undergraduates
- 1,729
- Part-time students
- 0.2%
- Women
- 54%
- Students per teacher
- 9
- Completion rate
- 88%
- Retention rate
- 93%
- Highest degree
- Bachelor's degree
- Programs
- 31
- Endowment
- $2.7B
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 637 of 5,094 US colleges and 5 of 69 in Iowa (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | IA median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $17,648 | $17,730 | $22,320 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $68,106 | $20,270 | $31,170 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 15% | 80% | 74% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 88% | 65% | 57% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 93% | 74% | 77% | 75% |
| Median debt | $17,500 | $14,745 | $24,287 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $49,004 | $39,099 | $44,392 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $62,830 | $42,793 | $52,928 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US private nonprofit 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 89% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 73% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
31 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Computer ScienceBachelor's | Bachelor's | 62 | $16,125 | $84,449 | $109,892 | $107,009 |
| EconomicsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 54 | $16,500 | $46,791 | $110,724 | $82,686 |
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 43 | $17,500 | $37,170 | $56,275 | $57,214 |
| Political Science and GovernmentBachelor's | Bachelor's | 40 | $17,500 | $36,662 | $68,518 | $63,293 |
| SociologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 36 | $16,000 | $28,216 | Withheld | $52,657 |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular BiologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 35 | $16,549 | $38,598 | $53,105 | $65,466 |
| English Language and Literature, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 34 | $17,582 | Withheld | $36,854 | $48,590 |
| MathematicsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 33 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $69,562 |
| Research and Experimental PsychologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 24 | $17,702 | $28,507 | $57,752 | $55,695 |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and LinguisticsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 23 | $17,814 | $28,691 | $54,983 | $55,000 |
| Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 17 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $51,710 |
| PhysicsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 17 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $76,786 |
| AnthropologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 14 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $46,676 |
| PhilosophyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 12 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $54,455 |
| HistoryBachelor's | Bachelor's | 12 | $17,500 | $39,687 | $54,703 | $50,680 |
| MusicBachelor's | Bachelor's | 11 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $42,892 |
| Fine and Studio ArtsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 9 | $16,750 | $20,111 | Withheld | $41,367 |
| Germanic Languages, Literatures, and LinguisticsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 7 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $55,459 |
| Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and LinguisticsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 7 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $49,429 |
| Religion/Religious StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 7 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $41,390 |
| ChemistryBachelor's | Bachelor's | 7 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $65,120 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and StagecraftBachelor's | Bachelor's | 7 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $39,775 |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, OtherBachelor's | Bachelor's | 6 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $55,693 |
| Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and LinguisticsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 4 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $62,169 |
| East Asian Languages, Literatures, and LinguisticsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 3 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $51,642 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Grinnell and Iowa on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in Iowa
- Homes: Homes for sale in Iowa
Questions and answers
How much does Grinnell College cost?
$17,648 a year is the average net price at Grinnell College after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $68,106, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $83,440. Families earning under $30,000 pay $9,970 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Grinnell College?
15% of applicants are admitted to Grinnell College. The average SAT score of admitted students is 1,486 and the middle ACT score is 32. The median admission rate of colleges in Iowa is 80%.
How much do Grinnell College graduates earn?
$62,830 a year is the median pay of former Grinnell College students who work, 10 years after they started ($49,004 after 6 years). That ranks 637 of 5,094 US colleges and 5 of 69 in Iowa. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Computer Science (Bachelor's) at $84,449.
How much student debt do Grinnell College graduates have?
$17,500 is the median federal student loan debt of Grinnell College graduates, about $186 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 13% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Grinnell College?
88% of first-time, full-time students at Grinnell College finish within 6 years. 93% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of private nonprofit 4-year colleges is 57%.
What are the most popular majors at Grinnell College?
Computer Science (62 bachelor's graduates), Economics (54 bachelor's graduates), Biology, General (43 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 31 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.