Simpson College
Indianola, Iowa · Website
$59,274
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$59,274
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Simpson College is a private nonprofit 4-year college in Indianola, Iowa with 1,227 undergraduates and 16 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $21,936 a year (tuition and fees $47,656). It admits 86% of applicants and 63% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $59,274 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $26,000 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$21,936
US median $17,138
Tuition and fees
$47,656
US median $11,837
Admission rate
86%
US median 78%
Completion rate
63%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$26,000
About $276 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$59,274
Rank 833 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
- $21,936
- Tuition and fees
- $47,656
- Cost of attendance
- $61,227
- Students with a need-based grant
- 35%
- Students with federal loans
- 71%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $17,941
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $15,764
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $19,176
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $22,468
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $26,586
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 $34,175 in 2015-16 to $47,656 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
- 86%
- Average SAT
- 1,440
- SAT reading, middle
- 525
- SAT math, middle
- 560
- ACT, middle
- 24
- Undergraduates
- 1,227
- Graduate students
- 16
- Part-time students
- 2.1%
- Women
- 50%
- Students per teacher
- 12
- Completion rate
- 63%
- Retention rate
- 81%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 55
- Endowment
- $87.2M
- Other
- Religious affiliation
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 833 of 5,094 US colleges and 12 of 69 in Iowa (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | IA median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $21,936 | $17,730 | $22,320 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $47,656 | $20,270 | $31,170 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 86% | 80% | 74% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 63% | 65% | 57% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 81% | 74% | 77% | 75% |
| Median debt | $26,000 | $14,745 | $24,287 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $49,946 | $39,099 | $44,392 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $59,274 | $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. 76% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 87% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
55 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 35 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 30 | $21,500 | $56,812 | $69,958 | $68,257 |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 25 | $26,250 | $42,862 | $57,279 | $55,378 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 19 | $25,672 | $42,760 | $46,495 | $47,382 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 19 | $25,836 | $43,635 | $46,237 | $53,072 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 18 | $19,586 | $60,717 | $76,272 | $76,194 |
| English Language and Literature, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 15 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $48,590 |
| Psychology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 14 | $27,000 | Withheld | $49,966 | $50,706 |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied CommunicationBachelor's | Bachelor's | 13 | Withheld | $41,925 | $61,219 | $63,560 |
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 13 | $27,000 | Withheld | Withheld | $57,214 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessBachelor's | Bachelor's | 13 | $27,000 | $38,158 | $54,919 | $54,562 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 11 | Withheld | Withheld | $93,749 | $92,374 |
| Political Science and GovernmentBachelor's | Bachelor's | 11 | Withheld | Withheld | $63,790 | $63,293 |
| EconomicsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 10 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $82,686 |
| Management Information Systems and ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 10 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $83,290 |
| Human Services, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 9 | Withheld | $46,184 | Withheld | $48,597 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and StagecraftBachelor's | Bachelor's | 9 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $39,775 |
| HistoryBachelor's | Bachelor's | 9 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $50,680 |
| SociologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 7 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $52,657 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsMaster's | Master's | 6 | Withheld | Withheld | $51,713 | $59,916 |
| MusicBachelor's | Bachelor's | 6 | $27,000 | Withheld | Withheld | $42,892 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and ResearchBachelor's | Bachelor's | 5 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $55,012 |
| Computer ScienceBachelor's | Bachelor's | 5 | $25,000 | $70,950 | $91,318 | $107,009 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject AreasBachelor's | Bachelor's | 5 | $27,000 | $44,872 | $49,696 | $51,389 |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsOnlineMaster's | Master's | 5 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $66,714 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Indianola and Iowa on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in Iowa
- Homes: Homes for sale in Iowa
Questions and answers
How much does Simpson College cost?
$21,936 a year is the average net price at Simpson College after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $47,656, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $61,227. Families earning under $30,000 pay $17,941 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Simpson College?
86% of applicants are admitted to Simpson College. The average SAT score of admitted students is 1,440 and the middle ACT score is 24. The median admission rate of colleges in Iowa is 80%.
How much do Simpson College graduates earn?
$59,274 a year is the median pay of former Simpson College students who work, 10 years after they started ($49,946 after 6 years). That ranks 833 of 5,094 US colleges and 12 of 69 in Iowa. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Computer Science (Bachelor's) at $70,950.
How much student debt do Simpson College graduates have?
$26,000 is the median federal student loan debt of Simpson College graduates, about $276 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 71% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Simpson College?
63% of first-time, full-time students at Simpson College finish within 6 years. 81% 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 Simpson College?
Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General (35 bachelor's graduates), Business Administration, Management and Operations (30 bachelor's graduates), Criminal Justice and Corrections (25 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 55 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.