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Grinnell College
Grinnell College admits 15 of every 100 applicants — a reach school for nearly everyone applying to Grinnell College, whatever the rest of the profile says.
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Grinnell College anchors the college town of Grinnell, IA, where the private campus and town largely share a footprint. International students are a visible presence here — 21% of undergraduates come from outside the U.S.
Its highest-earning path is Economics, where graduates median $110,724 four years out. Faculty pay averages $150,912 a year here — a rough proxy for what the school spends on the teaching itself. With 1,729 undergraduates and a residential core, weekends happen on campus — and 92.6% of first-years come back for a second year.
Submitters admitted here typically landed between 1418 and 1550 — above the IA middle for four-year schools. Put your own practice estimate on Grinnell College's range with the SAT calculator, or bring a saved GPA from the grade tools.
Admissions
Grinnell College is test-optional: scores are considered when submitted but not required. The 1418–1550 range below describes admitted students who chose to submit — typically Grinnell College's stronger testers — so treat it as the higher end of what gets in.
| Score | 25th | 50th | 75th |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAT Reading & Writing | 698 | 730 | 760 |
| SAT Math | 720 | 760 | 790 |
| ACT Composite | 31 | 33 | 34 |
Percentiles are among students who submitted scores (Fall 2023 admissions cycle).
In the Fall 2023 cycle, Grinnell College received 9,988 applications and admitted 1,266 (12.7%), with 457 enrolling.
How Grinnell College compares
| Grinnell College | Iowa median | National median | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acceptance rate | 14.5% | 80.1% | 77.2% |
| Tuition (in-state) | $68,106 | $36,684 | $19,591 |
| Median earnings (10 yr) | $62,830 | $55,396 | $53,781 |
Ten years after enrolling, the median Grinnell College student earns $62,830 — 13% above the Iowa median of $55,396 for college-goers.
Cost, size & completion
Grinnell College lists tuition at $68,106 for everyone — private schools don't do residency pricing. Grinnell College's sticker and net price can differ sharply after aid; treat $68,106 as the ceiling, not the bill.
With 1,729 undergraduates, Grinnell College is small enough that class size and faculty access are structural, not marketing claims.
88.1% of Grinnell College students finish a bachelor's within six years — 33.3 points above the national 54.9% — and the single best predictor that the $68,106 price above buys a degree, not just enrollment.
Top majors by earnings at Grinnell College
| Bachelor's program | Median earnings, 4 yrs after completion |
|---|---|
| Economics | $110,724 |
| Computer Science | $109,892 |
| Political Science and Government | $68,518 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | $59,638 |
| Research and Experimental Psychology | $57,752 |
| Biology, General | $56,275 |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | $54,983 |
| History | $54,703 |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology | $53,105 |
| English Language and Literature, General | $36,854 |
Median earnings for these 10 Grinnell College programs come from a different federal cohort than the campus-wide $62,830 above — compare rows to each other, not to that 10-year figure. 21 additional Grinnell College programs have earnings withheld under federal privacy rules.
Frequently asked questions
What GPA and test scores do you need for Grinnell College?
Among admitted students who submitted scores, the middle 50% scored 1418–1550 on the SAT. There's no published GPA cutoff — pair these ranges with the 14.5% admission rate to judge your odds.
What is Grinnell College's acceptance rate?
12.7% in the Fall 2023 cycle — 1,266 admitted from 9,988 applicants.
How much does Grinnell College cost?
At Grinnell College, published tuition is $68,106 — net price after aid usually comes in lower. That number is Grinnell College's ceiling, not a quote.
What do Grinnell College graduates earn?
Federal data puts median earnings at $62,830 ten years after enrolling. The table above breaks this down by major.
Similar colleges in Iowa
- Grand View University — 99.1% admitted
- Graceland University-Lamoni — 80.8% admitted
- Faith Baptist Bible College and Theological Seminary — 67.5% admitted
- Emmaus Bible College — 59.8% admitted
Run your own numbers
Data: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (Jun 2026), IPEDS ADM2023/HD2024. Retrieved 2026-09-01. Figures reflect the latest federal cohorts, which lag the current admissions cycle.