by our College Data Analytics TeamBuena Vista University is a private not-for-profit institution in Storm Lake, Iowa enrolling 1,366 undergraduates. It accepts 78% of applicants and has an on-time graduation rate of 62%, above the national average of 33%. College Factual ranks it #1,209 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in its 2027 Best Colleges ranking (top 23%), and its Value for Your Money analysis rates it a Fair Price.
Source: IPEDS 2025; College Scorecard July 2026; College Factual rankings 2027. Data as of: July 2026.
Buena Vista University ranks #1,209 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in College Factual’s 2027 Best Colleges ranking, placing it in the top 23%.
College Factual recognizes the best colleges and universities in its annual rankings. These rankings include categories for best overall colleges, best colleges for each major, best value schools, and much more.
Buena Vista University was awarded 3 badges in the 2027 rankings.
According to College Factual’s 2027 analysis, BVU is ranked #1,209 out of 5,159 schools in the nation that were analyzed for overall quality.
BVU is also ranked #26 on the Best Colleges in Iowa list.
See all of the rankings for Buena Vista University.
The acceptance rate at Buena Vista University is 78%. That’s higher than the rate at many schools, but still low enough to be considered somewhat selective. If you want to get in, you’ll need good grades and to be able to show that BVU is a good fit for you.
BVU received ACT scores from 33% of accepted students. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, ACT Composite scores ranged between 19 and 26.
Learn more about Buena Vista University admissions.
The student to faculty ratio at Buena Vista University is about average at 13 to 1. This ratio is often used to gauge how many students might be in an average class and how much time professors will have to spend with their students on an individual level. The national average for this metric is 15 to 1.
When estimating how much access students will have to their teachers, some people like to look at what percentage of faculty members are full time. This is because part-time teachers may not have as much time to spend on campus as their full-time counterparts.
The full-time faculty percentage at Buena Vista University is 33%. This is lower than the national average of 47%.
The freshmen retention rate of 76% tells us that most first-year, full-time students like Buena Vista University enough to come back for another year. This is a fair bit higher than the national average of 68%. That’s certainly something to check off in the good column about the school.
Students are considered to have graduated on time if they finish their studies within four years. At BVU the on-time graduation rate of first-time, full-time students is 62%. That is great when compared to the national average of 33.3%.
Find out more about the retention and graduation rates at Buena Vista University.
The current enrollment includes 1,366 undergraduates at BVU.
Get more detailed information on the diversity at Buena Vista University.
The overall average net price of BVU is $17,140. The affordability of the school largely depends on your financial need since net price varies by income group. See the table below for the net price for different income groups.
| $0-30 K | $30K-48K | $48-75 | $75-110K | $110K + |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $12,901 | $14,838 | $18,094 | $19,571 | $24,967 |
The net price is calculated by adding tuition, room, board and other costs and subtracting financial aid. Note that the net price is typically less than the published price for a school. For more information on the sticker price of BVU, see our tuition and fees and room and board pages.
Almost 66% of college students who graduated with the class of 2018 took out student loans, but that percentage varies from school to school. At BVU, approximately 67% of students took out student loans averaging $7,126 a year. That adds up to $28,504 over four years for those students. The student loan default rate is 5.2%. This is significantly lower than the national default rate of 10.1%, which is a good sign that you’ll be able to pay back your student loans. Get more details about paying for Buena Vista University.
The pay for some majors is higher than others, but on average, students who graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Buena Vista University make about $49,156 a year during their first few years of employment after graduation. This is in the same neighborhood of the average college graduate’s salary of $49,219 per year. However, certain majors may produce higher-paying graduates.
See which majors at Buena Vista University make the most money.
Buena Vista University is an private not-for-profit institution found in Storm Lake, Iowa. The surrounding location of Storm Lake is ideal for students who enjoy the charms of a college town. Get more details about the location of Buena Vista University.
Get in touch with Buena Vista University are listed below.
| Contact Details | |
|---|---|
| Address: | 610 W 4th St, Storm Lake, IA 50588 |
| Phone: | 7127492400 |
| Website: | www.bvu.edu |
| Wikipedia: | en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buena_Vista_University |
| Facebook: | www.facebook.com/buenavistauniversity |
| Twitter: | twitter.com/buenavistauniv |
In the most recent reporting year, students from 21 majors graduated from Buena Vista University. The following table lists the most popular undergraduate majors along with the average salary graduates from those majors make.
| Most Popular Majors | Completions | Average Salary of Graduates |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-Disciplinary Studies | 687 | NA |
| Teacher Education Grade Specific | 95 | $37,262 |
| Business Administration & Management | 72 | $39,042 |
| Curriculum & Instruction | 61 | $58,501 |
| Special Education | 54 | NA |
| Student Counseling | 47 | $45,249 |
| General Psychology | 30 | $29,420 |
| Human Services | 28 | NA |
| Accounting | 27 | $44,901 |
| Clinical & Counseling Psychology | 27 | NA |
700 students took at least one online class at Buena Vista University.
Online learning is becoming popular at even the oldest colleges and universities in the United States. Not only are online classes great for returning adults with busy schedules, they are also frequented by a growing number of traditional students.
Learn more about online learning at Buena Vista University.
Interested in comparing BVU? Match them up using College Combat, a free interactive tool for comparing colleges on the features you care about.
Footnotes
*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.
References