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2023 Most Focused Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities in Iowa

20 Ranked Colleges
476 Degrees Awarded
$36,993 Avg Salary
Schools for a Bachelor's Highly Focused on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Major in Iowa

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Major in Iowa” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2020-2021, 556,813 liberal arts / sciences and humanities students received their degree, making the major the 3rd most popular in the country. In 2019-2020, liberal arts / sciences and humanities graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $28,337 and had an average of $17,430 in loans still to pay off.

Across Iowa, there were 5,969 liberal arts / sciences and humanities graduates with average earnings and debt of $29,629 and $16,466 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 476 liberal arts / sciences and humanities graduates with average earnings and debt of $40,980 and $30,839 respectively.

This year’s “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Major in Iowa” ranking looked at 20 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in liberal arts / sciences and humanities. That schools that top this list have a program in liberal arts / sciences and humanities in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.

See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Major in Iowa” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Major in Iowa

The colleges and universities below are the best for iowa bachelor’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students.

Top 20 Most Focused Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities in Iowa

1
Simpson College crest
Simpson College
Indianola, Iowa

Out of the 20 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Major in Iowa that were part of this year’s ranking, Simpson College landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Indianola, Iowa, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 14 degrees to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Simpson College

2

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Maharishi International University. The school came in at #2 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Major in Iowa. MIU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Fairfield, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 21 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Maharishi International University Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report

3
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Grand View University
Des Moines, Iowa

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Grand View University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Major in Iowa list. Grand View University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Des Moines, Iowa. It awarded 18 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Grand View University Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report

4
Iowa crest
University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Iowa. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Major in Iowa list. Iowa is a large public school situated in Iowa City, Iowa. It awarded 218 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at University of Iowa

5
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University of Northern Iowa
Cedar Falls, Iowa

Out of the 20 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Major in Iowa that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Northern Iowa landed the #5 spot on the list. UNI is a medium-sized school located in Cedar Falls, Iowa that handed out 68 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full University of Northern Iowa Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report

6

Graceland University - Lamoni landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Major in Iowa ranking. Graceland Lamoni is located in Lamoni, Iowa and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 10 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees to qualified students.

Full Graceland University - Lamoni Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report

7
Iowa Wesleyan crest
Iowa Wesleyan University
Mount Pleasant, Iowa

Iowa Wesleyan University ranked #7 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Major in Iowa list. Iowa Wesleyan is a small school located in Mount Pleasant, Iowa that handed out 3 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Iowa Wesleyan Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report

8
Cornell College crest
Cornell College
Mount Vernon, Iowa

With a ranking of #8, Cornell College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Major in Iowa list. This small school is located in Mount Vernon, Iowa, and it awarded 5 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Cornell College

9
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Dordt University
Sioux Center, Iowa

Dordt University ranked #9 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Major in Iowa list. This small school is located in Sioux Center, Iowa, and it awarded 6 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Dordt University

10
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Mount Mercy University
Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Mount Mercy University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Major in Iowa ranking. Cedar Rapids, Iowa is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees to 7 students in 2020-2021.

Read more about Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Mount Mercy

11
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University of Dubuque
Dubuque, Iowa

With a ranking of #11, University of Dubuque did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Major in Iowa list. This small school is located in Dubuque, Iowa, and it awarded 6 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2020-2021.

Full University of Dubuque Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report

12

Iowa State University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Major in Iowa ranking. Iowa State University is a large public school situated in Ames, Iowa. It awarded 80 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Iowa State University Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report

13
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Buena Vista University
Storm Lake, Iowa

Buena Vista University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Major in Iowa ranking, coming in at #13. Storm Lake, Iowa is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees to 4 students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Full BVU Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report

14
UIU crest
Upper Iowa University
Fayette, Iowa

Upper Iowa University ranked #14 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Major in Iowa list. UIU is a small school located in Fayette, Iowa that handed out 8 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at UIU

15
Loras crest
Loras College
Dubuque, Iowa

Loras College came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Major in Iowa ranking. Dubuque, Iowa is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees to 2 students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Loras

16
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Clarke University
Dubuque, Iowa

Clarke University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Major in Iowa ranking. Clarke is a small school located in Dubuque, Iowa that handed out 1 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Full Clarke Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report

17
Drake crest
Drake University
Des Moines, Iowa

Drake University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Major in Iowa ranking. Drake is a small school located in Des Moines, Iowa that handed out 5 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Read more about Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Drake University

18
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Wartburg College
Waverly, Iowa

Wartburg College came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Major in Iowa ranking. Wartburg College is a small school located in Waverly, Iowa that handed out 0 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Wartburg

18
Waldorf crest
Waldorf University
Forest City, Iowa

Waldorf University landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Major in Iowa ranking. Waldorf is a small private for-profit school situated in Forest City, Iowa. It awarded 6 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Waldorf Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report

18
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Northwestern College
Orange City, Iowa

Northwestern College ranked #18 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Major in Iowa list. Northwestern College is located in Orange City, Iowa and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 0 bachelors’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees to qualified students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at NWC

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