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2021 Best Colleges in Iowa for Students from China

13 Colleges
$37,861 Avg Tuition & Fees*
56% Avg 4-Year Grad Rate*

When pursuing a degree in today's world, international students have many different options to choose from. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our Best Colleges for Chinese Students in Iowa ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

Our analysis looked at 13 schools in Iowa to determine which ones were the best for Chinese students in Iowa. Our ranking is based on several objective factors, including the school's overall quality and the total number of international students at the school. We steer clear of subjective measures since they don't give a clear picture when determining how one school compares to another.

Learn more about our ranking methodology.

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Top Colleges in Iowa for Students from China

See which schools came out on top of our ranking:

1
Iowa crest
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA

Our analysis found University of Iowa to be the best school for Chinese students in Iowa in this year’s ranking. University of Iowa is a large public school located in Iowa City, Iowa that handed out 5,998 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 5.9% of the total student population at the school is international. Students studying at Iowa come from such countries as China, South Korea, and India.

With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on University of Iowa

2

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Iowa State University. The school came in at #2 in this year’s ranking. Located in Ames, Iowa, the large public school handed out 6,998 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 8.1% of the total student population at the school is international. Students from as far away as China, India, and Malaysia come to Iowa State to study.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.

Read More…

3
Grinnell crest
Grinnell College
Grinnell, IA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Grinnell College. It ranked #3 on our 2021 Best Colleges for Chinese students in Iowa list. Located in Grinnell, Iowa, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 496 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 19.0% of the total student body at the school. Students studying at Grinnell come from such countries as China, India, and South Korea.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full Grinnell College Report

4
Drake crest
Drake University
Des Moines, IA

Out of the 13 schools in Iowa that were part of this year’s ranking, Drake University landed the #4 spot on the list. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Des Moines, Iowa, and it awarded 838 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 2.4% of the total student body at the school. Students from as far away as Malaysia, China, and Vietnam come to Drake to study.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Full Drake University Report

5

Out of the 13 schools in Iowa that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Northern Iowa landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Cedar Falls, Iowa, the medium-sized public school awarded 2,555 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.

Around 3.5% of the total student population at the school is international. Students from as far away as Saudi Arabia, China, and Mexico come to UNI to study.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Read More…

6
Cornell College crest
Cornell College
Mount Vernon, IA

Cornell College ranked #6 on this year’s Best Colleges for Chinese Students in Iowa list. Cornell College is located in Mount Vernon, Iowa and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 314 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.

Of the total number of students at the school, 4.5% are international. The top three countries sending students to study at Cornell College are China, Vietnam, and Japan.

Read More…

7
Coe crest
Coe College
Cedar Rapids, IA

Coe College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Chinese Students in Iowa ranking. Coe is located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 395 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.

Around 2.3% of the total student population at the school is international. Students from as far away as Japan, China, and Germany come to Coe to study.

Read full report on Coe College

8
Luther crest
Luther College
Decorah, IA

Luther College ranked #8 on this year’s Best Colleges for Chinese Students in Iowa list. Luther is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Decorah, Iowa. It awarded 460 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 7.9% are international. Students studying at Luther come from such countries as Vietnam, Swaziland, and Zimbabwe.

Read More…

9

Maharishi International University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Colleges for Chinese Students in Iowa list. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Fairfield, Iowa, and it awarded 134 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 42.6% are international. Students from as far away as Nepal, Ethiopia, and China come to MIU to study.

Read full report on Maharishi International University

10
Wartburg crest
Wartburg College
Waverly, IA

Wartburg College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Chinese Students in Iowa ranking. Located in Waverly, Iowa, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 303 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 6.8% are international. The top three countries sending students to study at Wartburg are Swaziland, Nigeria, and Zimbabwe.

Read full report on Wartburg College

11

Saint Ambrose University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Chinese Students in Iowa ranking. St. Ambrose University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Davenport, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 626 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 2.3% of the total student body at the school. Students from as far away as Saudi Arabia, India, and United Kingdom come to St. Ambrose University to study.

Read More…

12

University of Dubuque landed the #12 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for Chinese Students in Iowa. UD is a private not-for-profit institution located in Dubuque, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 423 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 4.8% of the total student body at the school. Students studying at UD come from such countries as Saudi Arabia, China, and Taiwan.

Read full report on University of Dubuque

13

Upper Iowa University landed the #13 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for Chinese Students in Iowa. UIU is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Fayette, Iowa. It awarded 1,084 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 2.9% of the total student body at the school. The top three countries sending students to study at UIU are Malaysia, United Kingdom, and Nigeria.

Full Upper Iowa University Report

Best Colleges for International Students in the Plains States Region

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Notes and References

Footnotes

*Avg Tuition and Fees and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top 13 schools only.

References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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