Best Colleges in Iowa by Salary Potential
Before you set out to get your bachelor’s degree, find out what you can earn with it. These Iowa schools are the best colleges by alumni salary.
| Rank | School Name | School Type | Early Career Pay | Mid-Career Pay | % High Meaning | % STEM Degrees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank:1 | School Name: Drake University | School Type:Private School, For Sports Fans | Early Career Pay:$56,400 | Mid-Career Pay:$110,800 | % High Meaning:49% | % STEM Degrees:8% |
| Rank:2 | School Name: Grinnell College | School Type:Liberal Arts School, Private School | Early Career Pay:$58,300 | Mid-Career Pay:$108,500 | % High Meaning:46% | % STEM Degrees:43% |
| Rank:3 | School Name:_50px.gif) University of Iowa | School Type:Research University, For Sports Fans, State School | Early Career Pay:$58,400 | Mid-Career Pay:$108,400 | % High Meaning:49% | % STEM Degrees:17% |
| Rank:4 | School Name: Iowa State University | School Type:Research University, For Sports Fans, State School | Early Career Pay:$61,000 | Mid-Career Pay:$106,400 | % High Meaning:48% | % STEM Degrees:37% |
| Rank:5 | School Name: Loras College | School Type:Private School, Religious | Early Career Pay:$51,200 | Mid-Career Pay:$102,200 | % High Meaning:57% | % STEM Degrees:14% |
| Rank:6 | School Name: Cornell College | School Type:Liberal Arts School, Private School, Religious | Early Career Pay:$54,400 | Mid-Career Pay:$102,100 | % High Meaning:49% | % STEM Degrees:24% |
| Rank:7 | School Name: Dordt University | School Type:Private School, Religious | Early Career Pay:$56,400 | Mid-Career Pay:$97,900 | % High Meaning:59% | % STEM Degrees:14% |
| Rank:8 | School Name: Central College | School Type:Liberal Arts School, Private School, Religious | Early Career Pay:$54,800 | Mid-Career Pay:$95,300 | % High Meaning:45% | % STEM Degrees:36% |
| Rank:9 | School Name: Simpson College | School Type:Liberal Arts School, Private School, Religious | Early Career Pay:$52,800 | Mid-Career Pay:$93,600 | % High Meaning:49% | % STEM Degrees:19% |
| Rank:10 | School Name: Coe College | School Type:Liberal Arts School, Private School, Religious | Early Career Pay:$50,500 | Mid-Career Pay:$92,300 | % High Meaning:41% | % STEM Degrees:30% |
| Rank:11 | School Name: Graceland University-Lamoni | School Type:Private School, Religious | Early Career Pay:$52,000 | Mid-Career Pay:$91,700 | % High Meaning:67% | % STEM Degrees:4% |
| Rank:12 | School Name: Allen College | School Type:Private School | Early Career Pay:$56,900 | Mid-Career Pay:$90,200 | % High Meaning:- | % STEM Degrees:0% |
| Rank:13 | School Name: Wartburg College | School Type:Liberal Arts School, Private School, Religious | Early Career Pay:$53,200 | Mid-Career Pay:$89,900 | % High Meaning:48% | % STEM Degrees:34% |
| Rank:14 | School Name:Northwestern College | School Type:Private School, Religious | Early Career Pay:$50,100 | Mid-Career Pay:$89,700 | % High Meaning:46% | % STEM Degrees:9% |
| Rank:15 | School Name: University of Northern Iowa | School Type:For Sports Fans, State School | Early Career Pay:$50,500 | Mid-Career Pay:$89,300 | % High Meaning:49% | % STEM Degrees:9% |
| Rank:16 | School Name: Saint Ambrose University | School Type:Private School, Religious | Early Career Pay:$51,400 | Mid-Career Pay:$87,200 | % High Meaning:50% | % STEM Degrees:15% |
| Rank:17 | School Name: Luther College | School Type:Liberal Arts School, Private School, Religious | Early Career Pay:$52,400 | Mid-Career Pay:$87,000 | % High Meaning:53% | % STEM Degrees:21% |
| Rank:18 | School Name: Clarke University | School Type:Private School, Religious | Early Career Pay:$48,900 | Mid-Career Pay:$82,300 | % High Meaning:51% | % STEM Degrees:7% |
| Rank:19 | School Name:University of Dubuque | School Type:Private School, Religious | Early Career Pay:$48,000 | Mid-Career Pay:$81,600 | % High Meaning:49% | % STEM Degrees:13% |
| Rank:20 | School Name: Upper Iowa University | School Type:Private School | Early Career Pay:$48,200 | Mid-Career Pay:$81,000 | % High Meaning:57% | % STEM Degrees:2% |
| Rank:21 | School Name:Iowa Wesleyan University | School Type:Private School, Religious | Early Career Pay:$45,900 | Mid-Career Pay:$80,200 | % High Meaning:66% | % STEM Degrees:9% |
| Rank:22 | School Name: Mount Mercy University | School Type:Private School, Religious | Early Career Pay:$53,200 | Mid-Career Pay:$79,600 | % High Meaning:53% | % STEM Degrees:5% |
| Rank:23 | School Name: Morningside College | School Type:Private School, Religious | Early Career Pay:$48,900 | Mid-Career Pay:$79,300 | % High Meaning:60% | % STEM Degrees:7% |
| Rank:24 | School Name:_50px.png) Grand View University | School Type:Private School, Religious | Early Career Pay:$49,600 | Mid-Career Pay:$78,500 | % High Meaning:50% | % STEM Degrees:7% |
| Rank:25 | School Name: Buena Vista University | School Type:Private School, Religious | Early Career Pay:$44,900 | Mid-Career Pay:$78,100 | % High Meaning:59% | % STEM Degrees:4% |
As a major agricultural hub, Iowa produces one-tenth of the nation’s total food supply. Unsurprisingly, agriculture is one of the top industries in the state, along with manufacturing, biotechnology and finance and insurance. Top employers include Genesis Medical Center, Principal Financial Group and various medical groups. Graduates seeking jobs in the area have a diverse range of industries to choose from. There are 43 undergraduate colleges in the Hawkeye state, and this list provides data on the best colleges by alumni salary for many of them.
For early career pay, with five years or less of experience, the highest-paid graduates in Iowa come from large public colleges. However, when ranked by alumni with 10 years or more of experience, the Iowa colleges with the highest-paid graduates shuffle to include Drake University, beats Iowa State University, Grinnell and the University of Iowa.
Ironically, the Iowa university that grants the highest percentage of science, technology, engineering and math degrees is one of the most famous liberal arts schools in the country, Grinnell College. With a relatively small number of students, Grinnell has the smallest student to teacher ratio in the state and home to famous alumni including Robert Noyce (the co-founder of Intel), comedian and Silicon Valley actor Kumail Nanjiani and Herbie Hancock. Grinnell also came in second on the New York Times’ new ranking of the most economically diverse colleges.