Grinnell College
Grinnell, Iowa
You’re in charge of your studies and the career you pursue. At Grinnell, we have no distribution requirements. Here, you’ll be in charge of how your studies take shape and the professional journey you begin.
“Grinnell faculty and staff have worked hard to provide our daughter with the best possible college experience. Professors have been actively engaged in her education in many ways, including one-on-one conversations outside the classroom. The administration has been responsive to her needs.” – Bret & Doreen Gifford (Manchester, NH)
Get to know Grinnell College
College Highlights
At Grinnell, we call our curriculum an “individually advised curriculum.” We have no distribution requirements, and the only two required courses for all students are components of the First-Year Experience. The rest of your four-year class schedule is up to you and your academic adviser to craft based on your interests and aspirations, so you can uncover and explore what you truly care about. Here, you’ll be in charge of how your studies take shape and the professional journey you begin.
“You’re really in charge of your learning, and you get to take out of college whatever you want.” – Kayla Figatner (River Forest, IL)
ENROLLMENT BY ETHNICITY
Non-U.S. Citizen: 20%
Hispanic/Latine: 8%
Black or African American, non-Hispanic: 4%
White, non-Hispanic: 53%
Native/Indigenous American or Alaska Native, non-Hispanic: 0%
Asian, non-Hispanic: 8%
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic: 0%
Two or more races, non-Hispanic: 5%
Race and/or ethnicity unknown: 3%
Our faculty (ranked #6 in the country for undergraduate teaching (U.S. News & World Report) are driven to contribute to the collective intellect of this academic community. In small classes (which average 17 students), they enjoy getting to know what you’re interested in and readily mentor students in advanced research. With their diverse perspectives, backgrounds, and methods, they’ll push you to think bigger and dive deeper into intellectual inquiry.
“I’ve had teachers ask if there were readings that we wanted to cover — like, if there was something specific, any topics that we were interested in, that would be under the umbrella of the whole class — and we just added it to the syllabus.” – Chaz Del Mar (Harvest, AL)
SPECIAL STUDY OPTIONS
Programs available at this institution.
Accelerated program
Distance learning
Double major
Dual enrollment
Independent study
Internships
Liberal arts/career combination
Student-designed major
Study abroad
Undergraduate research
On our campus, you’ll hear more than 60 languages spoken by students from every state and 70+ countries. Grinnellians come from all over the globe to attend this top-ranked national college.
SCHOOL LOCATION
Grinnell sits at the heart of a constellation of Midwestern cities. The College’s location in central Iowa makes it an easy drive from any major metropolis in the Midwest, including Des Moines (1 hour), Omaha (3 hours), Kansas City (3.5 hours), Madison (4 hours), Chicago (4.5 hours), Minneapolis (4.5 hours), and St. Louis (5 hours).
ATHLETICS
At Grinnell, students across every sport fully commit to NCAA Division III competition (and receive academic credit for it!). If you are recruited to compete on one of our 20 varsity teams, you’ll be supported by experienced coaches. And if you’re not at the varsity level and decide to go out for club or intramural sports, you can still use our state-of-the-art athletic facilities.
“As long as you stay open to new ideas and new perspectives, you will find your sense of belonging at Grinnell.” – Jordan Maurice Ryan (St. Louis, MO)
RESIDENCE LIFE
Percent of students living on campus.
First-time, first-year (freshman) students: 100%
Undergraduates: 88%
Campus housing options.
Coed dorms
Special housing for students with disabilities
Cooperative housing
Theme housing
Wellness housing
Inquiry-based learning, individualized advising, global perspectives, and a rigorous curriculum provide Grinnellians with an exceptional foundation on which to build lives of purpose. Whether Grinnellians choose meaningful employment, graduate school, service, or other pursuits, they’re equipped to move confidently in a complex world, to think globally, and to act compassionately.
“It’s a small school. We have a really close-knit community. But it has a huge footprint and ripple effect.” – Sarah Burnell ‘14
Admission
Grinnell is one of fewer than 10 colleges and universities nationwide that are need blind (for domestic students), meet 100% of demonstrated need, offer no-loan financial aid, and that are test optional. Thanks to this no-loan financial aid policy and individualized advising, our students graduate with less debt, more direction.
Grinnell accepts the Common Application and QuestBridge application and has three admission rounds: Early Decision 1 (November 15), Early Decision 2 (January 5), and Regular Decision (January 15). If Grinnell is your first choice, we encourage you to apply Early Decision.
Whether you decide to apply Early Decision 1 or Early Decision 2, you will receive your admission decision months earlier than if you apply Regular Decision, which means you won’t have to wait until the end of your senior year to know where you will be attending college. You will be guaranteed (for domestic students) a minimum $20,000 scholarship ($80,000 over four years), and the admission rate is higher for our Early Decision rounds than it is for Regular Decision.
Curious about what happens to your application after you submit it to Grinnell?
ADMISSIONS FACTORS
Very Important
Rigor of secondary school record | Class rank
Academic GPA | Recommendation(s)
Important
Standardized test scores | Application Essay
Extracurricular activities | Talent/ability
Considered
Interview | Character/personal qualities | First generation | Alumni/ae relation
Geographical residence | State residency | Racial/ethnic status
Volunteer work | Work experience | Level of applicant’s interest
FRESHMAN PROFILE
SAT Composite
25th Percentile: 1410 | 75th Percentile: 1520
SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing
25th Percentile: 680 | 75th Percentile: 750
SAT Math
25th Percentile: 700 | 75th Percentile: 780
ACT Composite
25th Percentile: 31 | 75th Percentile: 34
ACT Math
25th Percentile: 27 | 75th Percentile: 33
ACT English
25th Percentile: 27 | 75th Percentile: 35
Tuition & Cost
Tuition: $64,342
Fees: $520
Room: $7,500
Board: $8,378
Contact Grinnell College
Contact Admissions
Campus Location
1115 8th Avenue
Grinnell, IA 50112
(641) 269-4000