College Profile

  • Private, 4-year, liberal arts & sciences
  • Coed and residential
  • Located in Grinnell, Iowa (population 9,100)
  • Founded in 1846
  • Bachelor of Arts in 27 major fields
  • Individualized curricular planning and advising
  • No core requirements beyond First-Year Tutorial
  • Independent majors are possible
  • Strong commitment to social responsibility
  • Consistently ranked among the nation’s best liberal arts colleges

Incoming Class Profile

  • SAT Critical Reading 640-750 (mid-50 percent score range, pre-March 2016 test)
  • SAT Math 680-780 (mid-50 percent score range, pre-March 2016 test)
  • ACT 30–33 (mid-50 percent score range)
  • Represent 37 states and 39 countries

Grinnell, by the Numbers

  • About 1,600 students
  • 9:1 student/faculty ratio
  • Over 500 course offerings every semester
  • Most classes have fewer than 20 students
  • 27 majors, 12 concentrations
  • 3,000 internship opportunities in the United States and abroad
  • Burling Library contains 1 million books and documents
  • 7th nationally in the percentage of Ph.D.s per graduate
  • 500+ free events, lectures, performances, and symposia each year
  • 150+ student groups, 0 fraternities and sororities
  • 20 NCAA Division III varsity sports
  • 10 distinct ecosystems populate CERA, with 113 bird species recorded
  • $1.8 billion endowment supporting academic programs and student life

Our Students

  • 18% international, 26% U.S. students of color
  • More than half of students study off campus during academic career
  • 52% of students complete at least one independent study course
  • Two-thirds of students participate in community service projects
  • One-third of students engage in varsity athletics
  • 10 Fulbrights won in 2016
  • 40% of Grinnellians complete a Mentored Advanced Project (MAP)
  • 51% of Grinnellians hold an advanced degree 10 years after graduation
  • Top 10 home states:
    • Illinois
    • California
    • Iowa
    • Minnesota
    • New York
    • Wisconsin
    • Massachusetts
    • Missouri
    • Maryland
    • Colorado

Graduate Schools Attended by Class of 2015:

  • California Institute of Technology
  • Cornell University
  • Emory University
  • Harvard University
  • London School of Economics
  • McGill University
  • New York University
  • Northwestern University
  • University of Arkansas
  • University of California
  • University of Iowa
  • University of Massachusetts
  • University of Michigan
  • University of Minnesota
  • University of Virginia
  • Washington University

Recent Employers for Class of 2015:

  • The Advisory Board (Washington, DC)
  • Artsy (New York, NY)
  • Blue Canyon Partners (Chicago, IL)
  • Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve (Washington, DC)
  • Chicago Tribune Media Group (Chicago, IL)
  • Deutsche Bank (New York, NY)
  • Epic (Madison, WI)
  • Goldman Sachs (Salt Lake City, UT)
  • Google (Mountain View, CA)
  • Employer (location)
  • Hispanic Health Initiative of Texas (Austin, TX)
  • Human Rights Campaign (Washington, DC)
  • Iowa City Press-Citizen (Iowa City, IA)
  • Los Angeles County Museum of Art (Los Angeles, CA)
  • Mote Marine Laboratory (Sarasota, FL)
  • National Oceanic & Atmospheric Admin. (Asheville, NC)
  • Semler Brossy (Los Angeles, CA)
  • TIAA (New York, NY)
  • TripAdvisor (Boston, MA)