Commencement stage in fall

Grinnell at a Glance

Here’s the quick version.

We were founded in 1846. We’re a private, coed, residential liberal arts and sciences college in Grinnell, Iowa. Around 9,000 people live in our town. About 1,750 students attend the College. We call ourselves Grinnellians. We’re committed to contributing to the common good, and we’re consistently ranked among the nation’s best liberal arts colleges.

  • A class taking in some fresh air and meeting by the sundial outside of Noyce.

    Our Academics

    We provide individually advised learning for the intellectually motivated. A place where freedom and academic rigor coexist and complement each other. And our curriculum has only one class that is required for all students. The rest is up to you.

    • 9:1 student-faculty ratio
    • 500+ course offerings every year
    • Most classes have fewer than 20 students
    • Degrees in 28 major fields with 17 concentrations
    • 3,000 internship opportunities in the United States and abroad
    • 40% of students complete a Mentored Advanced Project (MAP)
  • Students sit in Spencer Grille

    Our Community

    Social responsibility, cultural awareness, and mutual respect are big for us. This is place where diverse perspectives collide and differences are celebrated. As thoughtful citizens, we take ownership of the well-being of our community.

    • 500+ free events, lectures, performances, and symposia each year
    • 100+ student groups
    • 0 fraternities and sororities
    • 20 NCAA Division III varsity sports
  • North Campus in summer

    Our Campus

    120 acres in total, halfway between Des Moines and Iowa City.

    • 63 buildings ranging in style from Collegiate Gothic to Bauhaus
    • 1 million books and documents in Burling Library
    • 365-acre Conard Environmental Research Area (CERA) down the road from campus
    • 10 distinct ecosystems observed at CERA, with 113 recorded bird species
  • Students eating and talking in the dining hall

    Our Students

    Grinnellians represent nearly all 50 states and 60 countries. 24% identify as people of color, and 19% of our students come from outside of the U.S. More than half of students will study off campus.

    Our top home states:

    • Illinois
    • California
    • Iowa
    • Minnesota
    • New York

     

    Top home countries:

    • China
    • India
    • Vietnam
    • Japan
    • South Korea
 

Before They Got Here

700–760
SAT Evidence-based Reading and Writing (mid-50% score range)
720-790
SAT Math (mid-50% score range)
31–34
ACT Composite (mid-50% score range)

Once They Got Here

52%
of students complete at least one independent study course
2/3
of students participate in community service projects
1/3
of students play varsity athletics

Our Graduates

Our alumni do important and fulfilling work in industries, graduate programs, and communities of all kinds. Many Grinnellians are awarded prestigious fellowships, travel the world, and conduct research under the aegis of the Fulbright Program, the Watson Foundation, and more.

Go on to some great graduate schools.

51% of Grinnellians hold an advanced degree ten years after graduation. Here are a few places the class of 2019 enrolled:

  • California Institute of Technology
  • University of California
  • University of Cambridge
  • Carnegie Mellon University
  • University  of Chicago
  • Columbia University
  • University of Iowa
  • Emory University
  • University  of Kansas
  • Harvard University
  • University of Michigan
  • Northwestern University
  • University of Virginia
  • Washington University in St. Louis
  • Union Theological Seminary
  • Yale University

Go on to work at pretty extraordinary places.

Members of the Class of 2019 were hired at a wide variety of organizations, including consulting agencies, investment banking firms, museums and galleries, government organizations, technology firms, healthcare facilities, educational and other social service organizations, and scientific research facilities.

  • 3M
  • JPMorgan Chase & Co.
  • American Public Media
  • Los Alamos National Laboratory
  • Collins Aerospace
  • Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago
  • Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
  • Microsoft
  • Department of Justice
  • Northwest Justice Project
  • Epic
  • Smithsonian Institution
  • Google
  • Teach for America
  • Habitat for Humanity
  • Woods Hole Oceanographic Inst.

We use cookies to enable essential services and functionality on our site, enhance your user experience, provide better service through personalized content, collect data on how visitors interact with our site, and enable advertising services.

To accept the use of cookies and continue on to the site, click "I Agree." For more information about our use of cookies and how to opt out, please refer to our website privacy policy.