College Azimuth

Research brief & institution hub

Grinnell College

IASmall private nonprofit institution · Overall rank #323 nationally

Data snapshot Updated

Azimuth ranks Grinnell College #323 among 1,467 nonprofit four-year institutions.

Who it’s a good fit for

Grinnell College is a private nonprofit university in Grinnell, Iowa, where the degree mix leans toward the social and biological sciences. Mobility is well above average, and Pell students complete at a rate that sits above the overall six-year mark.

Graduates earn above the median at comparable schools, and the earnings scenarios show a wide spread between the typical and the upside. Most graduates are estimated to go into work rather than further study.

The price case turns on income. Aid covers most of the published cost for the average aid recipient, and the lowest income band pays a fraction of the sticker price.

The spread between what the lowest and highest bands pay is wide. The admission rate is well below the median for comparable institutions.

A student drawn to the social sciences should know that the largest program by degrees awarded is Computer Science, while the highest-earning program is Economics.

Grinnell College at a glance

Admissions and outcomes

Admission rate[1]
14.5%
Six-year completion[2]
88.1%
Four-year earnings[3]
$58,955

Cost and family borrowing

Average annual net price · $48–75K family income[6]
$9,669
Median student debt[4]
$17,500
Median Parent PLUS debt[7]
$36,324

Grinnell College rankings: how Azimuth assesses value[5]

Grinnell College is a private nonprofit university in Grinnell, Iowa, enrolling 1,729 undergraduates. The college sits in the upper third of the Azimuth composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Admission is highly selective: Grinnell College admits 14.5% of applicants, a rate far below the 75.7% median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Of students who start full time, 92.6% return after the first year, against a peer median of 74.2%.

For the first-time full-time cohort, 88.1% finish within six years, well above the peer median of 54.9%. An estimated 1.8% of undergraduates arrive as transfers or part-time students, so the six-year rate describes nearly the entire student body.

The four are spread wide. Mobility is the strongest, and access is the weakest. Return and affordability sit between them, closer to the middle of the field.

Azimuth evaluates Grinnell College on four pillars among nonprofit four-year institutions. Mobility is the strongest, at the 87th percentile, and affordability follows at the 71st percentile.

Return sits at the 62nd percentile, while access is the weakest of the four at the 50th percentile. The mobility pillar outranks the other three pillars.

17.9% of undergraduates at Grinnell College receive Pell Grants. Enrolled students who submitted SAT scores posted a middle 50% range from 1,410 to 1,540.

The ACT middle 50% for those who submitted ran from 31 to 34. Those ranges cover only the students who chose to submit standardized test scores.

Azimuth ranks Grinnell College #739 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions. The six-year completion rate for Pell recipients is 90.8%, which sits 2.7 percentage points above the overall graduation rate (88.1%).

Azimuth ranks the college #188 for mobility among nonprofit four-year institutions.

How value-added outcomes are assessed · How to interpret program rankings

Grinnell College rankings in context
GeographyRank
National#323

Azimuth overall value rankings within each geographic comparison group.

National pillar percentiles

Economic mobility
National percentile: 87
Access & reach
National percentile: 50
Affordability
National percentile: 71
Return on investment
National percentile: 62

Top-ranked majors

  1. Research and Experimental Psychology#27
  2. Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics#38
  3. Economics#40

This school’s three highest-ranked programs nationally. Each rank compares bachelor’s programs in the same field; field sizes differ.

Explore major rankings

01 / Grinnell College briefing

Grinnell College cost & financial aid[6][7]

The published cost of attendance at Grinnell College is $83,440, an average across living arrangements. Tuition and fees are $68,106 and room and board are $16,842.

In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported estimated books and supplies of $800 and other expenses of $1,850. After grants and scholarships, the average net price for aid recipients is $17,648, which is $4,699 below the $22,347 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Financial aid reduces the published cost by $65,792 on average. Azimuth ranks the university #413 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The published cost of attendance at Grinnell College is $83,440 (an average across living arrangements). Azimuth ranks the university #413 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

After grants and scholarships, the average net price for aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 is $9,970, for those earning $48,001 to $75,000 it is $9,669, and for those earning over $110,000 it is $37,725. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $27,755.

Aid covers about 79% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. The across all aid recipients is $17,648, which is $4,699 below the $22,347 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Borrowers who complete a degree carry a median of $17,500 in federal student loans. That is $7,500 below the $25,000 median for comparable institutions.

Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $36,324 in Parent PLUS loans. If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $199 a month.

Your family income

Choose a household income range to see estimated net price.

Reported average annual net price · $48–75K$9,669

After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ.

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Borrowing and repayment at Grinnell College

Borrowers who complete a degree at Grinnell College leave with a median of $17,500 in federal student loans. That is $7,500 below the $25,000 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

If repaid over ten years, that median debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $199 a month. Federal borrowing is widespread, with 89.8% of federal aid recipients taking federal loans.

Parents who borrow through the separate Parent PLUS program hold a median of $36,324.

The earnings picture at Grinnell College starts with a median of $58,955 four years after completion, at the 47th percentile. That figure is $3,040 above the $55,915 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Estimated from the program mix, earnings scenarios range from $45,413 on the downside to $104,917 on the upside, with a typical scenario of $58,955. Borrowers who finish carry a median of $17,500 in federal loans, $7,500 below the peer median.

If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $199 a month.

For the separate population of parent borrowers, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $36,324. For student borrowers, the median federal debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $199 a month if repaid over ten years.

How Financial GPS measures payment burden · The four risk-and-reward zones

Financial GPS

What does repayment look like?

Institution median student debt
$17,500
Institution Parent PLUS debt
$36,324

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

Estimated student payment · monthly
$199/mo
Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
$462/mo

Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.

Payment assumptions

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.

Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS
Read the full cost & aid brief

02 / Grinnell College briefing

Grinnell College career outcomes & earnings[3][8][9]

Graduates of Grinnell College earn a median of $58,955 four years after completion, placing the college in the 47th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. That figure is $3,040 above the $55,915 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Azimuth ranks the return pillar at the 62nd percentile. Earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, show the range by field.

The downside earnings scenario is $45,413, the typical is $58,955, and the upside reaches $104,917. The spread between the lowest-earning large program, Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology at $53,105, and the highest, Economics at $110,724, anchors that variation.

Four years after finishing, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $58,955. Azimuth places that figure in the 47th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions, based on a cohort of 281 completers.

The program mix points to a wide spread in what graduates might earn. A downside earnings scenario sits at $45,413, while the upside reaches $104,917.

These are estimates from the mix of fields, not observed groups of graduates. An estimated 43.8% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix.

The earnings figures here capture those who enter the workforce directly, four years out.

Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $58,955, at the 47th percentile nationally. That is $3,040 above the $55,915 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Azimuth ranks Grinnell College #556 for return among nonprofit four-year institutions. Degrees cluster in the Social Sciences, Biological Sciences, and Computer & Information Sciences.

The typical earnings scenario, estimated from the program mix, is $58,955. The downside earnings scenario sits at $45,413, while the upside reaches $104,917.

An estimated 43.8% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix. That share means the four-year earnings figures capture a point when many alumni are still in school rather than in the workforce.

So the return pillar reflects early-career outcomes for a population split between work and further study.

The earnings scenarios point to a substantial spread: $45,413 on the downside against $104,917 on the upside. The earnings scenarios show a wide range.

At the upper end, Economics graduates earn a median of $110,724 four years after completion, from 46 degrees awarded. Computer Science follows at $109,892, with 56 degrees awarded.

The published cost of attendance is $83,440 (an average across living arrangements), but the average net price—what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships—is $17,648. That figure is $4,699 below the $22,347 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Aid covers about 79% of the sticker price for the average aid recipient, though this is an average rather than a personal quote. Borrowers who finish carry a median of $17,500 in federal student loans.

That is $7,500 below the peer median of $25,000, and if repaid over ten years it corresponds to an estimated payment of $199 a month. Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $36,324 in Parent PLUS loans.

Read the full outcomes brief

03 / Grinnell College briefing

Grinnell College acceptance rate & admissions[1][10][11]

Grinnell College admits 14.5% of applicants, a rate far below the median of 75.7% for comparable institutions (same type and size). In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported 9,758 applicants and 1,416 admitted students for the fall entering class.

SAT: approximate enrolled-student range
Admission rate
14.5%
Approximate lower endpoint
1410
Reported average
1486
Approximate upper endpoint
1540

Enrolled students who submitted scores. This range is not an admission cutoff. The endpoints add section percentiles; they are not verified composite-score percentiles. A separate SAT-equivalent average is not plotted as a median. Source: College Scorecard; sum of section 25th/75th percentiles; enrolled score-submitters.

Read the full admissions brief

04 / Grinnell College briefing

What are the largest majors at Grinnell College?[12]

The highest-earning programs at Grinnell College are also among its largest. Economics graduates earn a median of $110,724 four years after completion, with 46 degrees awarded.

Azimuth ranks it #40 nationally in its field. Computer Science is the largest single program, awarding 56 degrees a year and posting median earnings of $109,892.

Azimuth ranks it #80 nationally. Further down the earnings scale, Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology ranks #67 nationally, awards 48 degrees and shows a median of $53,105.

Biology graduates earn $56,275, and the program ranks #214 nationally, from 40 degrees awarded. The spread between the highest- and moderate-earning fields is wide, and the programs that pay the most are not small niches.

Social Sciences accounts for 21.3% of bachelor's degrees awarded, ahead of Biological Sciences at 16.2% and Computer & Information Sciences at 10.3%. Azimuth ranks 9 of the college's programs nationally.

The largest single program is Computer Science, at 56 degrees a year. Azimuth ranks it #80 within its field, and graduates earn a median of $109,892 four years after completion.

Economics is nearly as large, at 46 degrees a year, and posts the highest earnings among the college's programs at $110,724. Azimuth ranks it #40 nationally.

Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology, with 48 degrees a year, earns a median of $53,105 and ranks #67.

Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields
Computer Science 56 degrees awarded
$109,892
Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology 48 degrees awarded
$53,105
Mathematics 48 degrees awarded
Too few graduates to report
Economics 46 degrees awarded
$110,724
Biology, General 40 degrees awarded
$56,275
Political Science and Government 38 degrees awarded
$68,518

Fields selected by reported completions. Counts describe credentials awarded, not unique students or the earnings sample. Bars show median four-year earnings.

Read the full majors brief

05 / Grinnell College briefing

What colleges are similar to Grinnell College?[15]

Azimuth groups alternatives by admissions, location, cost and earnings, then orders candidates within each group. Peer earnings use the matched four-year cohort. How matching works.

A shortlist for different decisions

Choose a row to compare the figures with Grinnell College.

Admissions peerCarleton College20.4% admitted
Comparison with Grinnell College
MeasureGrinnell CollegeCarleton College
Peer earnings · 4 years$58,955$66,841+$7,886 vs Grinnell College
Average annual net price$17,648$25,407+$7,759 vs Grinnell College · higher cost
Admission rate14.5%20.4%
Explore Carleton College →
Higher-admission alternativeUpper Iowa University96.5% admitted
Comparison with Grinnell College
MeasureGrinnell CollegeUpper Iowa University
Peer earnings · 4 years$58,955$58,837-$118 vs Grinnell College
Average annual net price$17,648$20,942+$3,294 vs Grinnell College · higher cost
Admission rate14.5%96.5%
Nearby alternativeUpper Iowa UniversityNearby option · IA
Comparison with Grinnell College
MeasureGrinnell CollegeUpper Iowa University
Peer earnings · 4 years$58,955$58,837-$118 vs Grinnell College
Average annual net price$17,648$20,942+$3,294 vs Grinnell College · higher cost
Admission rate14.5%96.5%
Higher-earnings alternativeJohns Hopkins University$117,419 earnings
Comparison with Grinnell College
MeasureGrinnell CollegeJohns Hopkins University
Peer earnings · 4 years$58,955$117,419+$58,464 vs Grinnell College
Average annual net price$17,648$18,809+$1,161 vs Grinnell College · higher cost
Admission rate14.5%6.4%
Explore Johns Hopkins University →
Lower-cost alternativeCalifornia State University-Fresno$7,000 average net price
Comparison with Grinnell College
MeasureGrinnell CollegeCalifornia State University-Fresno
Peer earnings · 4 years$58,955$59,992+$1,037 vs Grinnell College
Average annual net price$17,648$7,000-$10,648 vs Grinnell College · lower cost
Admission rate14.5%95.3%
Explore California State University-Fresno →
Similar profileThe College of WoosterMatched across several measures
Comparison with Grinnell College
MeasureGrinnell CollegeThe College of Wooster
Peer earnings · 4 years$58,955$57,840-$1,115 vs Grinnell College
Average annual net price$17,648$23,458+$5,810 vs Grinnell College · higher cost
Admission rate14.5%59.5%

Each school is the first-ranked match in its category, not a recommendation across every measure. The same college may lead more than one category. Figures use the matching snapshot; earnings reflect the matched four-year cohort. — means unavailable.

Read the full similar schools brief

Data scope & methodology

Structured payloads generated Governed hub narrative Governed spoke corpus

Four-year earnings describe cohorts of completers. Figures for other horizons describe different cohorts and are not joined into a career-growth projection.

Azimuth's overall rank and pillar percentiles come from the school profile. Absolute pillar ranks, city, enrollment and official-site links are shown only when structured data supplies them.

Detailed earnings, cost, admissions and program values come from the endpoint responsible for each measure. Missing values are not replaced with zero. Value-added estimates are model associations, not causal effects.

Figures are refreshed with each data release, at most a quarter apart. The underlying source dates can be earlier than the release.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.

Read the ranking methodology, data definitions and limitations · About College Azimuth

Read the analysis behind value-added earnings and the change to four-year graduate earnings. These articles are published on collegeazimuth.com.

Data notes & source fields

Scorecard field codes identify the underlying measure; Azimuth-derived values are labeled separately. Snapshot dates are not measurement years. Source populations and reporting periods differ across measures. Field definitions are in the U.S. Department of Education · College Scorecard documentation; notes with a different source link it below.

  1. Admission rate. Reported applicants admitted; not a transfer-specific or individual admission probability.

    Source fields: ADM_RATE

  2. Six-year completion. First-time, full-time students completing at the institution within 150% of normal time, typically six years for a bachelor’s degree.

    Source fields: C150_4

  3. Four-year institutional earnings. Median earnings of graduates in the reported cohort who are working and not enrolled, four years after completion.

    Source fields: MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

  4. Median federal student debt. Federal student-loan debt among completers in the reported borrowing cohort. Excludes Parent PLUS and is not total debt across all students.

    Source fields: GRAD_DEBT_MDN

  5. National, regional and state ranks; pillar percentiles; major ranks. Derived scores within the stated eligible comparison set, not raw Scorecard fields. Major ranks compare institutions within a field; their denominators differ.

    Source fields: Azimuth rankings

    College Azimuth · Ranking methodology

  6. Annual net price by family income. Average annual cost after grants and scholarships for the eligible first-time, full-time aid-recipient cohort. Public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. Includes living costs; these are averages, not medians or individual offers.

    Source fields: NPT4_PUB/PRIV; NPT41_PUB/PRIV through NPT45_PUB/PRIV

  7. Parent PLUS debt, payments and GPS illustration. Stored payments use Financial GPS loan and repayment assumptions. The adjustable spectrum applies the published framework to annual student payments divided by earnings minus an expense allowance; its initial allowance uses the frozen 2024 framework baseline. It is an illustration rather than a school rating. Parent PLUS uses the completer median where available, otherwise the all-borrower median; these describe different borrowing populations.

    Source fields: PLUS_DEBT_ALL_COMP_MD; fallback PLUS_DEBT_ALL_MD; Azimuth Financial GPS calculations

    College Azimuth · Financial GPS methodology

  8. Downside and upside earnings; yellow band. The band spans the modeled lower and higher scenarios. It is not the P25–P75 interval for individual graduates. The median marker is the separately reported institutional median.

    Source fields: Azimuth modeled program-mix scenarios

    College Azimuth · Earnings scenario methodology

  9. Value added and its components. Observed-factor attribution plus the unexplained remainder equals total modeled value added. These are associations, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

    Source fields: Azimuth statistical model

    College Azimuth · Value-added methodology

  10. SAT score range and reported midpoint. Reported scores of enrolled score-submitters, not admission cutoffs. The midpoint field is not necessarily the middle of the displayed range.

    Source fields: SATVR25 + SATMT25; SATVR75 + SATMT75; SAT_AVG

  11. First-year retention. Retention of the reported full-time cohort at four-year institutions.

    Source fields: RET_FT4

  12. Program earnings, completion counts and major-mix dots. Included bachelor’s programs have at least five reported completions. Counts are aggregated credentials, not unique people or an earnings sample. Major-mix dots group those counts by field of study; excluded programs are not zero activity.

    Source fields: EARN_MDN_4YR; IPEDSCOUNT1; CIPCODE

    College Scorecard · Field-of-study technical documentation

  13. Pell recipients. Share of undergraduates receiving a Pell Grant in the reported academic year.

    Source fields: PCTPELL

  14. Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group. This is not an observed transfer-in rate. It includes part-time entrants and other entering-student attendance patterns.

    Source fields: 1 − PFTFTUG1_EF

  15. Peer earnings and signed differences. Differences are peer minus this school, from the same matching snapshot. A positive earnings difference does not mean the peer is better on every measure.

    Source fields: Azimuth peer model using MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

    College Azimuth · Comparison methodology

How to interpret program rankings