Iowa: aid after freshman year

Four-year colleges in Iowa, ranked by the gap between the average freshman grant and the average grant in later years.

Official price reports: Iowa Regent universities

We have IPEDS 2022-23 grant data for 26 four-year colleges in Iowa. At 20 of them, the average grant for continuing undergraduates was lower than the average freshman grant. The median gap was $1,724 per recipient, compared with $1,064 nationally.

The largest gaps: Buena Vista University ($15,679), Upper Iowa University ($15,633), Grand View University ($4,851). Median gap at public colleges: −$384 (3 colleges); at private nonprofits: $1,826 (23 colleges).

Explain the numbers

Freshman grant: total grant aid to first-time, full-time freshmen divided by the number who got grants (2022-23).
Later years: the same average for all other degree-seeking undergraduates who got grants, including transfers and part-time students.
Drop: freshman average minus later-years average. Above zero means later-year recipients averaged less. In Iowa, 20 of 26 colleges are above zero and 23 meet our traditional 4-year filter.
Median: half of the colleges in Iowa have a smaller drop than $1,724, half larger.
IPEDS data runs about two years behind; current-year prices come from state reports where available.

Averages across recipients, not a prediction for one student. Colleges with large part-time or online enrollment are marked; read the methodology. See 2026-27 published costs for this state.

#	College	Freshman grant	Later years	Drop
1	Buena Vista University Storm Lake · Private · large part-time/online share	$34,333	$18,654	$15,679
2	Upper Iowa University Fayette · Private · large part-time/online share	$25,995	$10,362	$15,633
3	Grand View University Des Moines · Private	$23,959	$19,109	$4,851
4	Luther College Decorah · Private	$38,042	$33,335	$4,707
5	Graceland University-Lamoni Lamoni · Private	$30,218	$25,644	$4,575
6	Mount Mercy University Cedar Rapids · Private	$28,628	$24,518	$4,111
7	Saint Ambrose University Davenport · Private	$26,559	$22,887	$3,672
8	Coe College Cedar Rapids · Private	$43,772	$40,577	$3,196
9	Central College Pella · Private	$12,678	$10,677	$2,002
10	University of Dubuque Dubuque · Private	$25,868	$23,910	$1,958
11	Loras College Dubuque · Private	$26,030	$24,077	$1,952
12	Clarke University Dubuque · Private	$27,219	$25,392	$1,826
13	Drake University Des Moines · Private	$31,783	$30,020	$1,763
14	Simpson College Indianola · Private	$35,240	$33,555	$1,685
15	Dordt University Sioux Center · Private	$21,944	$20,475	$1,468
16	Iowa State University Ames · Public	$10,718	$9,366	$1,352
17	Morningside University Sioux City · Private	$27,043	$25,844	$1,198
18	Cornell College Mount Vernon · Private	$38,486	$37,380	$1,105
19	Wartburg College Waverly · Private	$38,519	$37,913	$607
20	Briar Cliff University Sioux City · Private	$26,325	$25,977	$348
21	Northwestern College Orange City · Private	$23,319	$23,395	−$76
22	University of Iowa Iowa City · Public	$9,512	$9,896	−$384
23	Grinnell College Grinnell · Private	$45,782	$46,505	−$723
24	University of Northern Iowa Cedar Falls · Public	$5,325	$6,680	−$1,355
25	William Penn University Oskaloosa · Private	$18,434	$19,990	−$1,557
26	Faith Baptist Bible College and Theological Seminary Ankeny · Private · large part-time/online share	$11,791	$13,389	−$1,598

Source: IPEDS SFA 2022-23.

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