33 Best colleges for Liberal Arts & Social Sciences in Iowa State

Updated: February 29, 2024

Ranking by academic field

Below is a list of best universities in Iowa State ranked based on their research performance in Liberal Arts & Social Sciences. A graph of 3.17M citations received by 140K academic papers made by 33 universities in Iowa State was used to calculate publications' ratings, which then were adjusted for release dates and added to final scores.

We don't distinguish between undergraduate and graduate programs nor do we adjust for current majors offered. You can find information about granted degrees on a university page but always double-check with the university website.

1. University of Iowa

Iowa City

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#43 in the United States

#49 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 86%
Average SAT: 1235
Average ACT: 25
Receiving Aid: 91%

2. Iowa State University

Ames

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#49 in the United States

#59 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 90%
Average SAT: 1220
Average ACT: 25
Receiving Aid: 89%

3. University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#275 in the United States

#310 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 95%
Average SAT: 1175
Average ACT: 23
Receiving Aid: 89%

4. Drake University

Des Moines

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#460 in the United States

#510 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 67%
Average SAT: 1225
Average ACT: 28
Net Price: $30,333

5. Grinnell College

Grinnell

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#521 in the United States

#574 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 11%
Average SAT: 1455
Average ACT: 33
Net Price: $33,467

6. Luther College

Decorah

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#771 in the United States

#839 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 75%
Average SAT: 1203
Average ACT: 26
Net Price: $25,734

7. Dordt College

Sioux Center

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#827 in the United States

#896 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 88%
Average SAT: 1140
Average ACT: 25
Net Price: $27,375

8. Clarke University

Dubuque

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#866 in the United States

#936 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 85%
Average SAT: 1040
Average ACT: 21
Net Price: $27,275

9. Maharishi University of Management

Fairfield

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#896 in the United States

#967 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 94%
Net Price: $16,979
Receiving Aid: 88%
Average Aid: $11,751

10. Saint Ambrose University

Davenport

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#966 in the United States

#1038 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 74%
Average SAT: 1130
Average ACT: 24
Net Price: $23,359

11. Palmer College of Chiropractic

Davenport

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1050 in the United States

#1125 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 49%
Net Price: $23,515
Receiving Aid: 100%
Average Aid: $8,420

12. Wartburg College

Waverly

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1056 in the United States

#1132 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 97%
Average SAT: 1045
Average ACT: 22
Net Price: $23,683

13. Morningside College

Sioux

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1073 in the United States

#1149 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 71%
Net Price: $23,947
Receiving Aid: 100%
Average Aid: $25,011

14. Des Moines University - Osteopathic Medical Center

Des Moines

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1110 in the United States

#1186 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 23%
Enrollment: 1,527
Male:Female: 46:54
Founded: 1898

15. Central College

Pella

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1133 in the United States

#1209 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 79%
Average SAT: 1129
Average ACT: 23
Net Price: $23,303

16. Coe College

Cedar Rapids

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1142 in the United States

#1218 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 100%
Net Price: $21,237
Receiving Aid: 100%
Average Aid: $43,143

17. Briar Cliff University

Sioux

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1155 in the United States

#1231 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 100%
Net Price: $21,620
Receiving Aid: 100%
Average Aid: $26,614

18. Graceland University - Lamoni

Lamoni

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1159 in the United States

#1235 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 74%
Net Price: $16,627
Receiving Aid: 100%
Average Aid: $29,753

19. Loras College

Dubuque

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1241 in the United States

#1319 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 90%
Net Price: $21,886
Receiving Aid: 100%
Average Aid: $25,538

20. University of Dubuque

Dubuque

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1250 in the United States

#1328 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 85%
Net Price: $22,879
Receiving Aid: 100%
Average Aid: $25,005

21. Northwestern College

Orange City

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1285 in the United States

#1364 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 87%
Net Price: $25,198
Receiving Aid: 100%
Average Aid: $22,228

22. Simpson College

Indianola

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1328 in the United States

#1408 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 89%
Average ACT: 32
Net Price: $23,185
Receiving Aid: 100%

23. Allen College

Waterloo

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1373 in the United States

#1455 in North America

Net Price: $31,509
Receiving Aid: 100%
Average Aid: $1,625
Enrollment: 497

24. Mount Mercy University

Cedar Rapids

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1387 in the United States

#1469 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 75%
Average ACT: 21
Net Price: $24,078
Receiving Aid: 100%

25. Buena Vista University

Storm Lake

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1399 in the United States

#1482 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 77%
Average SAT: 1030
Average ACT: 22
Net Price: $19,204

26. Grand View University

Des Moines

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1403 in the United States

#1486 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 98%
Net Price: $20,236
Receiving Aid: 100%
Average Aid: $22,893

27. William Penn University

Oskaloosa

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1450 in the United States

#1537 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 58%
Average SAT: 965
Average ACT: 19
Net Price: $20,922

28. Waldorf University

Forest City

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1467 in the United States

#1554 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 74%
Net Price: $18,620
Receiving Aid: 99%
Average Aid: $17,359

29. Upper Iowa University

Fayette

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1507 in the United States

#1595 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 54%
Average SAT: 970
Average ACT: 21
Net Price: $24,563

30. Cornell College

Mount Vernon

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1549 in the United States

#1638 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 79%
Average SAT: 1275
Average ACT: 27
Net Price: $25,686

31. Wartburg Theological Seminary

Dubuque

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1629 in the United States

#1719 in North America

Enrollment: 186
Male:Female: 40:60

32. Divine Word College

Epworth

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1679 in the United States

#1770 in North America

Net Price: $12,917
Receiving Aid: 100%
Average Aid: $8,583
Enrollment: 68

33. Iowa Wesleyan University

Mount Pleasant

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1720 in the United States

#1811 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 81%
Average SAT: 920
Average ACT: 19
Net Price: $20,074

State	Universities Unis	Best university country rank Best uni rank
Missouri	41	39
Wisconsin	35	13
Illinois	79	14
Minnesota	30	18
Kansas	20	75
Nebraska	14	88
Indiana	36	54
South Dakota	10	324
Michigan	45	4
Arkansas	18	143
Oklahoma	22	108
Kentucky	29	57
North Dakota	9	211
Ohio	66	19
Tennessee	39	45
Mississippi	15	180
West Virginia	20	121
Colorado	24	53
Alabama	28	82
Louisiana	26	76
Pennsylvania	113	11
Virginia	42	38
Georgia	51	41
North Carolina	49	21
Texas	85	20
South Carolina	32	66
District of Columbia	13	52
Maryland	27	9
New Mexico	9	95
Montana	9	165
New York	144	6
Delaware	4	97
New Jersey	29	24
Utah	11	44
Vermont	12	123
Connecticut	22	10
Idaho	7	192
Massachusetts	74	1
New Hampshire	13	90
Rhode Island	9	60
Arizona	10	28
Florida	69	29
Maine	16	200
Nevada	8	148
Washington	37	5
Oregon	20	96
California	143	2
Puerto Rico	15	406
Alaska	4	227
Hawaii	7	107