Private nonprofit · University

Grand View University

Des Moines, Iowa · Midsize city

99.1%
Admit rate
$21,774
Avg net price
54%
Graduation rate
$52,824
Median earnings

Grand View University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Des Moines, Iowa (midsize city setting), enrolling 1,486 undergraduates. It has a Evangelical Lutheran Church religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitSmall · 1,486 undergradsMidsize cityAccessible · 99% admitNAIA Division I · Heart of America Athletic ConferenceCold wintersSnowy

About Des Moines, Iowa

Des Moines is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. Des Moines takes its name from Fort Des Moines (1843–46), which was named for the Des Moines River. This was adopted from the name given by French colonists. The City of Des Moines is a cultural center for Iowa and home to several art and history museums and performing arts groups. The Des Moines Performing Arts routinely hosts touring Broadway shows and other live professional theater. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Midsize city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To Great Lakes shore
300 miles
Nearest airport
7 miles to Des Moines (DSM) · major hub

How Grand View University compares

Selectivity99.1%

More selective than 6% · #26 most selective of 28 in Iowa

Graduation rate54%

Higher than 48% · #22 of 30 in Iowa

First-year retention70%

Higher than 31%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$52,824

Higher than 47% · #21 of 31 in Iowa

Average net price$21,774

Cheaper than 42% · #13 cheapest of 29 in Iowa

Median debt at graduation$22,500

Lower than 56%

Student–faculty ratio12 : 1

Lower than 59%

Undergraduate enrollment1,486

Larger than 49%

Percentiles compare Grand View University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Iowa.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

1,842students
  • Undergraduate1,48681%
  • Graduate35619%

Undergraduates by gender

1,486undergrads
  • Women81155%
  • Men67545%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White54%
  • Black9.6%
  • Hispanic13%
  • Asian4.2%
  • Other or multiracial20%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
1,486
Graduate enrollment
356
Student–faculty ratio
12 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
45%
First-generation students
36%
Students over 25
13%
Median family income
$50,048
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$66,456
Endowment
$37,528,470

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Admissions

Admission rate
99.1%
Test scores
Not considered
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite

Cost

In-state tuition
$34,762
Room & board
$13,912
Books & supplies
$1,296
Total cost of attendance
$48,522
Average net price
$21,774

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
54%
Graduated on time (4 years)
45%
First-year retention
70%
Transferred to another college
21%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$47,582
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$52,824
Median debt at graduation
$22,500
Students with federal loans
72%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
56%

About 9% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
45%
Low-income (Pell)
55%
First-generation
53%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
894
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
60%
Housing charge (year)
$5,372
Meal plan (year)
$5,570
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NAIA Division I
Football conference
Heart of America Athletic Conference
Varsity athletes
923 (556 men · 367 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (14)

Football150
Wrestling145
Soccer127
Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)106
Other Sports87
Baseball76
Basketball73
Volleyball44
Softball28
Bowling28
Golf25
Tennis16
Rifle11
Archery7

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
D
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
7.5 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
11
Property offenses (2022–2024)
31

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (1,856 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

14reported offenses a year
3.7 violent a year10 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
5.3
Motor vehicle theft
4.7
Rape
2.0
Aggravated assault
1.0
Fondling
0.7
Arson
0.3

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$18,512
$30–48k
$18,773
$48–75k
$20,254
$75–110k
$23,414
$110k+
$24,601

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$85,850

$20,254/year × about 4.2 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

99%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$19,080
average award, among those who get one

Grand View University discounts heavily: 99% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $19,080. For many families the real price lands well below sticker.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 330 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$52,824
Typical debt at graduation
$22,500
Debt vs. one year's pay
43%
Out-earn a HS grad
70%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.3 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$51,006
Men
$57,649

Men out-earn women by $6,643 (13%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
86°F
Winter low
14°F
Annual rain
36.5″
Annual snow
36.5″

Average temperature

HighLow
0°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.65.3JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Des Moines Intl AP, IA US station (6.5 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Grand View University

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Grand View University side by side →

Colleges near Grand View University

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.