Private nonprofit · College

Simpson College

Indianola, Iowa · Fringe town

86.2%
Admit rate
$21,936
Avg net price
63%
Graduation rate
$59,274
Median earnings

Simpson College is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Indianola, Iowa (fringe town setting), enrolling 1,227 undergraduates. It has a United Methodist religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitSmall · 1,227 undergradsFringe townAccessible · 86% admitNCAA Division III with football · American Rivers ConferenceCold wintersSnowy

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Simpson College's admitted students.

Admit rate
86.2%
ACT (mid 50%)
31–33
Avg GPA (est.)
3.86

Enter a test score to see where you land against Simpson College's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Simpson College's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Indianola, Iowa

Indianola is a city in and the county seat of Warren County, Iowa, United States, located 19 miles (31 km) south of downtown Des Moines. Indianola was founded in 1849 as the county seat of Warren County. The town was located near the geographic center of the new county. The town's name was taken from a newspaper account of a Texas ghost town of the same name. Indianola is also the home of the National Balloon Classic and National Balloon Museum. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Fringe town
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To Great Lakes shore
302 miles
Nearest airport
13 miles to Des Moines (DSM) · major hub

How Simpson College compares

Selectivity86.2%

More selective than 33% · #20 most selective of 28 in Iowa

SAT average1440

Higher than 93%

Graduation rate63%

Higher than 66% · #16 of 30 in Iowa

First-year retention81%

Higher than 65%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$59,274

Higher than 66% · #11 of 31 in Iowa

Average net price$21,936

Cheaper than 41% · #14 cheapest of 29 in Iowa

Median debt at graduation$26,000

Lower than 24%

Student–faculty ratio12 : 1

Lower than 59%

Undergraduate enrollment1,227

Larger than 44%

Percentiles compare Simpson College 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

1,243students
  • Undergraduate1,22799%
  • Graduate161%

Undergraduates by gender

1,227undergrads
  • Women67755%
  • Men55045%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White72%
  • Black4.2%
  • Hispanic13%
  • Asian1.9%
  • Other or multiracial8.6%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
1,227
Graduate enrollment
16
Student–faculty ratio
12 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
35%
First-generation students
23%
Students over 25
6%
Median family income
$72,990
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$60,507
Endowment
$87,173,703

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

Where students come from

Home state of the 342 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Iowa72%
  • Other U.S. states28%
  • International0.6%

Most first-years stay in state — Simpson College draws overwhelmingly from Iowa.

1% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Admissions

Admission rate
86.2%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
1440
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite
31–33
Average GPA (estimated)
3.86

Cost

In-state tuition
$47,656
Room & board
$10,500
Books & supplies
$1,168
Total cost of attendance
$61,227
Average net price
$21,936

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)
63%
Graduated on time (4 years)
51%
First-year retention
81%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$49,946
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$59,274
Median debt at graduation
$26,000
Students with federal loans
71%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
70%

About 12% 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
51%
Low-income (Pell)
72%
First-generation
63%

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
1,282
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
100%+
Housing charge (year)
$4,866
Meal plan (year)
$5,222
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NCAA Division III with football
Football conference
American Rivers Conference
Varsity athletes
837 (484 men · 353 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 (13)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)228
Football115
Soccer91
Baseball59
Wrestling59
Basketball51
Gymnastics48
Volleyball47
Other Sports42
Softball29
Golf27
Swimming26
Tennis15

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
3.5 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
9
Property offenses (2022–2024)
4

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 2 campuses (1,251 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.

4.3reported offenses a year
3.0 violent a year1.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
2.7
Burglary
1.0
Fondling
0.3
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
$17,941
$30–48k
$15,764
$48–75k
$19,176
$75–110k
$22,468
$110k+
$26,586

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
$82,127

$19,176/year × about 4.3 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.

100%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$30,748
average award, among those who get one

Simpson College discounts heavily: 100% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $30,748. 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 301 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)
$59,274
Typical debt at graduation
$26,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
44%
Out-earn a HS grad
76%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.4 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
$55,832
Men
$63,907

Men out-earn women by $8,075 (14%) 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
12°F
Annual rain
37.8″
Annual snow
30.8″

Average temperature

HighLow
0°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.95.7JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Indianola 2W, IA US station (4.4 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 Simpson College

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Simpson College side by side →

Colleges near Simpson College

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.