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Simpson College: cost, admission and results

Simpson College is a private nonprofit college in Indianola, Iowa. It has about 1,227 undergraduate students. It admits 86% of applicants. The average net price for students with federal aid is $20,460 a year.

At a glance

  • 86%Admission rate
  • $20,460Net price a year
  • 63%Graduation rate
  • $57,816Median earnings, 10 years on
Location
Indianola, Iowa 50125
Type
Private nonprofit
Degrees
Mostly bachelor's degrees (four-year)
Setting
Town near a city
Undergraduate students
1,227
Graduate students
16
Students per teacher
12 to 1
Accredited by
Higher Learning Commission
Website
simpson.edu

Getting in

Simpson College admits 86% of those who apply, which makes it open to most applicants. The median admission rate of colleges on this site that report one is 77%. The average SAT score of admitted students is 1440 out of 1600 (midpoints: 525 in reading and writing, 560 in maths). The midpoint ACT score is 24 out of 36.

What it costs

Tuition and fees for a year$48,988
Room and meals on campus$11,000
Books and supplies$1,034
Average full cost of a year (tuition, living, books), before aid$63,127
Average net price after grants and scholarships$20,460

The net price is what students who got federal aid paid on average for a year after grants and scholarships were taken off. It is 4% below the median net price of colleges in Iowa on this site ($21,412). International students normally pay the published tuition and do not receive US federal aid.

Net price by family income

Family income a yearAverage net price
Up to $30,000$16,952
$30,001 to $48,000$15,874
$48,001 to $75,000$15,833
$75,001 to $110,000$17,923
Above $110,000$27,045

For students who received federal aid. A negative figure means grants were larger than the cost counted.

For an estimate that fits your own family, use the college's net price calculator.

Results

MeasureThis collegeIA medianUS median
Students who come back for a second year81%73%73%
Students who finish their degree (within one and a half times the normal length)63%54%49%
Median earnings 10 years after starting$57,816$57,656$53,132
Median federal loan debt of those who finish$26,000$21,381$19,994

Medians are the middle value of the colleges on this site in Iowa and in the whole country. Completion and return rates count first-time, full-time students. Earnings and debt count students who received federal aid.

The students

40% of undergraduates receive a Pell Grant, the federal grant for students from lower-income families. 72% take a federal student loan. The undergraduate body is 50% women and 50% men. By undergraduate numbers it is number 22 of the 43 colleges in Iowa on this site that report a size; the middle-sized one has 1,227.

Other colleges in Iowa of a similar size

Common questions

What is the acceptance rate of Simpson College?

Simpson College admits 86% of applicants, according to the College Scorecard.

How much is tuition at Simpson College?

Published tuition and fees are $48,988 a year. Most students with aid pay less: see the net price.

What is the graduation rate of Simpson College?

63% of first-time, full-time students finish within one and a half times the normal length of the course.

Source: College Scorecard, U.S. Department of Education, data released on 2 November 2026; checked in November 2026. Net price, debt and earnings describe students who received US federal aid. Costs change each year. This is official data for general information, not advice: confirm costs and admission rules on the college's own website and at collegescorecard.ed.gov.

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