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2021 Best Colleges in Iowa for Students from Saudi Arabia

6 Colleges
$30,537 Avg Tuition & Fees*
46% Avg 4-Year Grad Rate*

With all of the options international students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our Best Colleges for Saudi Arabian Students in Iowa ranking is part of that endeavor.

We analyzed 6 colleges and universities across Iowa to determine which were the best for Saudi Arabian students in Iowa. To come up with this ranking, we look at a number of factors that are all objective measurements. These factors include the school's overall quality as determined by our Best Colleges ranking and the percentage of international students on campus.

See what other factors we include in our ranking methodology.

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We've developed a number of other tools and rankings to help you make your college decision. Start by filtering this list by location and then explore our other rankings that feature schools great for different groups of students such as online students or returnings adults.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Top Colleges in Iowa for Students from Saudi Arabia

See which schools came out on top of our ranking:

1

Our analysis found Iowa State University to be the best school for Saudi Arabian students in Iowa in this year’s ranking. Iowa State University is a large public school located in Ames, Iowa that handed out 6,998 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 8.1% of the total student body at the school. The top three countries sending students to study at Iowa State are China, India, and Malaysia.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.

Full Iowa State University Report

2

Out of the 6 schools in Iowa that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Northern Iowa landed the #2 spot on the list. Cedar Falls, Iowa is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 2,555 students in 2020-2021.

International students make up 3.5% of the total student body at the school. Students from as far away as Saudi Arabia, China, and Mexico come to UNI to study.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on University of Northern Iowa

3
Iowa crest
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA

The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at University of Iowa helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools for Saudi Arabian students in Iowa. Located in Iowa City, Iowa, the large public school awarded 5,998 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 5.9% are international. The top three countries sending students to study at Iowa are China, South Korea, and India.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on University of Iowa

4

Out of the 6 schools in Iowa that were part of this year’s ranking, Saint Ambrose University landed the #4 spot on the list. Saint Ambrose University is a small private not-for-profit school located in Davenport, Iowa that handed out 626 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 2.3% are international. Students from as far away as Saudi Arabia, India, and United Kingdom come to St. Ambrose University to study.

Full Saint Ambrose University Report

5

The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at University of Dubuque helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools for Saudi Arabian students in Iowa. UD is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Dubuque, Iowa. It awarded 423 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 4.8% of the total student body at the school. Students from as far away as Saudi Arabia, China, and Taiwan come to UD to study.

Read full report on University of Dubuque

6
Mount Mercy crest
Mount Mercy University
Cedar Rapids, IA

Mount Mercy University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Saudi Arabian Students in Iowa ranking. Mount Mercy University is a small private not-for-profit school located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa that handed out 430 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 3.2% of the total student population at the school is international. The top three countries sending students to study at Mount Mercy are Germany, Serbia, and United Kingdom.

Read full report on Mount Mercy University

Best Colleges for International Students in the Plains States Region

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Notes and References

Footnotes

*Avg Tuition and Fees and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top 6 schools only.

References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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