One Iowa school lands in U.S. News' top 100 universities for 2027

One Iowa university ranked in the top 100 schools for U.S. News' Best Colleges list.

U.S. News & World Report has released its 2027 Best Colleges rankings , with Iowa universities appearing in categories like National Universities and National Liberal Arts Colleges.

U.S. News evaluated more than 1,700 U.S. colleges and universities based on 17 factors to measure academic quality and graduate success, according to the 2026 methodology. Criteria included graduation rate, first-year retention, and graduation performance rate, among other indicators, to determine the best school.

Here are the Iowa schools that made the rankings.

Which Iowa university ranked the best, according to U.S. News?

The University of Iowa was the state's only school to rank among the nation's top 100 National Universities, coming in a nine-way tie with schools such as the University of San Diego and Creighton University at No. 100.

Iowa improved in its standing after being ranked No. 102 in 2026 . Among public schools, Iowa was tied for No. 46 in the country.

Iowa State University was the second-best university in Iowa, rising to No. 116 in 2027 from No. 117 the previous year. ISU ranked No. 55 among public universities.

Here are the highest-ranking national universities in Iowa for 2026, according to U.S. News.

Other Iowa schools to receive recognition include the University of Northern Iowa , which was named the top public university in the Midwest; and Dordt University , which is the No. 6 private school in the Midwest.

Which Iowa liberal arts college ranked the best?

Grinnell College maintained its placement as the No. 1 liberal arts college in Iowa, according to U.S. News. Nationally, the college ranked No. 16. This is a drop from 2026 , when Grinnell ranked No. 13.

Here are the top-ranked Iowa liberal arts colleges in 2027, according to U.S. News.

Other Iowa colleges recognized in the rankings included Central College in Pella, Simpson College in Indianola and Wartburg College in Waverly, which were ranked 13th, eighth and seventh, respectively, among regional colleges in the Midwest.

What are the top 5 universities nationally?

These are the top five national universities for 2027, according to U.S. News:

Des Moines Register reporter Kate Kealey contributed to this report.

Cooper Worth is a service/trending reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at cworth@gannett.com or follow him on X @CooperAWorth.