Simpson College
Private College in Indianola, IA. Six-year graduation rate 63%. Median 10-year earnings $59,274.
The median ten-year earnings figure of $59,274 sits near the national middle rather than at either extreme. 63% finish within six years — respectable, though a meaningful share still leave without a credential. Median debt at graduation is $26,000, roughly typical for an undergraduate degree.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
Admissions
Simpson College admits 86% of applicants — effectively open admission, so the application is a formality rather than a hurdle. The applicant pool runs to 2,046, typical for a school of this reach. About 22% of admitted students enroll, a yield in the normal range. Read the score bands below narrowly: only 2% of enrolled first-years submitted an ACT score, and test-optional applicants are not represented in them.
Test score bands (middle 50% of submitters)
These bands describe the enrolled first-years who submitted a score, not the entering class. Where most students apply test-optional the submitters are a self-selected, higher-scoring group.
| Test | 25th–75th percentile | Submitted |
|---|---|---|
| SAT Evidence-Based Reading | — | — |
| SAT Math | — | |
| ACT Composite | 31–33 | 6 (2%) |
IPEDS Admissions · 2024
Apply at Simpson College →Academics
Completion is middling: 63% finish inside six years. First-year retention of 81% shows the cohort holds together through the hardest year. The two rates sit near each other: few students who return for a second year are missing from the six-year completion figure. A 12:1 ratio points to small classes and accessible faculty. As a private nonprofit four-year college, the relevant comparison is other four-year schools rather than the national average across all institutions.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 1,130 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Net price lands at $23,282 a year on average, neither cheap nor punishing. Aid is steeply need-based: families in the $0–30k band pay $17,941 while those at $110k+ pay $26,586. Grant aid is widespread — 98% of students receive it, averaging $36,542. Most students borrow — 71% take federal loans to cover the gap.
Entering first-year students
A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 342 students
Net price by family income
The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.
| Family income band | Average net price |
|---|---|
| $0–30k | $17,941 |
| $30–48k | $15,764 |
| $48–75k | $19,176 |
| $75–110k | $22,468 |
| $110k+ | $26,586 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 805 of these 1,130 students, totalling $5,152,739 — an average of $6,401 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Warren County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)