Grinnell at a Glance | Grinnell College
Source: https://grinnell.edu/about/grinnell-glance
Archived: 2026-04-23 17:13
Grinnell at a Glance | Grinnell College
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Grinnell at a Glance
Here’s the quick version.
We were founded in 1846. We’re a private, coed, residential liberal arts and sciences college in Grinnell, Iowa. Around 9,000 people live in our town. About 1,625 students attend the College. We call ourselves Grinnellians. We’re committed to contributing to the common good, and we’re consistently ranked among the nation’s best liberal arts colleges.
Our Academics
We provide individually advised learning for the intellectually motivated. A place where freedom and academic rigor coexist and complement each other. And our curriculum has only one class that is required for all students. The rest is up to you.
9:1 student-faculty ratio
500+ course offerings every year
Most classes have fewer than 20 students
Degrees in 28 major fields with 17 concentrations
3,000 internship opportunities in the United States and abroad
40% of students complete a Mentored Advanced Project (MAP)
Explore further
Our Community
Social responsibility, cultural awareness, and mutual respect are big for us. This is place where diverse perspectives collide and differences are celebrated. As thoughtful citizens, we take ownership of the well-being of our community.
500+ free events, lectures, performances, and symposia each year
100+ student groups
0 fraternities and sororities
20 NCAA Division III varsity sports
Find out more
Our Campus
120 acres in total, halfway between Des Moines and Iowa City.
63 buildings ranging in style from Collegiate Gothic to Bauhaus
1 million books and documents in Burling Library
365-acre Conard Environmental Research Area (CERA) down the road from campus
10 distinct ecosystems observed at CERA, with 113 recorded bird species
Discover Grinnell
Our Students
Grinnellians represent nearly all 50 states and 60 countries. 24% identify as people of color, and 19%
of our students come from outside of the U.S
. More than half of students will study off campus.
Our top home states:
Illinois
California
Iowa
Minnesota
Texas
Top home countries:
China
India
Vietnam
Japan
South Korea
Learn About Us
Before They Got Here
720–770
SAT Evidence-based Reading and Writing (mid-50% score range)
730-790
SAT Math (mid-50% score range)
32–35
ACT Composite (mid-50% score range)
Once They Got Here
52%
of students complete at least one independent study course
2/3
of students participate in community service projects
25
%
of students compete in varsity NCAA athletics
Our Graduates
Our alumni do important and fulfilling work in industries, graduate programs, and communities of all kinds. Many Grinnellians are awarded prestigious fellowships, travel the world, and conduct research under the aegis of the Fulbright Program, the Watson Foundation, and more.
Go on to some great graduate schools.
51% of Grinnellians hold an advanced degree ten years after graduation. Here are a few places graduates have gone:
California Institute of Technology
University of California
University of Cambridge
Carnegie Mellon University
University of Chicago
Columbia University
University of Iowa
Emory University
University of Kansas
Harvard University
University of Michigan
Northwestern University
University of Virginia
Washington University in St. Louis
Union Theological Seminary
Yale University
Go on to work at pretty extraordinary places.
Grinnellians were hired at a wide variety of organizations, including consulting agencies, investment banking firms, museums and galleries, government organizations, technology firms, healthcare facilities, educational and other social service organizations, and scientific research facilities.
3M
JPMorgan Chase & Co.
American Public Media
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Collins Aerospace
Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Microsoft
Department of Justice
Northwest Justice Project
Epic
Smithsonian Institution
Google
Teach for America
Habitat for Humanity
Woods Hole Oceanographic Inst.
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Skip to main content
Grinnell at a Glance
Here’s the quick version.
We were founded in 1846. We’re a private, coed, residential liberal arts and sciences college in Grinnell, Iowa. Around 9,000 people live in our town. About 1,625 students attend the College. We call ourselves Grinnellians. We’re committed to contributing to the common good, and we’re consistently ranked among the nation’s best liberal arts colleges.
Our Academics
We provide individually advised learning for the intellectually motivated. A place where freedom and academic rigor coexist and complement each other. And our curriculum has only one class that is required for all students. The rest is up to you.
9:1 student-faculty ratio
500+ course offerings every year
Most classes have fewer than 20 students
Degrees in 28 major fields with 17 concentrations
3,000 internship opportunities in the United States and abroad
40% of students complete a Mentored Advanced Project (MAP)
Explore further
Our Community
Social responsibility, cultural awareness, and mutual respect are big for us. This is place where diverse perspectives collide and differences are celebrated. As thoughtful citizens, we take ownership of the well-being of our community.
500+ free events, lectures, performances, and symposia each year
100+ student groups
0 fraternities and sororities
20 NCAA Division III varsity sports
Find out more
Our Campus
120 acres in total, halfway between Des Moines and Iowa City.
63 buildings ranging in style from Collegiate Gothic to Bauhaus
1 million books and documents in Burling Library
365-acre Conard Environmental Research Area (CERA) down the road from campus
10 distinct ecosystems observed at CERA, with 113 recorded bird species
Discover Grinnell
Our Students
Grinnellians represent nearly all 50 states and 60 countries. 24% identify as people of color, and 19%
of our students come from outside of the U.S
. More than half of students will study off campus.
Our top home states:
Illinois
California
Iowa
Minnesota
Texas
Top home countries:
China
India
Vietnam
Japan
South Korea
Learn About Us
Before They Got Here
720–770
SAT Evidence-based Reading and Writing (mid-50% score range)
730-790
SAT Math (mid-50% score range)
32–35
ACT Composite (mid-50% score range)
Once They Got Here
52%
of students complete at least one independent study course
2/3
of students participate in community service projects
25
%
of students compete in varsity NCAA athletics
Our Graduates
Our alumni do important and fulfilling work in industries, graduate programs, and communities of all kinds. Many Grinnellians are awarded prestigious fellowships, travel the world, and conduct research under the aegis of the Fulbright Program, the Watson Foundation, and more.
Go on to some great graduate schools.
51% of Grinnellians hold an advanced degree ten years after graduation. Here are a few places graduates have gone:
California Institute of Technology
University of California
University of Cambridge
Carnegie Mellon University
University of Chicago
Columbia University
University of Iowa
Emory University
University of Kansas
Harvard University
University of Michigan
Northwestern University
University of Virginia
Washington University in St. Louis
Union Theological Seminary
Yale University
Go on to work at pretty extraordinary places.
Grinnellians were hired at a wide variety of organizations, including consulting agencies, investment banking firms, museums and galleries, government organizations, technology firms, healthcare facilities, educational and other social service organizations, and scientific research facilities.
3M
JPMorgan Chase & Co.
American Public Media
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Collins Aerospace
Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Microsoft
Department of Justice
Northwest Justice Project
Epic
Smithsonian Institution
Teach for America
Habitat for Humanity
Woods Hole Oceanographic Inst.
We use cookies to enable essential services and functionality on our site, enhance your user experience, provide better service through personalized content, collect data on how visitors interact with our site, and enable advertising services.
To accept the use of cookies and continue on to the site, click "I Agree." For more information about our use of cookies and how to opt out, please refer to our website privacy policy.