Dordt University was recognized as one of Iowa’s top-ranked private colleges by Stacker. The news group looked at 2024 data from Niche, which ranks schools based on a variety of factors including academics, value for money, professors, campus, and diversity.
Niche also assigned letter grades to each of the 21 private colleges and universities in Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota that were included on the list. Of the 21 colleges and universities, five private colleges and universities received a letter grade of A- or higher. Dordt earned an A-, as did Augustana University of Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Creighton University of Omaha, Nebraska; and College of Saint Mary, of Omaha, Nebraska. Only one private college—Grinnell College of Grinnell, Iowa—outranked Dordt by receiving a letter grade of A.
“Private and public schools play important roles in the postsecondary landscape, offering top-tier education and valuable opportunities outside the classroom,” says a Stacker report. “But some characteristics of private institutions—namely size, reputation, and flexibility—make them more appealing to prospective students.”
Some of the unique characteristics of private colleges include that they “generally offer smaller classes and, by extension, more direct instruction and support.” This is true of Dordt University, which has repeatedly been named a top 10 school on the U.S. News and World Report Best Colleges’ “Best Undergraduate Teaching among Regional Universities (Midwest)” list, highlighting how Dordt faculty and administrators are committed to teaching undergraduates in a high-quality manner.
And graduates from “from more selective colleges with name recognition generally tend to have higher earning,” adds the Stacker report. Dordt’s 2023 graduates saw an increase in starting salaries compared to the starting salaries of 2022 graduates: the average salary for the class of 2023 stands at $49,126, a $1,207 from the previous year.
For more on the best private colleges in the Siouxland tri-states, see this article from KELO.
About Dordt University
As an institution of higher education committed to the Reformed Christian perspective, Dordt University equips students, faculty, alumni, and the broader community to work toward Christ-centered renewal in all aspects of contemporary life. Located in Sioux Center, Iowa, Dordt is a comprehensive university named to the best college lists by U.S. News and World Report, the Wall Street Journal, Times Higher Education, Forbes.com, Washington Monthly, and Princeton Review.
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