William Penn University

Private · Moderately Selective · IA

School data & stats

TypePrivate

LocationIA · Midwest

SettingRural

Undergrads1,301

Student:faculty15:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate22%

6-yr grad rate32.6%

Drop-out rate41.8%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$30k

Out-of-state tuition$30k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity44%

Gender diversity46.7%

International6.3%

IdentityFriends

Overview

William Penn University, in Oskaloosa, Iowa, was founded by Quakers, a heritage still reflected in the university's stated emphasis on leadership, ethics, and community even as the student body and programs have grown well beyond that founding tradition.

Academics

Business, education, and health-related fields are the most popular career-oriented programs, taught in small classes typical of the university's size. The curriculum favors direct career preparation over an open-ended liberal-arts exploration model.

Campus & student life

Oskaloosa is a small Iowa town, and athletics play an unusually large role in student life and identity — the university fields a wide range of NAIA teams and a large share of students participate in some form of varsity athletics, which shapes much of the social calendar.

Worth knowing

The scale of athletic participation is a real and distinctive part of campus culture here, more central to student life than at most colleges this size, and prospective students who are not interested in athletics should know it shapes the surrounding social environment.

wmpenn.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate51.9%

Enrolled mid-50%SAT 880–1110 · ACT 16–22

Test policyoptional

Rec letters0

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

Applying