Simpson College

Private · Moderately Selective · IA

Photo: Ser Amantio di Nicolao (CC0)

School data & stats

TypePrivate

LocationIA · Midwest

SettingRural

Undergrads1,227

Student:faculty12:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate51.4%

6-yr grad rate63.3%

Drop-out rate18.7%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$48k

Out-of-state tuition$48k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity27.5%

Gender diversity49.5%

International2.7%

IdentityUnited Methodist

Overview

Simpson College is a small liberal arts college in Indianola, a few miles south of Des Moines, affiliated with the United Methodist Church. It combines a traditional liberal-arts core with practical, career-oriented majors, and its size keeps students in close contact with faculty across departments.

Academics

Music is the program most often mentioned alongside Simpson, anchored by the campus's unusual relationship with the Des Moines Metro Opera, which is headquartered on the grounds and gives voice and vocal-performance students access to a professional opera company most conservatories cannot match. Business, education, and the sciences are also established programs, and the Des Moines metro area supplies a steady stream of internships in finance, insurance, and government that students can reach without relocating.

Campus & student life

The campus sits in a small college town built around it, with a short drive into Des Moines giving students access to a larger city without the college itself feeling urban. Greek life and athletics (Simpson competes in NCAA Division III) are visible parts of student life, and the compact campus makes it easy to be involved in several activities at once.

Getting in

Simpson's application looks at the whole student rather than a single number, with essays and, for music applicants, an audition playing a real role in the decision — voice and instrumental hopefuls should expect the audition to matter as much as the transcript.

Worth knowing

Prospective music students should know Simpson's opera pipeline is a real differentiator, not a marketing line — the Des Moines Metro Opera's summer season draws professional singers to campus and creates genuine proximity for vocal performance majors.

simpson.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate86.2%

Enrolled mid-50%ACT 31–33

Test policyoptional

Rec letters0

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

AdmissionRolling

Applying