Federal enrolment data · Fall 2023 · Iowa
Online colleges in Iowa
Across the 49 Iowa colleges the federal government holds distance-education figures for, 35,034 students (18%) were enrolled entirely at a distance in Fall 2023, and 49% took at least one distance course. 13 of those colleges enrol at least a quarter of their students that way; they are listed below, largest online intake first.
Colleges with federal figures
49
In Iowa
Students studying entirely online
35,034
18% of the 196,741 enrolled at those colleges
Took at least one distance course
49%
Fully online plus part-distance study
Colleges on the list below
13
At least 25% of students studying entirely online AND at least 50 of them. CampusPin thresholds, not federal categories.
Why your state still matters for online study
Distance study has no postcode, but the price and the paperwork do. Most public institutions charge residents less than non-residents, including for online courses at many of them, and states authorise which out-of-state institutions may enrol their residents at all. Starting from the colleges in Iowa is therefore usually starting from the cheaper and simpler end, which is the only sense in which an online college is “in” a state.
Iowa colleges where students actually study online
Every Iowa college where at least 25% of students were enrolled entirely at a distance and at least 50students did so, ordered by how many. Share alone would let a twenty-student campus open the list ahead of a community college teaching thousands at a distance. It is a measurement of enrolment, not a ranking, and nobody paid to be on it.
2,330 of 3,102 students enrolled entirely at a distance, and 340 more took at least one distance course · private · published tuition $19,000 in-state.
2,053 of 7,128 students enrolled entirely at a distance, and 1,386 more took at least one distance course · public · published tuition $4,680 in-state / $6,299 out-of-state.
1,992 of 2,657 students enrolled entirely at a distance · private · published tuition $25,220 in-state.
1,719 of 5,071 students enrolled entirely at a distance, and 1,780 more took at least one distance course · public · published tuition $5,042 in-state / $5,186 out-of-state.
1,662 of 5,503 students enrolled entirely at a distance, and 1,869 more took at least one distance course · public · published tuition $6,780 in-state / $6,930 out-of-state.
1,589 of 2,666 students enrolled entirely at a distance, and 377 more took at least one distance course · private · published tuition $16,530 in-state.
1,151 of 1,951 students enrolled entirely at a distance, and 98 more took at least one distance course · private · published tuition $40,190 in-state.
1,031 of 2,158 students enrolled entirely at a distance · private · published tuition $38,190 in-state.
685 of 1,792 students enrolled entirely at a distance, and 451 more took at least one distance course · public · published tuition $7,110 in-state / $7,410 out-of-state.
481 of 1,870 students enrolled entirely at a distance, and 850 more took at least one distance course · public · published tuition $5,304 in-state / $5,808 out-of-state.
313 of 1,195 students enrolled entirely at a distance, and 153 more took at least one distance course · private · published tuition $33,220 in-state.
239 of 907 students enrolled entirely at a distance, and 455 more took at least one distance course · private · published tuition $17,328 in-state.
190 of 586 students enrolled entirely at a distance, and 125 more took at least one distance course · private · published tuition $19,530 in-state.
Tuition shown is the published institution-wide rate, not the price of an online programme. Many colleges price online study on a separate schedule, and some charge a single rate regardless of where the student lives, so treat them as headline figures for the institution and confirm the online rate with the institution.
What this list is not
- It is not the complete set of your options. It counts students, not programmes. A college below the threshold may run an excellent online degree that few students happened to take exclusively that term, and residents of Iowa can enrol with institutions anywhere.
- It is not a ranking. A high share describes how an institution enrols, not how good it is. Some of the largest shares belong to institutions worth reading carefully before applying, which is why every row links to the full profile with cost, debt and graduation figures.
- It is one term. These are Fall 2023 enrolments, on the federal reporting cycle.
Next steps in Iowa
Other states
Source & methodology
Enrolment figures are from the U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS Fall Enrollment (distance education status), Fall 2023. Published tuition and control are from CampusPin's committed institution snapshot. Federal data is public domain; credit the U.S. Department of Education.
Distance-education figures count STUDENTS enrolled in Fall 2023, not programs on offer. "Exclusively at a distance" means a student took only distance courses that term. A college with few or no such students may still run online courses or an online degree, so a low figure is not evidence that online study is unavailable, and a high one is not a judgement of quality either way.
Suggested citation
CampusPin. (2026). Online study at Iowa colleges. Retrieved from https://campuspin.com/online-colleges-in/iowa
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