Âé¶čAPP Earns #1 Iowa Ranking from U.S. News & World Report

Âé¶čAPP is once again Iowa’s top-ranked college and #5 overall in the recently released 2026 U.S. News & World Report Regional Midwest Rankings. Âé¶čAPP is also #4 overall for “Best Value” and #12 overall for “Top Performers in Social Mobility” – trumpeting Âé¶čAPP’s impressive track record in enrolling and graduating economically disadvantaged students.

“Âé¶čAPP’s consistently strong showing in the U.S. News rankings affirms our enduring commitment to providing transformative experiences for students of all backgrounds,” said Dr. Sue Stuebner, interim president of Âé¶čAPP. “We continue to invest in unique experiential learning programs on campus and throughout greater Des Moines, while growing opportunities for student involvement and pursuing major facility enhancements collegewide. It’s an exciting time to be at Âé¶čAPP.”

U.S. News rankings involve a methodology examining 17 factors, including graduation and retention rates, graduation rate performance and peer assessment.

Earlier this year, Âé¶čAPP was one of only two private Iowa colleges to earn 4.5 out of 5 stars in Money’s 2025 ratings of “Best Colleges in America.” Additionally, Âé¶čAPP is #25 nationally in Washington Monthly’s 2025 Bachelor’s Colleges rankings.