By Glyn Caddell, BSME · Author of Digital SAT Math Secrets · Tutoring since 2008 — Updated November 10, 2026
Four Iowa universities hold AACSB-accredited business schools, Iowa State, Iowa, Drake and Northern Iowa, and this page lists the SAT and ACT scores of the students they admit, what each costs a New York student, and what the Tippie College of Business asks before it admits a student directly.
All four report both tests, a tie, so the table leads with the SAT.
Tippie guarantees direct admission at a 3.60 GPA with a 26 ACT or 1230 SAT, both required, and a student with one of the two is reviewed if space allows.
Table of Contents
- Iowa Business Colleges by SAT and ACT Score
- What Does It Take to Enter the Tippie College of Business?
- Which Iowa Universities Have AACSB-Accredited Business Schools?
- What If Your Score Is Below the Range You Want?
Iowa Business Colleges by SAT and ACT Score
Iowa’s four AACSB-accredited business schools are the Ivy College of Business at Iowa State University in Ames, the Tippie College of Business at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, the Zimpleman College of Business at Drake University in Des Moines and the Wilson College of Business at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, and the table below lists each with its SAT and ACT ranges, cost of attendance, enrollment and admit rate. Three are public and one private, all four report both tests, and the rows are sorted by the midpoint of the SAT Math range, so the order can be checked from the table itself.
| College | SAT Reading & Writing | SAT Math | ACT composite | Business school | Cost of attendance | Undergraduates | Admit rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iowa State University | 560 to 670 | 560 to 690 | 21 to 28 | Ivy College of Business | $24,018 | 25,367 | 89% |
| University of Iowa | 570 to 670 | 560 to 660 | 21 to 28 | Tippie College of Business | $28,596 | 22,264 | 84% |
| Drake University | 580 to 680 | 530 to 670 | 24 to 29 | Zimpleman College of Business | $64,835 | 2,543 | 64% |
| University of Northern Iowa | 520 to 650 | 500 to 630 | 19 to 26 |
A student can see where his Math score sits on this ladder in the image above.
Want to Know What 5 Topics Will Improve Your SAT Score the Most?
Sample Feedback from our Diagnostic Test:
Iowa State University
Iowa State University in Ames awards its business degrees through the Ivy College of Business, and Iowa State reports a Math range of 560 to 690, the highest on the page, and charges a New Yorker $28,881, $4,490 less than the flagship.
Reading & Writing 560 to 670, Math 560 to 690. ACT composite 21 to 28. The top quarter of admitted students scored at or above 690 on Math and 28 on the ACT. Cost of attendance $24,018, with tuition and fees at $10,787 in-state and $28,881 out-of-state. 25,367 undergraduates, 89% admitted.
Iowa State is the largest campus on the page, 3,103 undergraduates ahead of Iowa, and its 690 Math ceiling is 30 points above Iowa’s 660 on the same 560 floor, with the same 21 to 28 on the ACT. A student declares the Business Administration BBA at 45 earned credits and holds the undergraduate pre-major before that, with no GPA on the catalog page [VERIFY]. The cost of attendance in the table is a resident’s. A non-resident’s comes to approximately $42,112 once the higher tuition is substituted, and the $28,881 that drives it is $87 above Purdue’s $28,794 and $561 above the University of Idaho’s $28,320, with a premium of $18,094 over a resident.
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa in Iowa City awards its business degrees through the Tippie College of Business, and Iowa is the one university on the page that publishes a numeric guarantee of direct admission to its business school, a 3.60 GPA with a 26 ACT or 1230 SAT, the subject of the next section.
Reading & Writing 570 to 670, Math 560 to 660. ACT composite 21 to 28. The top quarter of admitted students scored at or above 660 on Math and 28 on the ACT. Cost of attendance $28,596, with tuition and fees at $11,283 in-state and $33,371 out-of-state. 22,264 undergraduates, 84% admitted.
Iowa’s Reading & Writing range of 570 to 670 is 10 points above Iowa State’s at the floor, and its Math range sits 30 points under Iowa State’s at the top. The cost of attendance in the table is a resident’s. A non-resident’s comes to approximately $50,684 with the higher tuition substituted, and the $33,371 that drives it is $4,577 above Purdue’s and $8,520 below Indiana University-Bloomington’s $41,891, with a premium of $22,088 over a resident, the largest on the page.
Drake University
Drake University in Des Moines awards its business degrees through the Zimpleman College of Business, and Drake is the one private on the page, admits 64% of applicants, the lowest rate of the four, and reports the highest ACT range, 24 to 29.
Reading & Writing 580 to 680, Math 530 to 670. ACT composite 24 to 29. The top quarter of admitted students scored at or above 670 on Math and 29 on the ACT. Cost of attendance $64,835, with tuition and fees at $52,130 for all students. 2,543 undergraduates, 64% admitted.
Drake’s $52,130 is $18,759 above what Iowa charges a New Yorker, and its 580 Reading & Writing floor is the highest on the page. Its 530 Math floor is 30 points under Iowa State’s and Iowa’s, and its 670 ceiling sits between them. Four years of tuition is $208,520.
University of Northern Iowa
The University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls awards its business degrees through the Wilson College of Business, and Northern Iowa admits 93% of applicants, the highest rate on the page, and charges a New Yorker $21,712, the lowest tuition of the four.
Reading & Writing 520 to 650, Math 500 to 630. ACT composite 19 to 26. The top quarter of admitted students scored at or above 630 on Math and 26 on the ACT. Cost of attendance $22,278, with tuition and fees at $9,936 in-state and $21,712 out-of-state. 7,529 undergraduates, 93% admitted.
Northern Iowa’s $21,712 is $11,659 below Iowa’s and $7,169 below Iowa State’s, with a premium of $11,776 over a resident, the smallest on the page. Its 500 Math floor is 60 points under the two larger publics’. The cost of attendance in the table is a resident’s, and a non-resident’s comes to approximately $34,054 with the higher tuition substituted. Four years of tuition is $86,848.
Four rows say who got into the university. The next section is about the one business school on the page that says, in numbers, who gets into it.
What Does It Take to Enter the Tippie College of Business?
A student enters the Tippie College of Business at the University of Iowa directly from high school with a guaranteed admission at a 3.60 GPA and a 26 ACT or 1230 SAT, both required and neither superscored, or in his second year through standard admission with 24 hours, a 2.75 on three GPAs and five passed courses.
Tippie’s first-year admission page puts the first door in one sentence: “Admission directly out of high school is guaranteed to students who meet the following two criteria:” a 3.60 high school GPA on a 4.0 scale, weighted or unweighted, and a composite ACT of 26 or higher or an SAT of 1230 or higher. The page adds that scores are not superscored, so the 1230 is one sitting. A student who meets one of the two criteria is reviewed “if space allows,” and a student still working toward the line can send first-semester or second-trimester grades and scores from the February test dates [VERIFY every item on the page].
A student who meets neither has two places to start. He can start in the Economics BA or BS, with a Regent Admission Index of 245 for an Iowa resident and 255 for a resident of another state, or he can start “as a prebusiness student in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.” Either way he is a University of Iowa student who is not a Tippie student, and his second chance comes in the second year.
The second door is standard admission, and Tippie’s 2026-27 sheet lists six items. At least 24 semester hours of college credit, earned at Iowa or transferred in. A minimum of 2.75 on each of three GPAs, the prerequisite GPA, the UI GPA and the cumulative GPA. Passing grades in ECON:1100, STAT:1030, RHET:1030, BAIS:1500 and MATH:1350, with MATH:1005 at a C- or an ALEKS score of 55 accepted in place of the math. No academic misconduct. The Pre-Admission Requirement form. And the application before May 1 for fall or before December 1 for spring. The sheet heads the list “Criteria to be considered for standard admission,” and Tippie’s transfer page says “Students interested in applying to our BBA program must apply as a Standard Admit.” The first door says guaranteed. The second says considered.
Iowa State’s door is a count. A student declares the Business Administration BBA once he has earned 45 credits and holds the undergraduate pre-major until then, and the catalog page states no GPA for the declaration [VERIFY in the Ivy College’s own admission rules]. Northern Iowa’s Wilson College and Drake’s Zimpleman College admit business majors on the university application [VERIFY both].
Set against the earlier pages, Tippie is the one business school in this grid so far that guarantees the first door by number. On our page on business colleges in Indiana, Kelley ended its 3.8 and 1370 line for students entering fall 2026 and reads an inventory instead. On our page on business colleges in Idaho, Boise State has no first door at all, only nine courses and a 2.5 at the second. Tippie kept the first door and put two locks on it.
| Door | Who | What Tippie asks | What happens |
|---|---|---|---|
| Direct admission | A high school senior applying to Iowa with the BBA | A 3.60 GPA, weighted or unweighted, and a 26 ACT or 1230 SAT, not superscored | Guaranteed |
| One of the two | The same senior with the GPA or the score | The same application | Reviewed if space allows |
| Neither | The same senior | The Economics BA or BS at a 255 RAI for a non-resident, or prebusiness in Liberal Arts and Sciences | Admitted to the university, not to the BBA |
| Standard admission | A prebusiness, Economics or other Iowa student in his second year | 24 hours, a 2.75 prerequisite, UI and cumulative GPA, passing grades in ECON:1100, STAT:1030, RHET:1030, BAIS:1500 and MATH:1350, no misconduct, the PAR form, by May 1 or December 1 |
The image above shows the two doors into Tippie and the numbers on each.
Does a 1300 SAT Get a Student Into Tippie Directly?
No, a 1300 SAT alone does not get a student into the Tippie College of Business directly, because the 1300 clears Tippie’s 1230 line and the guarantee requires a 3.60 GPA as well, so a 1300 with a GPA under 3.60 is reviewed if space allows rather than admitted.
The score is not superscored, so the 1300 has to come from one sitting, and a higher score does not buy back the GPA. A student with a 3.60 and a 1230 is guaranteed a seat that a student with a 3.5 and a 1300 is not, and the second student’s path is the review, or a year as prebusiness and a 2.75.
Two locks on the first door, a 2.75 at the second. Which schools hold the accreditation is the next section.
Which Iowa Universities Have AACSB-Accredited Business Schools?
Four Iowa universities hold business accreditation from AACSB International, three public and one private, and the list below names each with its city and the school that awards the business degree [VERIFY all four on the AACSB directory before publishing].
- Iowa State University in Ames awards its business degrees through the AACSB-accredited Ivy College of Business.
- The University of Iowa in Iowa City awards its business degrees through the AACSB-accredited Tippie College of Business.
- The University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls awards its business degrees through the AACSB-accredited Wilson College of Business.
- Drake University in Des Moines awards its business degrees through the AACSB-accredited Zimpleman College of Business.
Accreditation matters for a reason that is easy to miss at seventeen. Business itself is not a licensed profession, and the one business degree that leads to a license, accounting, leads to it through the state board rather than through the school. A CPA in Iowa normally sits with a bachelor’s and an accounting concentration or 24 accounting hours, and licenses through one of three pathways that trade a second year of experience, 30 extra hours or a master’s degree against one another [VERIFY on the board’s page]. AACSB status matters on the way there because business schools use it to decide whose courses they will accept in transfer.
Luther College in Decorah and Coe College in Cedar Rapids report the two highest private Math ranges in the state, 528 to 738 and 530 to 650, admit 72% and 64%, charge every student $52,120 and $54,666, and have no AACSB-accredited business school [VERIFY both]. Simpson College in Indianola shows an ACT range of 31 to 33 in the Scorecard on an 86% admit rate and no SAT range, a figure a family should confirm on Simpson’s own page before relying on it, and no AACSB business school [VERIFY]. Dordt University in Sioux Center reports 530 to 660 on Math, admits 68% and charges $37,050. St. Ambrose University in Davenport reports 440 to 590, admits 77% and charges $36,658. Grand View University in Des Moines admits 99% and charges $34,762, Upper Iowa University in Fayette charges $19,475, Wartburg College in Waverly $26,250 and Central College in Pella $20,988. Maharishi International University in Fairfield charges $16,530. Each awards a business degree under the ACBSP, the IACBE or no business accreditor [VERIFY each], and none is a row.
Nothing on this page ranks the four. They are three public universities and one private with the same accreditor, one guarantee at Tippie’s first door, two flagships $4,490 apart, and the pages for business colleges in Illinois, business colleges in Minnesota and business colleges in Wisconsin carry the schools a student looking at Iowa is likely comparing.
What If Your Scores Are Below the Range You Want?
In Iowa the two larger publics’ floors are 560 on Math and 21 on the ACT, Drake’s are 530 and 24, and Northern Iowa’s 500 and 19. A student under the floor he wants is not ruled out, because a quarter of admitted students were there too. He is in the quarter that needs the rest of the application to carry more.
The first step is finding out where the score actually is, section by section. A free diagnostic SAT gives a Math score that can be set directly against the 560 floor at Iowa State and Iowa, and a total that can be set against Tippie’s 1230.
The Math section rewards the same handful of topics on every test date, and a student who knows which of them he is missing can close a gap of 50 to 100 points in weeks rather than months. The method is on our page on improving your SAT Math score, and at Tippie a 650 on Math is more than half of the 1230 that unlocks the first door, and the same algebra is MATH:1350 at the second.
How to Read These Score Ranges
Each range in the table covers the middle 50% of admitted students who submitted that test, so a quarter of admitted students were below the lower number and a quarter were at or above the upper one.
A range describes the students who chose to submit at all. Where a school is test-optional, the range describes the submitters, and the submitters are the students whose scores helped them. More on what SAT score you need for college and on test-optional colleges.
Should You Take the ACT Instead?
Iowa requires no statewide college-entrance test of its public school juniors [VERIFY], and all four rows report both tests.
Tippie’s line is a 26 ACT or a 1230 SAT, and the College Board’s concordance puts a 26 at approximately 1230 to 1250 [VERIFY the current concordance figure], so the two are close to even at the first door. A New York student who holds an SAT should send it to all four and leave the ACT alone unless a school elsewhere asks for it.
Business Programs in Nearby States
Business Colleges in Other States
We publish the same breakdown for business programs in every state.
See business colleges by state for the full list.
Glyn Caddell
Glyn Caddell holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from NJIT and has been tutoring New York City students since 2008. He founded Caddell Prep in 2012 and is the author of Digital SAT Math Secrets: Lessons & Tricks to Quickly Improve to a Perfect 800 on the Math Test, which contains over 900 practice problems and is used in Caddell Prep’s SAT math classes. He is founding president of the Staten Island Technical High School alumni association and teaches every lesson on this site personally.
Finally, an SAT course that students actually understand
Every question has a video explanation. Not most — every one.
The on-demand Digital SAT course covers all 17 math topics and 15 reading and writing topics, with 5 full-length practice tests and a 100-point score increase guarantee. Keep access for the rest of high school. No subscription.
Want to Know What 5 Topics Will Improve Your SAT Score the Most?
Sample Feedback from our Diagnostic Test: