New College Ranking and Review Aggregator Publishes Best Colleges in Iowa 2018

9/20/2018 9:21:32 AM

(MENAFNEditorial)

CHAPEL HILL, N.C., Sept. 20, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- College Consensus ( http://www.collegeconsensus.com ), a unique new college ranking website, has published their ranking of the Best Colleges in Iowa 2018 at http://www.collegeconsensus.com/ranking/best-colleges-ia/ .

To identify the Best Colleges in Iowa for 2018, College Consensus combined the latest results from the most respected college ranking systems with thousands of real student reviews to produce a unique consensus score for each school. According to College Consensus founder Jeremy Alder, "Like Rotten Tomatoes does for movies, College Consensus gathers college rankings and reviews from around the web and distills them into a simple, easy to understand score so students can quickly and easily compare schools. It is the ranking of all rankings, so to speak." Learn more about the College Consensus rankings methodology at http://www.collegeconsensus.com/about/ .

To help prospective Iowa students evaluate the higher education options that are right for their individual needs, College Consensus identified the best-ranked colleges in Iowa (presented here in alphabetical order):

Central College - Pella, IA

Clarke University - Dubuque, IA

Coe College - Cedar Rapids, IA

Cornell College - Mount Vernon, IA

Dordt College - Sioux Center, IA

Drake University - Des Moines, IA

Grand View University - Des Moines, IA

Grinnell College - Grinnell, IA

Iowa State University - Ames, IA

Iowa Wesleyan University - Mount Pleasant, IA

Loras College - Dubuque, IA

Luther College - Decorah, IA

Mount Mercy University - Cedar Rapids, IA

Northwestern College - Orange City, IA

Saint Ambrose University - Davenport, IA

Simpson College - Indianola, IA

University of Dubuque - Dubuque, IA

University of Iowa - Iowa City, IA

University of Northern Iowa - Cedar Falls, IA

Wartburg College - Waverly, IA

Iowa may be the United States' prime example of how a state successfully transitions from an agricultural stronghold to a modern, 21st century economy. Known for its vast cornfields and herds of cattle from its earliest European-American settlements, Iowa hit a rough patch in the 1980s and 1990s as its agricultural economy weakened. Brain drain and unemployment made the future look bleak, but Iowa turned it around to become one of the most business-friendly, tech-savvy Midwestern states. Iowa can thank, in large part, its excellent system of higher education, from Iowa State and the University of Iowa's top-tier STEM research and degree programs, and its elite liberal arts colleges forming new generations of leadership. From its lowest point, Iowa is now rated one of the safest, happiest, and healthiest states in the US.

As Managing Editor Carrie Sealey-Morris explains, Iowa's colleges "are built on the qualities that make Iowa's unique character - deep religious faith, ingenuity and work ethic, and deep ties to the land and community." These characteristics have also made Iowans exceptionally adaptable as well; when hard times threatened the state, Iowa's government, education, and business sectors created "a highly diverse economy and a range of industries, many rooted in Iowa's traditional agriculture." A strong grounding in agriculture made "bioengineering, manufacturing, energy (especially renewable and sustainable energy in the 21st century), and finance [into] bedrocks of Iowa's economy," and Iowa's higher education system has played a key role in making that happen. "Iowa's top consensus ranked schools," according to Sealey-Morris, "are diverse and exceptional, but they have one thing in common - they are all preparing Iowa's leaders, workers, and educators for excellence."

College Consensus is a new approach to college rankings. We combine the latest results from the most respected college ranking systems with thousands of real student review scores from around the web to produce an aggregate College Consensus rating for each school.

Carrie Sealey-Morris Managing Editor, College Consensus (512) 710-9901 http://www.collegeconsensus.com/ https://www.facebook.com/collegeconsensus/

SOURCE College Consensus