Match #1
Cornell College-Iowa
Mount Vernon, IA
Profile closeness74/100
Admit rate80%
- 1,086 students
- Private nonprofit
- Town: Fringe
- Graduation rate 60%, close to 54%
- Enrollment 1,086 students, close to 1,245
The colleges most similar to Morningside College are Cornell College-Iowa, Simpson College-Iowa, and Buena Vista University. Morningside College admits 71% of applicants and has an average net price of $23,505 a year; 5 of its 10 alternatives cost less and 9 admit a larger share of applicants, in the CollegesRef 2026–27 edition.
Profile closeness (0–100) compares graduation rate, size, admit rate, net price, Carnegie class, and control with Morningside College. The order also uses CollegesRef matching tiers, so a later match can score higher. Admit-rate bars use a 0–100% scale.
Top 10 alternatives to Morningside College
Row-wise results ranked by similarity. No curated AI list exists for this school.
Match #2
Simpson College-Iowa
Indianola, IA
Profile closeness69/100
Admit rate86%
- 1,227 students
- Private nonprofit
- Town: Fringe
- Enrollment 1,227 students, close to 1,245
- Same control type (private nonprofit)
Match #3
Buena Vista University
Storm Lake, IA
Profile closeness82/100
Admit rate78%
- 1,366 students
- Private nonprofit
- Town: Remote
- Graduation rate 58%, close to 54%
- Enrollment 1,366 students, close to 1,245
Match #4
Mount Mercy University
Cedar Rapids, IA
Profile closeness81/100
Admit rate83%
- 1,107 students
- Private nonprofit
- City: Midsize
- Graduation rate 52%, close to 54%
- Enrollment 1,107 students, close to 1,245
Match #5
Clarke University-Iowa
Dubuque, IA
Profile closeness79/100
Admit rate72%
- 742 students
- Private nonprofit
- City: Small
- Graduation rate 52%, close to 54%
- Acceptance rate 72%, close to 74%
Match #6
Graceland University-Lamoni
Lamoni, IA
Profile closeness75/100
Admit rate81%
- 798 students
- Private nonprofit
- Rural: Remote
- Acceptance rate 81%, close to 74%
- Same Carnegie classification
Match #7
Coe College
Cedar Rapids, IA
Profile closeness74/100
Admit rate64%
- 1,164 students
- Private nonprofit
- City: Midsize
- Graduation rate 60%, close to 54%
- Enrollment 1,164 students, close to 1,245
Match #8
University of Dubuque
Dubuque, IA
Profile closeness74/100
Admit rate89%
- 1,440 students
- Private nonprofit
- City: Small
- Enrollment 1,440 students, close to 1,245
- Same control type (private nonprofit)
Match #9
Central College-Iowa
Pella, IA
Profile closeness73/100
Admit rate86%
- 1,070 students
- Private nonprofit
- Town: Distant
- Graduation rate 59%, close to 54%
- Enrollment 1,070 students, close to 1,245
Match #10
Luther College
Decorah, IA
Profile closeness72/100
Admit rate72%
- 1,379 students
- Private nonprofit
- Town: Remote
- Enrollment 1,379 students, close to 1,245
- Acceptance rate 72%, close to 74%
Questions about Morningside College alternatives
What colleges are similar to Morningside College?
The closest matches to Morningside College are Cornell College-Iowa, Simpson College-Iowa, Buena Vista University, Mount Mercy University, and Clarke University-Iowa. CollegesRef ranks them on admissions, cost, graduation rate, size, and campus profile using IPEDS and College Scorecard data.
Is Morningside College hard to get into?
Morningside College admitted 71% of its 3,271 applicants in the CollegesRef 2026–27 edition, so it is moderately selective. 9 of its 10 closest alternatives admit a larger share of applicants.
Which Morningside College alternatives cost less?
5 of the 10 closest alternatives have a lower average net price than Morningside College ($23,505 a year), including Coe College ($18,647), Buena Vista University ($18,855), and Graceland University-Lamoni ($19,899). Net price is what first-time, full-time students paid after grants; your own price depends on family income.
