Grinnell College Grinnell College is a private liberal arts college in Grinnell , Iowa , U . S . known for its rigorous academics and tradition of social responsibility . It was founded in 1846 , when a group of New England Congregationalists established the Trustees of Iowa College . In its 2012 edition of America ' s Best Colleges , Grinnell was ranked 22nd among all liberal arts colleges in the United States by " U . S . News & World Report " . Grinnell ' s open curriculum allows students to receive a well - rounded education and encourages students to take initiative within their studies . Grinnell ' s unique policy of " self - governance " encourages students to take responsibility for their own actions . History . In 1843 , eleven Congregational ministers , all of whom trained at Andover Theological Seminary in Massachusetts , set out to proselytize on the frontier . Each man pledged to gather a church and together the group or band would seek to establish a college . When the group arrived in Iowa later that year , each selected a different town in which to establish a congregation . In 1846 , they collectively established Iowa College in Davenport . A few months later , Iowa joined the Union . The first 25 years of Grinnell ' s history saw a change in name and location . Iowa College moved farther west from Davenport , Iowa , to the town of Grinnell and unofficially adopted the name of its benefactor : an abolitionist minister , Josiah Bushnell Grinnell , to whom journalist Horace Greeley famously wrote " Go West , young man , go West . " The name of the corporation " The Trustees of Iowa College " remained , but in 1909 the name " Grinnell College " was adopted by the trustees for the institution . In its early years , the College experienced setbacks . Although two students received bachelor of arts degrees in 1854 ( the first to be granted by a college west of the Mississippi River ) , within 10 years the Civil War had claimed most of Grinnell ' s students and professors . In the decade following the war , growth resumed : women were officially admitted as candidates for degrees , and the curriculum was enlarged to include then - new areas of academic studies , such as natural sciences with laboratory work . In 1882 , Grinnell College was struck by a tornado — then called a cyclone , after which the college yearbook was named . The storm devastated the campus and destroyed both College buildings . Rebuilding began immediately , and the determination to expand wasn ' t limited to architecture : the curriculum was again extended to include departments in political science ( the first in the United States ) and modern languages . Grinnell became known as the center of the Social Gospel reform movement , as Robert Handy writes , " The movement centered on the campus of Iowa ( now Grinnell ) College . Its leading figures were Professor George D . Herron and President George A . Gates " . Other firsts pointed to the lighter side of college life : the first intercollegiate football and baseball games west of the Mississippi were played in Grinnell , and the home teams won . As the 20th century began , Grinnell established a Phi Beta Kappa chapter , introduced the departmental " major " system of study , began Grinnell - in - China ( an educational mission that lasted until the Japanese invasion and resumed in 1987 ) , and built a women ' s residence hall system that became a national model . The social consciousness fostered at Grinnell during these years became evident during Franklin D . Roosevelt ' s presidency , when Grinnell graduates Harry Hopkins ' 12 , Chester Davis ' 11 , Paul Appleby ' 13 , Hallie Flanagan ' 11 , and Florence Kerr ' 12 became influential New Deal administrators . Concern with social issues , educational innovation , and individual expression continue to shape Grinnell . As an example , the school ’ s " 5th year travel - service program , " preceded the establishment of the Peace Corps by many years . Other recent innovations include first - year tutorials , cooperative pre - professional programs , and programs in quantitative studies and the societal impacts of technology . Campus . Grinnell College is located in the town of Grinnell , Iowa , about halfway between Des Moines and Iowa City . The main campus is bounded by 6th Avenue ( which is also Highway 6 ) on the south , 10th Avenue on the north , East Street on the east and Park Street on the west . The campus contains sixty - three buildings ranging in style from Collegiate Gothic to Bauhaus . The residential part of campus is divided into three sections : North Campus , East Campus , and South Campus . Each campus ' s dormitories , modeled explicitly after the residential colleges of Oxford and Cambridge , are connected by a loggia , an architectural signature of the college . From the time that the first dorm opened in 1915 until the fall of 1968 , the nine north campus dorms were exclusively for male students , and the six south campus dorms were reserved for female students . The four east campus dorms were built around 2003 . The dorms are much smaller than those seen in many schools , ranging from the smallest , Rawson Hall , which houses 34 students , to the largest , Younker Hall , which houses 113 . Most academic buildings are located on the southwestern quarter of campus . The athletic facilities are mostly located on the northeastern quarter , and some facilities are located north of 10th Avenue . In addition to the main campus , the college owns much of the adjacent property . Many administrative offices are located in converted houses across Park Street near the older academic buildings , and several residences are used for college - owned off - campus student housing . The college maintains a environmental research area called the Conard Environmental Research Area ( CERA ) . The U . S . Green Building Council awarded CERA ' s Environmental Education Center a gold certification . The building is the first in Iowa to receive the designation . Many building projects have been undertaken in recent years at the College including a new athletics center , the Bucksbaum Center for the Arts , the renovation of the Robert Noyce ' 49 Science Center and the Joe Rosenfield ' 25 Student Center . Noted architect César Pelli designed the athletics center , the Joe Rosenfield ' 25 Student Center , and the Bucksbaum Center for the Arts . Academics . Reputation . Grinnell College is nationally recognized as a leading undergraduate institution . In July 2006 , " The New York Times " included Grinnell in its profile of the 20 colleges and universities of " established or rising scholarship " which are fast becoming viable alternatives to Ivy League institutions , and is considered one of the 30 Hidden Ivies . Grinnell was ranked 14th in the " Washington Monthly " rankings , now 20th , which focus on key outputs such as research , dollar value of scientific grants won and certain types of public service . Grinnell is a member of the Eight of the Best colleges ( along with Claremont McKenna College , Colorado College , Connecticut College , Haverford College , Kenyon College , Macalester College , and Sarah Lawrence College ) , which is " a group of eight highly selective , nationally recognized liberal arts colleges . " According to " U . S . News and World Report " rankings , Grinnell is the # 22 liberal arts college in the United States . The College has been consistently ranked in the top 25 liberal arts colleges in the nation since the publication began in 1983 . In 2009 , Grinnell College was ranked by The Princeton Review as one of the Top 10 best values in private colleges . The 2013 Review gave Grinnell its highest academic rating of 99 , on a scale of 60 - 99 , reflecting how hard students work and how much they get back for their efforts . This rating is calculated from student survey results and statistical information reported by administrators . Factors weighed include how many hours students study and the quality of students the school attracts . Data analyzed in 2006 place Grinnell at number eight among all U . S . undergraduate institutions in the proportion of graduates who go on to earn Ph . D . degrees and 15th for graduating female Ph . D . earners . Grinnell College graduates enjoy a high acceptance rate to law school ; over 46 % of all applications submitted by students have been accepted by law schools . Indeed , Grinnell ranked 44th in a 2004 " Wall Street Journal " survey of the top " feeder schools " to the fifteen most prestigious business , law , and medical schools in the country . Unigo . com ' s 2010 college rankings place Grinnell College in the " Top 10 Colleges Where the Pursuit of Knowledge Goes Outside the Classroom " . However , " Forbes " magazine ' s first ever rankings for academic institutions , " America ' s Best Colleges " ( which uses a non - traditional ranking system based on RateMyProfessor . com evaluations , notable alumni , student debt , percentage of students graduating in four years , and the number of students or faculty receiving prestigious awards ) , Grinnell College has a comparatively lower rank of 107th best school overall , one behind Wells College and one in front of Virginia Military Institute . In the same study , Dartmouth College received a rank of 127 . In the current Forbes rankings , Grinnell is # 78 ; Dartmouth is # 30 . Faculty . Grinnell has 150 voting faculty , 95 % of whom possess a doctorate or the terminal degree in their field . At the end of each semester , students fill out course surveys which play a large role in determining faculty tenure decisions and merit raises . Academic program . The academic program at Grinnell College emphasizes active learning and one - on - one interactions between faculty members and students . There are few large lecture classes . In sharp contrast to all public universities and many private universities in the United States , no classes , labs or other courses are taught by graduate student s . Grinnell ' s open curriculum encourages students to take initiative and to assume responsibility for their own courses of study . The sole core , or general education , requirement is the completion of the First - Year Tutorial , a one - semester , four - credit special topics seminar that stresses methods of inquiry , critical analysis , and writing skills . All other classes are chosen , with the direct guidance of a faculty member in the student ' s major department , by the student . Grinnell College expects all students to possess significant academic achievements . The curriculum is rigorous and advanced , and no remedial classes are offered . For example , the math department does not offer any basic - level classes such as college algebra , trigonometry , or pre - calculus . However , several independent , non - credit programs assist students who need help in a specific subject . Among these programs are the Library Lab , Math Lab , Reading Lab , Science Learning Center , and the Writing Lab . While private tutors can be hired , participation in these programs is free for any enrolled student . Grinnell has twenty - six major departments and ten interdisciplinary concentrations . Popular majors include Psychology , Economics , Biology , History , English , and Political Science . In every division , students have opportunities to conduct original research and undertake advanced study through independent and interdisciplinary projects that foster intellectual discovery . The minimum requirements in a major area of study are typically limited to 32 credits in a single department , with some departments additionally requiring a small number of classes in related fields that are deemed critical for all students in that field . For example , the biology program requires 32 credits in the biology department plus two classes in chemistry and one in math . Many students exceed the minimum requirements . To graduate , students are normally expected to complete at least 32 credits in a major field and a total of 124 credits of academic work . To encourage students to explore courses outside of their primary interest area , no more than 48 credits in one department and no more than 92 credits in one division are counted towards this requirement . Grinnell ’ s commitment to the importance of off - campus study reflects the school ’ s emphasis on social and political awareness and the international nature of its campus . Approximately 60 percent of all Grinnell students participate in at least one of more than seventy off - campus programs , including the Grinnell - in - London program and study tours of China , France , Greece , and Russia . These study programs in Europe ( including Russia ) , Africa , the Near East , and Asia , as well as nine programs in Central and South America , provide the opportunity for research in many disciplines , from archaeology to education to mathematics . In addition to off - campus programs , Grinnell offers internship programs in such areas as urban studies , art , and marine biology for students interested in field - based learning and experience in professional settings . Second - and third - year students may apply for summer internship grants and receive credit for the experience . Semester programs in the United States include those at Oak Ridge National Laboratory , Newberry Library , National Theatre Institute , and Grinnell - in - Washington , D . C . Grinnell also has invested in several interdisciplinary programs : the Center for Prairie Studies , Center for the Humanities , Center for International Studies , Noun Program in Women ' s Studies , Peace Studies Program , Rosenfield Public Affairs Program , and the Donald L . Wilson Program in Enterprise and Leadership . Despite the growing trend of U . S . students taking five or more years to finish an undergraduate degree , Grinnell College is strongly oriented towards students being enrolled full - time in exactly eight consecutive semesters at the college , although exceptions are available for medical issues and other emergencies . To avoid being suspended from the college , students must make " normal progress towards graduation . " This generally means that the student must pass at least 12 credits of classes in each individual semester , with grades C or higher , and have accumulated enough credits to make graduation possible at the end of four years , which requires an average of 15 . 5 credits each semester . A student who is not making normal progress towards graduation is placed on academic probation and may be dismissed from the college . Admission . Grinnell College is a highly selective liberal arts college . Historically , it has offered admission to less than half of applicants , and approximately one - third of accepted students typically enroll in the fall . In the spring of 2009 , 29 . 1 % of applicants were accepted for a class size of 380 . Two - thirds of admitted students were in the top 10 % of their high school class . One in five students is a National Merit Finalist , National Merit Scholar , or National Merit Commended Student . 15 % are Advanced Placement Scholars . Due to the high SAT and ACT scores achieved by its students and their class rankings , U . S . News and World Reports considers Grinnell College to be one of the " most selective " schools . For the class of 2013 , the mid - 50 % SAT combined score range is 1300 - 1480 , and the mid - 50 % ACT composite score is 29 - 33 . Grinnell College ' s admissions selectivity rating , according to The Princeton Review is a 95 out of 99 . This rating is determined by several institutionally reported factors , including : the class rank , average standardized test scores , and average high school GPA of entering freshmen ; the percentage of students who hail from out - of - state ; and the percentage of applicants accepted . The primary factor in evaluating applicants is the quality of the education they have received , as shown by their transcript . Additional factors include standardized test scores , student writing skills , recommendations , and extracurricular activities . Early decision opportunities are offered to students in the fall ; most students apply in January of their final year in high school . Admissions letters are usually received by April 1 of each year . All students begin classes in August . For American students , the students ' expectation of needing financial assistance does not affect the admission process . International students whose needs can be met with the limited financial aid available to them are given an edge in the admissions process . A few students are admitted before they graduate from high school ; these students have typically taken all of the academic classes offered at their school . Tuition and financial aid . Grinnell ' s combined tuition , room , board , and fees for the 2012 - 2013 academic year is $ 50 , 618 . Tuition and fees are $ 41 , 004 and room and board are $ 9 , 614 . Grinnell offers a significant amount of need - based and merit - based aid in comparison with peer institutions . About 90 % of students receive some form of financial aid . The average financial aid package is over $ 26 , 000 . Grinnell College is one of a few dozen US colleges that maintain need - blind admission s and meets the full demonstrated financial need of all U . S . residents who are admitted to the college . With the first - year students enrolled in the 2006 - 2007 school year , Grinnell has ended its need - blind admission s policy for international applicants . Under the old policy , students from countries outside the U . S . were admitted without any consideration of their ability to afford four years of study at the college . However , financial aid offers to these students were limited to half the cost of tuition . International students frequently carried very high workloads in an effort to pay the bills , and their academic performance often suffered . Under the new " need - sensitive " or " need - aware " policy , international students whose demonstrated financial needs can be met are given a slight admissions edge over applicants who can ' t . The twin hopes are that the enrolled international students will be able to dedicate more energy to their schoolwork , and also that this will ultimately allow the college to provide higher tuition grants to international students . Additionally , several extremely competitive " special scholarships " were set up to meet the full demonstrated financial needs for students from the following countries or regions : Africa , Eastern and Central Europe , Latin America , Middle East and Asia , Nepal , the People ' s Republic of China , as well as for native speakers of Russian regardless of citizenship , available every other year . Athletics . The school ' s varsity sports teams are named the Pioneers . They participate in eighteen intercollegiate sports at the NCAA Division III level and in the Midwest Conference . In addition , Grinnell has several club sports teams that compete in non - varsity sports such as sailing , water polo , ultimate and rugby union . Nearly one - third of recent Grinnell graduates participated in at least one of varsity sports while attending the college and the college has led the Midwest Conference in the total number of Academic All - Conference honorees in last six years . The men ' s water polo team , known as the Wild Turkeys , were runners - up in the 2007 College Water Polo Association ( CWPA ) Division III Collegiate National Club Championships hosted by Lindenwood University in St . Peters , Missouri . They also qualified for the tournament in 2008 , 2009 and 2011 . The Men ' s Ultimate team , nicknamed the Grinnellephants , qualified in 2008 for its first Division III National Championship in Versailles , Ohio . The Women ' s Ultimate team , nicknamed The Sticky Tongue Frogs , tied for third place in the 2010 Division III National Championship in Appleton , Wisconsin . The success was repeated in 2011 when the men ' s team placed third in 2011 Division III National Championship in Buffalo . In February 2005 , Grinnell became the first Division III school featured in a regular season basketball game by the ESPN network family in 30 years when it faced off against the Beloit Buccaneers on ESPN2 . Grinnell lost 86 - 85 . Grinnell College ' s basketball team attracted ESPN due to the team ' s run and gun style of playing basketball , known in Grinnell simply as " The System . " Coach Dave Arseneault originated the Grinnell System that incorporates a continual full - court press , a fast - paced offense , an emphasis on offensive rebounding , a barrage of three - point shots and substitutions of five players at a time every 35 to 40 seconds . This allows a higher average playing time for more players than the " starters " and suits the Division III goals of scholar - athletes . " The System " has been criticized for not teaching the principles of defense . However , under " The System , " Grinnell has won three conference championships over the past ten years and have regularly placed in the top half of the conference . Coach Arseneault ' s teams have set numerous NCAA scoring records and several individuals on the Grinnell team have led the nation in scoring or assists . < br > < br > On November 19 , 2011 Grinnell player Griffin Lentsch set a new Division III individual scoring record in a game against Principia College . The 6 - foot 4 - inch guard scored 89 points , besting the old record of 77 , also set by a Pioneers player - Jeff Clement - in 1998 . Lentsch made 27 of his 55 shots , including 15 three - pointers as Grinnell won the high - scoring game 145 to 97 . On November 20 , 2012 Grinnell ' s Jack Taylor broke Lentsch ' s scoring record , as well as the records for NCAA and collegiate scoring , in a 179 - 104 victory over Faith Baptist Bible . Taylor scored 138 points on 108 shots , along with 3 rebounds , 1 assist , 5 turnovers and 3 steals . Taylor went 27 - 71 from behind the arc . Social activities and organizations . The organizational structure of the Student Government Association , wielding a yearly budget of over $ 360 , 000 and unusually strong administrative influence , covers almost all aspects of student activity and campus life . There are no sororities or fraternities . Founded in 2004 , the student - run Student Endowment Investing Group ( SEIG ) , actively invests over $ 100 , 000 of Grinnell College ' s endowment in the stock market . The group ' s mission is to provide interested students with valuable experience for future careers in finance . Service organizations are popular . The Alternative Break ( " AltBreak " ) program takes students to pursue service initiatives during school holidays , and as of 2005 , Grinnell had more alumni per capita serving in the Peace Corps than any other college in the nation . The college also runs its own post - graduation service program known as Grinnell Corps in Grinnell , China , Namibia , Lesotho , New Orleans , and Thailand , and has previously operated programs in Greece , Macau , and Nepal . The " Scarlet and Black " is the campus newspaper and KDIC ( 88 . 5 FM ) is the student - run radio station . The school has a monthly satirical newspaper , " The B & S . " In April 2007 , Grinnell college students founded the Social Entrepreneurs of Grinnell , a student operated microfinance lending institution . The group collects donations for the purpose of making small loans at zero interest to business owners and artisans in developing nations . It is affiliated with kiva . org . Grinnell also has an entirely student - run textbook lending library on campus . Aimed at the economically disadvantaged yet open to all , it allows students to check out books for the semester for free , defraying the high cost of college textbooks . The library has no funding , relying solely on books donated . Since its founding in 2005 , the collection has grown to thousands of books due to the generosity of the campus community . The library has expanded to include caps and gowns , which are lent out to graduating seniors every spring . Grinnell hosts the Titular Head film festival . Self - governance . Students at Grinnell adhere to an honor system known as " self - governance " wherein they are expected to govern their own choices and behavior with minimal direct intervention by the college administration . By cultivating a community based on freedom of choice , self - governance aims to encourage students to become responsible , respectful , and accountable members of the campus , town , and global community . Endowment . Grinnell College is the 49th wealthiest educational institution , of any size , in North America with a larger endowment than many research universities such as Georgetown University , Tufts University and UCLA . The $ 1 . 26 billion endowment as of the end of FY 2010 – the fifth - largest among United States liberal arts colleges – is evident in the college ' s facilities , art collections , and generous financial aid programs . Under the stewardship of Warren Buffett and Joseph Rosenfield , the college has adopted an opportunistic and innovative strategy in managing its assets . In 1976 , Grinnell ' s capital fund acquired a TV station , WDTN in Dayton , Ohio , one of many investments that were unprecedented in their time for a college endowment . ( Grinnell would sell the station in 1981 . ) Another innovative move that significantly increased the endowment occurred when Rosenfield and the college contributed to the founding of Intel — an investment exceeding 10 % of the venture capital raised to start the semiconductor company ( Intel co - founder Robert Noyce was a Grinnell alumnus ) . Warren Buffett played a visible role in growing the endowment at Grinnell , where he served as a trustee from 1968 until 2011 . In 2011 he decided to step down from all boards not relating to Berkshire Hathaway . A campaign is currently under way to create more transparency and social responsibility in the endowment ' s investments . Virtual communities and social networking websites . " GrinnellPlans " ( named after its technological predecessor , the plan file ) is a virtual community consisting of 4 , 399 members as of the 2008 - 2009 academic year . Most members are current students or alumni , but the community also includes Grinnell faculty and staff members . In 2003 , the college administration ordered that GrinnellPlans not be hosted on college servers because of the college ' s concerns regarding possible illegal content on the system and related liability . GrinnellPlans moved to an off - campus host , grinnellplans . com . The community is supported by its users and is not legally affiliated with Grinnell College . Notable alumni . Many former students at Grinnell College have gone into politics , made important contributions to science , or become prominent entertainers .