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Private nonprofit · Town campus · verified rankings · federal data

Buena Vista University

Students comparing Buena Vista University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

CompareOfficial site
Storm Lake, Iowa1,366 undergraduatesMean consensus percentile 30Private nonprofitSmall enrollmentResearch university

The short answer

Buena Vista University: U.S. News ranks it #48 on Regional Universities (Midwest) (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #216 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #1220 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 3.5 stars. It enrolls 1,366 undergraduates, admits 77.6% of applicants, and posts a 61.7% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $41,798; aid recipients pay $18,846 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $49,156.

The six numbers that matter most

Acceptance rate
77.6%

About the dataset median

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Average net price
$18,846

65% below the $53,128 published price

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardAverage for full-time first-time aid recipients, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median earnings, 10 yrs
$49,156

Below the dataset median of $54,053

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian earnings 10 years after entry, working and not enrolled, College Scorecard June 2026 release

6-year graduation rate
61.7%

Above the dataset median of 56%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent six-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median debt at graduation
$25,000

Below the dataset median of $23,250

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian federal loan debt of completers, College Scorecard June 2026 release

SAT middle 50%
Not reportedBuena Vista University did not report an SAT score range for its most recent entering class.

U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard

Where Buena Vista ranks, and why the answers differ

Each publisher's position, the list it belongs to, and how many institutions it was drawn from.

SourceListRank
US News2026Regional Universities (Midwest)#48of 165Regional univ. (Midwest)
Forbes2026America's Top CollegesNot ranked by this source
Washington Monthly2026Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars#216of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)
WSJ2026Best Colleges in the U.S.Not ranked by this source
Niche2026Best Colleges (Overall)#1220of 2,605Overall (Niche)
Money2026Best Value Colleges3.5 starsListedBest value (Money)
Princeton Review2026Best Colleges (Overall)Not ranked by this source
QS2026World University RankingsNot ranked by this source

Methodology sensitivity: Buena Vista's position moves 32 percentile points depending on which published list you read. That is a wide spread, so which list you consult substantially changes the impression you get. How we compute this

Ranking positions are the editorial property of their publishers and are reproduced here with attribution for comparison and commentary. Follow each source link for its full list and methodology.

About Buena Vista

Buena Vista University is a private nonprofit institution in Storm Lake, Iowa. Federal data show 76.0% first-year retention and a 13:1 student-faculty ratio. Figures on this page come from College Scorecard and IPEDS; publisher rankings shown here are transcribed from named sources and checked in our dataset.

Strengths and honest considerations

Strengths

  • Cost and outcome metrics on this profile come directly from federal collections, not self-reported marketing sheets.
  • Net price $18,846 reflects what aid recipients actually paid in the most recent federal reporting year.

Considerations

  • This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
  • Compare $53,128 sticker cost against $18,846 net price before ruling a school in or out on price alone.
  • Publishers we have not loaded yet, or lists that omit this school, show as “not ranked by this source” — that is expected.

Who this school genuinely fits

Students comparing Buena Vista University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

What it costs

Published price, then what families actually pay after grants and scholarships.

Tuition & fees
$41,798

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Undergraduates on Pell grants
43.8%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardShare of undergraduates, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Room & board
$11,330

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Published cost of attendance comes to roughly $53,128 a year, but the average family pays $18,846 — a 65% difference. 43.8% of undergraduates receive Pell grants, the federal marker of low family income.

Net price varies enormously by income band, so run Buena Vista's net price calculator for your own household before drawing conclusions. Why net price is the only cost number that matters.

Programs and academics

Most popular majors

  1. 1Business
  2. 2Biology
  3. 3Psychology
  4. 4Computer Science
  5. 5Economics

Standout programs

    Student-faculty ratio
    13:1

    IPEDS / National Center for Education StatisticsIPEDS 2023 fall enrollment

    First-year retention
    76.0%

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent first-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Undergraduate enrollment
    1,366

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Buena Vista: questions families ask

    Out-of-state tuition is $41,798 and on-campus room and board is $11,330, for a published total of $53,128 before aid. The average net price for first-time full-time students receiving aid is $18,846.

    The most recent federal admissions rate reported to the Department of Education is 77.6%. Test policy as reported in IPEDS: see the admissions section on this page for the institution's own category.

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