A place to be curious. Think critically. Question everything. Grow.
Here, you will earn a degree and propel yourself into a meaningful career. But along the way, life at Grinnell is about more than just attending classes and completing assignments. It's about the pursuit of your own path and the answers to questions you've always had. It's about the chance to join a new club or try an art form that you've been curious about. And it's about having a supportive, secure space to ponder and experiment without fear of failure or being different. Because the quirks are what allow our students to see the world uniquely and go forth Grinnellian.
Explore more about Grinnell to see what life here is really like.
Get Involved
Self-Governance
As a student, you can play a significant role in sustaining the safe, welcoming community we all call home. That means you’ll have opportunities to lead campus discussions, drive progress and change, and bring forth entirely new experiences for our community.
Student Organizations
You won’t find fraternities or sororities here. But you will find more than 100 student groups, which span the spectrum from serious to silly, and are open to all.
Study Abroad
At Grinnell, we continually encourage you to seek out new understanding from new places, ideas, and cultures—both here on campus and across the globe.
Student Life
We are better together.
At Grinnell, identity and inclusion are living conversations we all take part in.
- Students thrive in an atmosphere of coalition-building and embracing of differences.
- Our vibrant community teems with visual, performing, and literary arts.
- Students lead hundreds of activities and groups, with no sororities or fraternities.
- Athletic teams and clubs connect us and bring out our best.
ARTS AND CULTURE
Put yourself in the middle of all mediums.
The arts are a strong source of inspiration for our community—whether that’s in cross-disciplinary courses or in the cultivation of our own talents. That’s why we bring celebrated visual artists, musicians, dancers, and theatre groups from all over the world to campus, where they perform, exhibit, lead workshops, and teach classes.
ATHLETICS
Cheer or be cheered
Across every sport, our students fully commit and bring their all to NCAA Division III competition. If you are recruited to compete on one of our 20 varsity teams, you’ll be surrounded by fellow athletes and supported by experienced varsity coaches who are daring, dynamic, and dedicated to the game. And if you're not at the varsity level, you can still use our state-of-the-art athletic facilities.
Welcome to Grinnell
Our 120-acre campus is located just north of downtown, in a neighborhood of beautiful Victorian and Craftsman-style homes and towering oak and cottonwood trees.
GRINNELL, IOWA
Tucked away in the prairie.
We prefer it that way. Just a few blocks from campus you’ll discover specialized shops, a movie theatre, a farmers’ market, art galleries, parks, and over 30 eateries to choose from. Never too crowded, this community provides the perfect combination of arts and entertainment, as well as the quiet cafes for your studies.