There are sixty colleges and universities in the U.S. state of Iowa that are listed under the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.[note 1] These institutions include two research universities, nine master's universities, and nineteen baccalaureate colleges, as well as twenty-one associate's colleges. In addition, eleven special-focus institutions and three baccalaureate/associate's colleges operate in the state. The Iowa Board of Regents, a governing board, oversees the state's three public universities – the University of Iowa, Iowa State University, and the University of Northern Iowa.[1]
With 5,713 students, Upper Iowa University is the state's largest private not-for-profit school. The state's oldest post-secondary institution is Loras College, a private Catholic school in Dubuque that was founded in 1839,[2][3] seven years before Iowa became a state.[4]
The state's only two law schools, the University of Iowa College of Law and Drake University Law School, are both accredited by the American Bar Association.[5] Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine and Des Moines University are the state's two medical schools. The majority of Iowa's post-secondary institutions are accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC).[6] Most are accredited by multiple agencies, such as the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM), and the National League for Nursing (NLNAC).