What Simpson College does

Simpson College is a private, nonprofit liberal arts college founded in 1860 and headquartered on an 85-acre campus in Indianola, Iowa, approximately 20 minutes from Des Moines. The institution delivers three core educational product lines: traditional on-campus undergraduate programs (more than 80 majors, minors, concentrations, and pre-professional tracks spanning arts, sciences, business, education, and professional studies); graduate degrees and certificates in fields such as teaching, criminal justice, and data analytics; and online/distance programs (Simpson Online) covering degree completion in accounting, human services, management, and marketing. Core academic technology comprises a Moodle-based learning management system for online and hybrid course delivery, supported by an integrated library ecosystem (MOBIUS/Libby, JSTOR, Project MUSE, ProQuest, Kanopy, WorldCat Discovery, Zotero) and a digital archive platform that has hosted The Simpsonian student newspaper since 1870.

The college's revenue model is fundamentally tuition-driven and multi-stream. Recurring revenue flows from undergraduate tuition and mandatory fees, graduate and online program tuition, and residential life charges. A separate, also recurring philanthropic stream comes from alumni and donor giving — including endowed scholarships, capital campaigns, and planned giving. Annual fund campaigns and the multi-year "Imagine the Impact" campaign ($30.6M raised versus a $25M goal) materially supplement operating revenue. To support affordability — and to compete against Iowa's public universities — Simpson has rolled out an aggressive need- and merit-based scholarship suite (100% of students receive scholarships, full-tuition awards through the $100K Promise, High School Promise, and 99 County Scholarship), which compresses net tuition revenue per student but expands enrollable demand.

Go-to-market is direct-to-consumer, with recruiting conducted through the institution's own admissions office and high school counselor networks (particularly across Iowa's four major metropolitan and regional school districts — Iowa City, Cedar Rapids, Des Moines, Indianola), supported by digital channels (website, Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube), on-campus events and tours, and an alumni magazine. Workforce development partnerships extend reach into the adult learner segment. Distribution is concentrated at the single Indianola campus for residential programs, with online and graduate programs extending reach statewide and, via NC-SARA reciprocity, across state lines. The institution is governed by a Board of Trustees and has experienced multiple leadership transitions since mid-2023, including the death of President Jay Byers in April 2025 and the subsequent succession through acting and interim presidents.

Name

Simpson College

Legal name

Simpson College

Website

https://simpson.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1860

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Simpson College is a private nonprofit liberal arts college founded in 1860 in Indianola, Iowa, serving traditional undergraduate students, graduate students, and adult online learners across more than 80 majors. It operates tuition, housing, and philanthropic revenue streams supported by aggressive Iowa-targeted scholarship programs and an integrated library and Moodle-based academic technology stack.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

General Liberal Arts Colleges (EDAHACAA)

Keywords

• Higher education services
• Liberal arts college
• Undergraduate programs
• Graduate education
• Online degree programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Indianola

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Undergraduate Tuition and Fees: Revenue from tuition and mandatory fees for traditional on-campus undergraduate programs. Students pay based on enrollment with financial aid and scholarships available.
2. Graduate and Online Program Tuition: Revenue from master's degree, certificate, and degree completion programs offered on-campus and online in fields such as teaching, criminal justice, data analytics, and business.
3. Donations and Alumni Giving: Annual fund donations, endowed scholarships, capital campaigns, and planned giving from alumni and donors. The college conducted the 'Imagine the Impact' campaign that raised $30.6 million.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Simpson College is a private liberal arts college delivering on-campus undergraduate education (80+ majors and pre-professional programs), graduate degrees and certificates, and online degree-completion programs. Instruction is supported by Dunn Library's physical and digital collections, research databases, and co-curricular offerings including 25 varsity sports, performing arts, study abroad, and internships. Accessibility is expanded through the All-In for Iowa scholarship suite covering full tuition for qualifying Iowa students.

Product overview

Simpson College is a private liberal arts college offering a comprehensive educational portfolio comprising three primary academic divisions: undergraduate programs (80+ majors/minors/concentrations), graduate degrees and certificates (teaching, criminal justice, data analytics), and online/distance programs (accounting, human services, management). These academic offerings are supported by Dunn Library, which provides physical and digital collections, research databases, streaming video (Kanopy), and the Digital Archives hosting the nation's oldest continually published student newspaper. The college also offers co-curricular programs including 25 varsity sports, 50+ student clubs, performing arts, study abroad, internships, and research opportunities. Financial accessibility is supported through the All-In for Iowa scholarship suite including the High School Promise, $100K Promise, and 99 County scholarship programs. The institution operates on a campus in Indianola, Iowa, with facilities including recently renovated Dunn Library and standard residential/dining infrastructure.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Undergraduate Programs
• Graduate Degrees & Certificates
• Online Programs
• Simpson Online
• Dunn Library
• Digital Archives
• Athletics (Storm)
• Performing & Creative Arts
• Residential Life
• Study Abroad
• Internship Programs
• Undergraduate Research Opportunities
• The $100K Simpson Promise
• All-In for Iowa Scholarship Programs
• Archives & Special Collections

Quantifiable outcome

• 93% of first-year students say they made the right choice attending Simpson
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration15 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• CI-CCI (Committee on Institutional Cooperation - Committee on College Libraries)minorOthersLibrary consortium membership for shared resources and collaborative collections among Iowa colleges.
• Iowa Academic Library AllianceminorOthersMembership in statewide academic library alliance for resource sharing and collaboration.
• Iowa Private Academic LibrariesminorOthersConsortium of private academic libraries in Iowa for collaborative resource access.
• OEN (Open Education Network)minorOthersMembership supporting open educational resources and OER adoption.
• MOBIUS ConsortiumminorOthersOpen source library consortium providing access to over 29 million items through the Libby app for digital audiobook and ebook lending.
• NC-SARA (National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements)minorOthersSimpson College is registered with NC-SARA to participate in the regional approach to state oversight of postsecondary distance education, allowing online program delivery across state lines.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Loras College: Loras College is a private Catholic liberal arts college in Dubuque, Iowa, comparable in size and mission to Simpson. It competes in the same Iowa private liberal arts market and offers a similar breadth of undergraduate and pre-professional programs.
• Wartburg College: Wartburg College is a private liberal arts college in Waverly, Iowa affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church. It competes with Simpson for Iowa undergraduates and shares a similar regional recruitment strategy and program breadth.
• Augustana College: Augustana College is a private liberal arts college in Rock Island, Illinois, affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church. It is comparable in size, mission, and program breadth to Simpson, though it recruits more broadly across the Midwest.
• Coe College: Coe College is a private liberal arts college in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, that directly competes with Simpson for Iowa private-college students. Both institutions are similarly sized and target the same Iowa recruitment geography.
• Cornell College: Cornell College is a private liberal arts college in Mount Vernon, Iowa, with a comparable enrollment scale and similar Methodist-affiliated heritage. It directly competes with Simpson for Iowa liberal arts students and shares many program structures.
• William Penn University: William Penn University is a private liberal arts university in Oskaloosa, Iowa, that competes with Simpson for Iowa-bound undergraduates. It offers a similar mix of residential liberal arts programs with comparable scale.
• Central College: Central College is a private liberal arts college in Pella, Iowa, with a similar size, mission, and Iowa-resident recruitment footprint. It competes directly with Simpson for the same Iowa-bound high school graduates and offers a comparable residential liberal arts experience.
• Buena Vista University: Buena Vista University is a private university in Storm Lake, Iowa, with a comparable Iowa-residential undergraduate focus and similar size to Simpson. It competes in the same regional private-college market.

Broad incumbents

• Drake University: Drake University is a larger private institution in Des Moines, Iowa, that overlaps with Simpson's geographic market and program portfolio. While broader and more established, it competes for many of the same Iowa undergraduate and graduate students.
• Grinnell College: Grinnell College is a highly selective private liberal arts college in Grinnell, Iowa, and the most prestigious liberal arts institution in the state. While not a direct size or price competitor, it competes for top Iowa students and benchmarks the upper bound of the Iowa liberal arts market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/simpsoncollege
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@Simpson_College
• Facebookfacebook.com/6792478495
• Instagraminstagram.com/simpsoncollege
• TikToktiktok.com/@simpson_college
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/simpson-college

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Simpson College