Individually Advised Teaching and Learning

A one-size-does-not-fit-all education.

Why do so many highly motivated students from around the world choose a small college in Poweshiek County, Iowa? No other college provides such uniqueness as Grinnell, starting with just one required class, followed with a completely custom-designed curriculum for each student.


We are creating a model for sustained discovery and meaningful contributions to knowledge and community. Our goal is to help every student find and follow their own passion, knowing full well that each of us has just one lifetime to make a difference; one lifetime to find that place where our potential, our skills, our passions, and our soul converge.

Every Grinnellian is well prepared.

To coax that kind of discovery from our students, to prepare Grinnellians for meaningful lives and careers in an increasingly complex world, requires a high investment of one-on-one time, including:

  • Individualized advising from faculty and staff — starting day one
  • Advanced mentored research and creative experiences. All Grinnell students have access to research opportunities
  • A broad cocurricular liberal arts experience containing athletics, the visual and performing arts, student experiential and support networks, and much more
  • Many classes with fewer than 20 students
  • A 9-to-1 student/faculty ratio
  • 500+ course offerings every year
  • Degrees in 27 major fields with 17 concentrations
  • 3,000 internship opportunities in the United States and abroad

Independence and self governance are key.

We’re often asked how real academic rigor can coexist with so much freedom. Our answer: For truly intellectually motivated students, the two fuel one another. We expect our students to work harder, dig deeper, achieve higher; and because they’re choreographing their own futures, they do.

An acclaimed education.

Grinnell annually receives high marks from the nation’s most influential and respected ranking authorities, including U.S. News & World Report, Kiplinger’s Best College Value, and the Princeton Review. The College is regularly awarded national competitive grants from entities such as the National Science Foundation and the Mellon Foundation for the Humanities.


Student outcomes and career-development success also point to the quality and impact of a Grinnell education, highlighted by the fact that, on average, 85% of new graduates are accepted into their first- or second-choice graduate programs.


To help us make this gold-standard education possible for future Grinnellians, please consider earmarking your donation to individually advised teaching and learning.

Make a Gift


Text: We believe passion drives philanthropy. Explore ways to connect your passion to supporting Grinnell by learning more about our Campaign Priorities. Image: A student "Eva" in black and white.