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Mount-Vernon-Commercial-2 (cropped)Photo: ArtisticAbode · CC BY-SA 3.0
Colleges in and near Mount Vernon

Mount Vernon is a college town: 25 of every 100 residents are students

Cornell College (1,082 students on campus) is inside the city. Across Iowa, 6 of every 100 residents are enrolled in college.

College town25% of residents are studentsCornell College

From the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard, June 2026; IPEDS fall 2023 enrollment) and the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, 2020–24. Straight-line distances from the center of Mount Vernon. Colleges are described, not graded.

Within 15 miles
4
13,472 students on campus
Nearest college
0.1 mi
Cornell College
Residents in college
25%
Above IA (6%)
Nearest community college
11.7 mi
Kirkwood · $6,176 tuition
Nearest public university
19.1 mi
University of Iowa · $11,283 in-state
Students on campus in Mount Vernon
1,082
next to 4,514 residents

What stands out about college in Mount Vernon

Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.

A college town25 of every 100 Mount Vernon residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Iowa.A college in Mount VernonCornell College has 1,082 students on campus in Mount Vernon, 62% of whom graduate within six years.A community college 11.7 miles awayKirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids: tuition and fees $6,176 a year for Iowa residents.In-state price at University of IowaLiving in Iowa, the University of Iowa charges $11,283 in tuition and fees; from out of state, $33,371. State residency rules decide which a new arrival pays.
Town & gown

What it’s like to live in Mount Vernon

How much the colleges shape the town, from the Census Bureau’s survey of residents.

25 of every 100 Mount Vernon residents are in college (IA: 6).

1,082students on campus at Cornell College, next to 4,514 residents (dorm students count as residents)
173college students live in Mount Vernon households rather than dorms
25.3median age · IA 38.6
14%of homes rented · IA 28%
$780median rent · 20% below the state
Mount VernonMount Vernon, IA
Cost of living$780/mo median rentBSafetyCrime reported to the FBIHealthCDC estimatesAJobs & incomeIncome, jobs, getting aroundB+HandbookTrash day, parking, who to call

How students change Mount Vernon’s other numbers

Read the town’s other grades with this in mind. How TownRatings handles college towns →

Jobs & income B+

Students who live off campus count in the Census poverty figures: 8.3% of Mount Vernon residents are below the poverty line, 8.7% when college students are left out (that estimate could be off by 8 points either way). 1% of the students themselves are below the line. In college towns, the Jobs & income grade uses the rate without students and leaves unemployment out.

Cost of living B

The Cost grade leaves out the share of renters paying 30% or more of income on rent wherever students are a quarter of residents or more (25% here): it would mostly measure student incomes.

Health A

CDC’s estimates follow each place’s age mix, and Mount Vernon’s median age is 25.3 (Iowa 38.6), so the adult figures describe a young population.

Safety

Crime is counted per resident, and students who live here count as residents. A college with its own police department reports its incidents under that department, not the city.

Every college

Colleges within 15 miles of Mount Vernon

Three private colleges within 12.8 miles, and Kirkwood Community College 11.7 miles away. The nearest public four-year college, University of Iowa, is 19.1 miles away.

5 mi10 mi15 miKirkwoodCoe CollegeMount Vernon
University or collegeCommunity college
Cornell CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 1,082 on campus · In Mount Vernon80%admitted$24knet price62%graduate$53kearningsKirkwood Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · 9,860 on campus · 11.7 mi · Cedar Rapids$10knet price43%graduate$41kearningsTuition and fees: $6,176 a year. The net price counts housing and food at full cost.Coe CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 1,278 on campus · 12.7 mi · Cedar Rapids64%admitted$19knet price66%graduate$57kearningsMount Mercy UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 1,252 on campus · 12.8 mi · Cedar Rapids83%admitted$20knet price58%graduate$61kearnings

Degree-granting colleges with 100 or more students on campus (fall 2023 enrollment, minus students who study only online). Admitted: share of applicants offered a place. Net price: the average a year after grants, for students on federal aid. Graduate: within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting.

What it costs

What would your family pay?

The average a year after grants, for families on federal aid, at the colleges within 15 miles and the nearest public four-year college. Pick your family’s income.

Family income

Starts at Over $110k, where Mount Vernon’s median household income ($112,656) falls.

Kirkwood Community College11.7 mi · Cedar Rapids · sticker $15,579 · tuition $6,176$14,091a year
Mount Mercy University12.8 mi · Cedar Rapids · sticker $55,054$25,244a year
University of Iowa19.1 mi · Iowa City · sticker $28,596$26,266a year
Coe College12.7 mi · Cedar Rapids · sticker $67,372$27,167a year
Cornell CollegeIn Mount Vernon · sticker $66,249$29,298a year

The average a year after grants and scholarships, for first-time, full-time students on federal aid, from the College Scorecard. Your own price depends on your aid package; every college has a net price calculator. For community colleges the net price counts housing and food at full cost, so tuition is shown beside it. “—”: not reported for that income.

Outcomes

Do students finish, and does it pay?

Each dot is a college: across is the share who graduate, up is what they earn ten years after starting.

$0$20k$40k$60k$80k0%25%50%75%100%Graduate →Cornell CollegeKirkwoodCoe CollegeMount Mercy UniversityUniversity of Iowa
University of Iowa75% graduate$65k earnings$22k typical debt
Kirkwood Community College43% graduate$41k earnings$12k typical debt
Coe College66% graduate$57k earnings$27k typical debt
Mount Mercy University58% graduate$61k earnings$24k typical debt
Cornell College62% graduate$53k earnings$27k typical debt

Graduation: first-time, full-time students within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 years (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting, for students who got federal aid.

Majors

What students study in Mount Vernon

Share of bachelor’s and associate degrees by field at Cornell College, weighted by undergraduates; then the biggest programs.

Parks & recreation 14%Biology 14%Education 10%Business 10%Psychology 8%Visual & performing arts 7%Everything else 36%

Biggest programs

Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness18 graduates a year
$59k4 yrs out
Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology16 graduates a year
$65k4 yrs out
Computer Science15 graduates a year
$85k4 yrs out
Fine and Studio Arts13 graduates a year
$38k4 yrs out
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods11 graduates a year
$48k4 yrs out

College Scorecard: degree shares (PCIP; each college’s six largest fields are kept, the rest count as everything else) and the field-of-study file, median earnings 4 years after graduating.

Questions about college in Mount Vernon

Is Mount Vernon a college town?

Yes. 25 of every 100 Mount Vernon residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), against 6 across Iowa. Cornell College has 1,082 students on campus, next to 4,514 residents.

What colleges are in Mount Vernon?

Cornell College is inside the city. Kirkwood Community College is 11.7 miles away in Cedar Rapids.

What is the closest community college to Mount Vernon, and what does it cost?

Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, 11.7 miles away. Tuition and fees are $6,176 a year for Iowa residents; the federal net price, $9,705, counts housing and food at full cost.

How hard is it to get into Cornell College?

Cornell College admitted 80% of applicants in the Scorecard’s latest year; the middle half of admitted students scored 1,120–1,285 on the SAT.

Neighbors talk college

Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.

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Start the conversation

Colleges: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023 enrollment). “On campus” is fall enrollment minus students who study only online. Distances are straight-line from the center of Mount Vernon. Residents in college, age, rent and poverty (including poverty without college students, table B14006): U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–24. Colleges are described, not graded; the College town label marks towns where 15% or more of residents are enrolled. How TownRatings describes colleges →