All-In For Iowa — And Beyond

While many schools struggled with first-year enrollment in Fall 2024, Simpson simply soared. As reported by Inside Higher Ed, first-year enrollment decreased by more than five percent nationally. In stark contrast, Simpson’s first-year enrollment increased by 11 percent. In all, Simpson welcomed 423 new students this fall, including 381 first-year students and 42 transfers.

Simpson’s first-year growth is especially remarkable given the U.S. Department of Education’s lengthy delay in rolling out its new Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) application. As a result, schools nationwide were several months behind in sending out financial aid offers. Knowing that the FAFSA delay would be unpredictably long, Simpson had the foresight to create an aggressively bold financial aid strategy to stay ahead of the game.

Thus, Simpson’s All-In for Iowa programs were launched — featuring full-tuition scholarships for first-time Iowa students. The first program — Simpson’s $100K Promise — provides full-tuition for all students with an adjusted gross family income of $100,000 or less.

In conjunction with the $100K Promise, Simpson last year also launched the 99 County Full-Tuition Scholarship program, which is designed to ensure that at least one student from every Iowa county can attend Simpson tuition free.

“Simpson’s All-In for Iowa full-tuition scholarships are incredibly attractive and reassuring to families,” said Leigh Mlodzik, vice president for Enrollment. “Rather than having to worry about FAFSA delays this past year, families could enjoy peace of mind about affordability and focus instead on the distinctive advantages and value Simpson provides.”

Simpson’s $100K Promise is actually an updated version of the original Simpson Promise, which debuted in 2018 with a qualifying threshold of $60,000 or less adjusted gross income.

“We far exceeded our expectations when we rolled out the Simpson Promise [in 2018],” said Tracie Pavon, longtime assistant vice president for Enrollment and Financial Aid. “We knew that making the jump to $100K came with some calculated risk, but it’s worth it. I’m just excited we can offer this opportunity to students who didn’t think they could access a Simpson education.”

Packaged together in an aggressive All-In for Iowa marketing campaign, the $100K Simpson Promise and 99 County Full-Tuition Scholarship Program quickly drew attention.

“One of the most important things these programs did for us was to raise brand awareness for Simpson College,” said Mlodzik. “The All-In for Iowa campaign has allowed us to tie affordability back to Simpson and get our name back out there in a more prominent way.”

The strategy has made an instant impact. Together, Simpson’s $100K Promise and 99 County full-tuition scholarships drove significant gains in students enrolling from Iowa. Simpson’s Fall 2024 first-year class features 75 percent of students from Iowa — up from 71 percent last year and 68 percent two years ago. In all, 31 states are represented in Simpson’s new incoming class, which includes 28 percent students of color — a four-percentage point increase over last year. Overall, total full-time undergraduate enrollment for Fall 2024 increased to 1,201 — a 10 percent gain over 2023-24.

The surge in enrollment is accompanied by related good news. Net tuition revenue per student is the highest it’s been in recent history. Meanwhile, first-year to second-year retention is up five percentage points to 81.3 percent, which is also the strongest showing in more than a decade. Finally, the academic profile of the incoming class remains strong with the average GPA still above 3.5. The momentum is palpable.

“There is tremendous excitement about what is happening at Simpson,” said President Jay Byers. “It starts with outstanding faculty and staff who are personally invested in seeing students thrive. Moreover, our investments in facilities and programs to enhance thestudent experience, along with our ever-increasing commitment to maximizing access and affordability is making all the difference. We are proud to lead the way in making a great education affordable for all qualified students, regardless of economic circumstances.”

Staying on Offense

Seeking to maintain momentum, Simpson has unveiled two new, fulltuition programs for Fall 2025, targeting high-achieving students from local public schools. Introduced as the “Indianola Community School District and Des Moines Public Schools Promise,” these programs will make it possible for students with a 3.5 GPA or higher to attend Simpson tuition free. Like all other programs under the All-In for Iowa umbrella, the scholarships are renewable each year.

“These scholarships will be huge in helping us compete for the strongest students right in our backyard,” said Mlodzik. “We’re already up 50 percent in admitted students from Des Moines Public Schools, and there is great enthusiasm among Indianola students and their families, as well.”

Buzz about the new scholarships for outstanding Indianola and DMPS students has been fueled by high levels of social media engagement and widespread media coverage, which included glowing endorsements from Indianola and DMPS leadership.

“It’s exciting,” Des Moines East High School Principal Jill Versteeg told WHO-TV news. “[Simpson’s scholarships] create an opportunity that rewards students for how hard they have worked and helps them see a future that they maybe didn’t think they had.”

The positive publicity and growing word-of-mouth touting Simpson’s All-In for Iowa full-tuition scholarships are helping people get past the barrier of tuition sticker shock to discover the true cost and value of a Simpson education.

“If we can get prospective students here, they fall in love — and then they come to Simpson,” said Pavon. “They see the value of their education and life outside of the classroom and take heart knowing they can afford it.”

Simpson Promise Becomes Family Gift

Initially, Simpson was not a top choice for Araceli Tapetillo ’26. She simply assumed, like too many others also do, that a private college education is just too expensive. But she kept an open mind, heeding the counsel of her mom to “find the best college.” So began her surprising journey.

“I didn’t think of Simpson until one of my friends told me they were applying here,” said Tapetillo. “I was like, ‘okay, I’ll see what this is about.’ So, I came on a beautiful October day and thought this environment seems nice.”

Still, Tapetillo worried about the financial feasibility of attending Simpson. Her fears vanished when she received her financial aid offer detailing a full-tuition scholarship made possible by the Simpson Promise.

“I believed that going to college I would graduate with tens of thousands of dollars in debt,” said Tapetillo. “When I found out all of my tuition would be covered, it was surreal.”

With tuition worries gone, the Ottumwa, Iowa, native grew confident about choosing Simpson.

“The combination of financial aid, the opportunity to run cross country and track, and to have a small community feel close to Des Moines and not too far from home made Simpson the perfect package for me,” she said.

Majoring in elementary education and liberal arts while minoring in math and Spanish, Tapetillo is making the most of her educational experience. In addition to competing in varsity sports, she holds several leadership positions on campus, including as a residence hall community advisor (CA).

Tapetillo says thriving at Simpson is a way to honor and thank her mom for all the sacrifices she made and for teaching her the powerful value of education. The Simpson Promise has eased family financial burdens enough to help Tapetillo’s mom continue her pursuit of a nursing degree at Mercy College.

“My mom and I wouldn’t be able to further our studies without support from Simpson and its donors,” said Tapetillo. “And without Simpson, I wouldn’t have as many opportunities to take on leadership roles, participate in a college sport, and to find a community that I genuinely love — one that is pushing me and makes me feel like I belong. I’m not sure I would have ever gotten all this at a bigger university or college.”