🎓 Academic Program
Grinnell College Department of Economics — one of the strongest liberal arts college economics programs in the US. Small classes (typically 15-25 students) with all courses taught by full faculty (no TAs). Faculty include Mark Montgomery (labor), Eliza Willis (Latin American political economy), and Logan Lee (behavioral). Mentored Advanced Project (MAP) pairs seniors with faculty for a semester-long original research project — many published in undergraduate journals. Grinnell-in-London program embeds Econ majors in City finance for a semester. Rosenfield Program funds undergraduate research travel.
🎯 Admissions
📊 Exam Requirements
📅 Deadlines
💰 Financial Aid & Scholarships
📑 Scholarship requirements
- CSS Profile OR International Student Application for Financial Assistance (ISAFA)
- Apply for aid in first year (cannot add later)
- NEED-AWARE for international students
- Outstanding academics increase aid chances
- No-loan policy applies
🔄 Scholarship maintenance
Merit scholarship determined at admission — final for 8 semesters. Satisfactory academic progress.
⚠️ Conditions & restrictions
- NEED-AWARE for international (aid request may slightly affect admission)
- NO LOANS — all grants
- Cannot add aid in later years
- Outside scholarships may reduce institutional aid
📝 Application requirements
- 2 teacher recommendations
- Counselor recommendation
- Common App essay
- Grinnell 'Community Essay' supplement
- Optional interview (online via Initialview/Vericant/Duolingo)
✍️ Supplemental essay prompts (2025-2026)
- See Grinnell supplement — one-sentence 'why Grinnell' + 200-300 word community engagement essay; prompts change annually
⭐ "Why Us?" — Essay hooks & school personality
Grinnell is one of fewer than 10 US colleges that combine 100%-need + no-loans + test-optional. Economics majors get direct faculty attention in small classes and can build a Mentored Advanced Project (MAP) — a semester-long research project co-authored with a professor. Grinnell-in-London program embeds students in City finance for a full semester. The Wilson Program in Enterprise and Leadership provides funded entrepreneurship experiences. Rosenfield Program funds research travel to Ethiopia, Chile, and other countries for field economics work.
🏆 Unique advantages
No-loan policy is rare among US colleges. Outstanding endowment per student. $55k average aid is generous for international students. Located in rural Iowa = very low cost of living, safe campus. Small (1,700 students) = personal attention with tenured faculty in every class. Grinnell-in-London finance semester is unique.
💼 Career outlook
Strong placement in finance, consulting, PhD programs. Grinnell-in-London for finance students. Pioneer Plus career funding covers unpaid internships. Wilson Center for entrepreneurship. Median starting salary $55-70k with strong 5-year growth via consulting/finance.
⏰ Work while studying
F-1: 20 hrs/week on-campus. Federal work-study in aid. Dining hall, library, residence life positions. Econ dept RA positions ~$10-15/hr.
🎯 Essay Hooks — "Why Us?" эссэд ашиглах specific anchor-ууд
Ерөнхий "great library" биш — тодорхой campus culture, program, alumni хэсгүүд. Тухайн сургуулийн уникаль зүйлсийг эссэдээ дурдснаар "чи маш их судалж, зөвхөн бидэн рүү зорьж байна" гэсэн сигнал өгнө.
- Mentored Advanced Project (MAP) — semester-long original research project co-authored with a professor
- Grinnell-in-London finance semester embeds Econ majors directly in City finance firms
- Rosenfield Program funds field economics research travel to Ethiopia, Chile, and other countries
- Pioneer Plus career funding covers unpaid internship living costs anywhere in the world
- One of <10 US colleges combining need-based 100%-need + no-loans + test-optional
📝 Application effort estimation
🎯 Backup plans
- Apply ED I (40% acceptance vs 15%)
- Apply early to maximize aid chances
- Carleton, Macalester, or Kenyon Economics as alternatives
- Look at other meet-full-need schools (Amherst, Bowdoin, Colby)
- If aid-aware affects you: improve profile to overcome
🔗 Official sources
- grinnell.edu/admission
- grinnell.edu/academics/economics
- grinnell.edu/admission/financial-aid