Davenport, Iowa is where chiropractic began, and Palmer College of Chiropractic is still there. Iowa is a one-program state, so the comparison you are really making is between Palmer's Davenport campus and programs elsewhere. What follows is what the college publishes about its own program, checked against the Council on Chiropractic Education's published accreditation actions.
The one Iowa program
Palmer College of Chiropractic — Davenport
In Davenport, Iowa, on the Mississippi River. Palmer publishes that “students attend classes in person year-round to earn their Doctor of Chiropractic degree in approximately three and one-third years,” and that “the program is 10 trimesters long (approximately 3 years and 4 months).” Students “enter the Palmer Chiropractic Clinics in their seventh trimester.” Davenport is Palmer's main campus; Palmer also runs a Florida campus in Port Orange, which the CCE lists alongside Davenport under the same program. Palmer's program page
Accreditation status
The Council on Chiropractic Education publishes its accreditation actions twice a year, including sanctions. Here is the most recent published action for this program.
Palmer College of Chiropractic
Council action: “Continued” — January 2026 meeting, announced February 13, 2026.
No sanction and no area of weakness. Next activity: interim site visit fall 2027, comprehensive site visit fall 2031.
Every action above is quoted from the Council's published accreditation-action announcements at cce-usa.org/cce-news.html, checked September 22, 2026. The Council publishes actions twice a year, so check there for anything more recent than that date.
How chiropractic licensure works in Iowa
Iowa licenses chiropractors through the Iowa Board of Chiropractic, administered by the Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing. The board publishes these requirements:
What Iowa requires
Degree. Graduation from a college of chiropractic accredited by the Council on Chiropractic Education and approved by the board.
National boards. Evidence of successful completion of the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners examination, with results sent directly from the NBCE to the board office.
Application. Application is made online, with a fee the board lists at $270.
The board is the only authority on this. Iowa Board of Chiropractic
What this page will not do
There is only one accredited program in Iowa, so there is nothing here to rank and no verdict to offer. What the page can do is tell you what the school publishes about itself and what the state requires of you, so that when you visit, you are asking better questions than a brochure can answer. That is the actual recommendation: go, sit in a class, and talk to students two years ahead of you.
If cost is part of the decision, median federal debt and four-year earnings are published program by program on the Findings page. For the earnings question on its own, see how much chiropractors make. For the timeline question, see how long chiropractic school takes.
Sources and dates. Accreditation status and Council actions are taken from the Council on Chiropractic Education's published accreditation-action announcements at cce-usa.org/cce-news.html, checked September 22, 2026. Program length and format are quoted as each school publishes them on its own site, checked the same day. Licensure information is taken from the state authority named above, checked September 22, 2026. Requirements change; confirm with the board before you rely on anything here.
FAQ
How many chiropractic schools are in Iowa?
One: Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport. It appears in the Council on Chiropractic Education's published accreditation actions, checked September 22, 2026.
How long is chiropractic school in Iowa?
Palmer College of Chiropractic publishes that the program is 10 trimesters long, approximately 3 years and 4 months, and that students attend classes in person year-round. Students enter the Palmer Chiropractic Clinics in their seventh trimester.
What do you need to be licensed as a chiropractor in Iowa?
The Iowa Board of Chiropractic requires graduation from a college of chiropractic accredited by the Council on Chiropractic Education and approved by the board, and evidence of successful completion of the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners examination sent directly from the NBCE. Confirm current requirements with the board before you rely on anything here.
Is Palmer's Davenport campus the same program as its Florida campus?
The Council on Chiropractic Education lists Palmer College of Chiropractic with two addresses under one accredited program: 1000 Brady Street in Davenport, Iowa, and 4777 City Center Parkway in Port Orange, Florida. Palmer's San Jose, California campus closed in 2025 and its CCE accreditation was removed.
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All Chiropractic Schools
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Schools in Florida
Keiser, Palmer and the NUHS site.
Schools in Illinois
National University of Health Sciences.
The DC Degree
What the degree is and how it is structured.
One program in the state. Go see it.
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