The University of Iowa

The University of Iowa is a public, state school in a small town setting in Iowa City, Iowa. Iowa was founded in 1847 and now enrolls around 30,318 students a year, including 22,304 undergrads. Iowa offers housing for students. Most students live in off campus housing.

There are many ways for students to get involved at Iowa! Love music or performing? Join a campus band, sing in a chorus, or perform with one of Iowa's theater groups.

Interested in journalism or communications? Iowa students can write for the campus newspaper, host a radio show or be a producer for the student-run television channel.

Excited for Greek life? Iowa has fraternities and sororities.

Planning to play sports? Iowa has many options for athletes. See them all and learn more about life at Iowa on the Student Life page.

Learn more about life at Iowa on the Student Life page.

Mark your calendar! The deadline to apply regular decision to Iowa for Fall 2022 is May 1.Regular decision applicants for Fall 2022 should find out if they got admitted by August 1.

Is Iowa a Good School?

There is no one way to define a "good" college or university. Admissions criteria, acceptance rate and average GPA are good indicators of how selective an institution is, but they don't say much about the quality of the education or the student experience. However, there are a few good ways to get a better sense how satisfied students are and how well a school supports its student body.

Let's take a closer look at all of these areas to get a clearer idea of what Iowa offers and if it could be a good choice for you.

Iowa Acceptance Rate 2021

It is moderately difficult to get into Iowa. Around 84% of applicants get into Iowa each year. Out of 24,132 applications received in 2021, 20,338 students were offered admission.

Retention and Graduation Rates at Iowa

Retention is the number of students that stay enrolled at a school over time. This is a way to get a sense of how satisfied students are with their school experience, and if they have the support necessary to succeed in college.

About 88% of students who start at Iowa come back the next year. Iowa's six-year graduation rate for undergrads is 72%. Compare this to the average six-year graduation rate for colleges and universities in the U.S., which is around 61% for public schools and 67% for private.

Job Outlook Iowa Graduates

Job placement rates after graduation and average starting salaries can all give important clues about the value of a degree from a specific school. Within six months of graduating, 68% of graduates receive at least one full-time job offer.

The average starting salary for recent Iowa grads is $42,892 a year. Average starting salaries vary by discipline, but the average starting salary for all 2021 graduates was around $60,000 a year.

Iowa's Endowment

An endowment is the total value of a school's investments, donations, and assets. Endowment is not necessarily an indicator of the quality of a school, but it can give you a sense of how much money a college can afford to invest in expanding programs, improving facilities, and support students. Iowa's endowment was valued at $1.251 billion in 2021, compared to a national average of $905 million. The school spends $14,593 for each full-time student enrolled.

Tuition and Financial Aid at Iowa

Cost is another important factor when choose a college. Some colleges may have high tuition, but do a better job at meeting students' financial need. Iowa meets 53% of the demonstrated financial need for undergraduates. The average financial aid package for a full-time, first-year student is around $14,464 a year.

Students in the class of 2021 who had taken out student loans graduated with an average of $27,369 of debt. For context, compare this number with the average national debt, which is around $36,000 per borrower.

The 2022-2023 FAFSA Opened on October 1st, 2021

Some aid is available on a first-come, first-served basis, so fill out the FAFSA as soon as you can. Visit the FAFSA website to apply for student aid. Remember, the first F in FAFSA stands for FREE! You should never have to pay to submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), so don't give your money (or info!) to any website that claim you do.

Learn more about Tuition and Financial Aid at Iowa. Based on this information, how does Iowa sound? Remember, the best school for one person may be a terrible fit for someone else! So ask yourself: Is Iowa a good school for you?

If The University of Iowa seems like a school you want to apply to, click the heart button to save it to your college list.

Still Doing Your Research?

Click below to find out more about the admissions requirements and deadlines, student life, academics, majors and more.

Admissions

Student Life

Academics

Tuition & Aid

Iowa Community Forums

Then use the college admissions predictor to take a data science look at your chances of getting admitted to some of the best colleges and universities in the U.S.

Where is Iowa?

Iowa is located in the small town setting of Iowa City, Iowa.

If you want to see Iowa for yourself, plan a visit. The best way to reach campus is to take Interstate 80 to Iowa City, or book a flight to the nearest airport, Eastern Iowa.

You can also take a virtual campus tour to get a sense of what Iowa and Iowa City are like without leaving home.

Considering Going to School in Iowa?

See a full list of colleges in Iowa and save your favorites to your college list.