University of Northern Iowa

Northern Iowa is on a 916-acre campus in the suburban setting of Cedar Falls, Iowa.

Northern Iowa Student Activities

Northern Iowa has many clubs, organizations, and activities for students to join – including band, chorus, theater groups, a campus newspaper, a radio station and more.

Interested in Greek life? Northern Iowa has fraternities and sororities.

Northern Iowa has the St. Stephen the Witness Catholic Student Center. In fact, more students participate in the St. Stephen the Witness Catholic Student Center than any other on-campus activity.

Other popular student organizations at Northern Iowa include Panther eSports, National Society of collegiate Scholars, Dance Marathon and Accounting Club.

Northern Iowa students' favorite campus events are Welcome Week, Homecoming and Dance Marathon.

Northern Iowa Housing

This table offers information on housing at Northern Iowa.

Northern Iowa offers housing. Students are not required to live on campus. First year students are guaranteed on-campus housing.

Most Northern Iowa students live off campus. In 2022, 36% of undergrads at Northern Iowa lived in some kind of on-campus housing and 64% of students lived off-campus or commuted to Northern Iowa. There are 4,356 spots available in on-campus housing for all 7,981 undergraduates. In the 2021-2022 school year, 2,953 students chose to live on-campus. On the weekends, about 63% students stay on-campus. First year students are allowed to park a car on campus.

Northern Iowa offers coed housing and housing for students with disabilities.

Northern Iowa Athletics

At Northern Iowa there are a variety of athletic options for students interested in joining a sports program.

Intercollegiate sports are the highest tier of college sports and can be very competitive. Intercollegiate teams are regulated by the NCAA, funded by the university, and compete against teams from other universities. The division of a sports team depends on the size of the university, funding, and competition level. An intercollegiate school team will be Division I, II or III, with Division I being the highest level.

Club sports are not regulated by the NCAA and are a great option for students not interested in trying out for an intercollegiate team. Club sports are usually student run but can also be funded by the university.

Intramural sports are the most casual and informal. Intramural sports are often free and require very little time commitment.

Let's take a look at the athletic options available at Northern Iowa:

Is Northern Iowa Safe?

College is like a home away from home. Whether you're walking to class or coming back from late-night studying (or partying!), it's important to feel safe on campus.

University of Northern Iowa is patroled 24 hours a day by trained security. The Northern Iowa campus has emergency telephones or alarms for students to use anytime of day or night. The school also has student security patrols.

Northern Iowa offers late-night transportation or safety escorts for students. Campus housing is secure and dorms can only be accessed with secure key cards.

Plan a Visit to Northern Iowa

Visiting colleges is one of the best ways to get a sense of the campus and student body. If you'd like to visit Northern Iowa, take Interstate 380 and U.S. Highway 20 to Cedar Falls, IA. If you need to fly, book your flight to Waterloo Regional airport.

While you're planning, check out other schools in Iowa you may want to visit too. Click the heart at the top of each school's page to save it to your college list.

Want to visit but can't make the trip? Explore Northern Iowa's campus without leaving home by taking a virtual campus tour

Keep Reading About Northern Iowa

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

Overview

Admissions

Academics

Tuition & Aid

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