University of Iowa

Overview

Rankings

• #1 Best Online Colleges in Iowa
• #1 Best Business Colleges in Iowa
• #2 Best Colleges in Iowa
• #2 Best Bachelor's Programs in Iowa
• #2 Best Master's Programs in Iowa
• #2 Best Colleges for Low-Income Inventors
• #3 Best Biology Colleges in Iowa
• #3 Best Communications Colleges in Iowa

Academics & Admissions

Is It Hard to Get Into University of Iowa? Acceptance Rate & Requirements

University of Iowa, located in Iowa City, Iowa, admits most of the students who apply; the acceptance rate is roughly 84%. Admitted students typically arrive with an average SAT score near 1,200. The graduation rate is roughly 74%.

Acceptance Rate

84%

Retention Rate

90%

SAT Average

1200

ACT Midpoint

26

SAT Range

1130–1330

ACT Range

21–28

Full-Time Faculty

88%

Faculty Salary (mo)

$12,922

Student–Faculty Ratio

16:1

Diversity Index

0.43

First-Gen Students

22%

Applicants

25,729

Admitted

22,128

Inside the Admissions Office

School-reported Common Data Set · 2024-25

The acceptance rate tells you how hard University of Iowa is to get into. Its Common Data Set tells you what happens once you are admitted: how many students say yes, how many arrived without test scores, and whether applying early tilts the odds.

Submitted SAT

19%

of enrolled freshmen

Submitted ACT

57%

of enrolled freshmen

Cost & Financial Aid

How Much Does It Cost to Attend University of Iowa? Tuition, Net Price & Aid

Published tuition at University of Iowa is $33,371, but few families pay that. The number to watch is net price, what students actually pay each year after federal grants and institutional scholarships. Here it averages about $22,531. Students from families earning under $30,000 typically pay closer to $15,316 after need-based grants. The median graduate leaves with about $22,500 in federal student loans.

In-State Tuition

$11,283

Out-of-State

$33,371

Avg Net Price

$22,531

Median Debt

$22,500

Pell Grant Rate

18%

Federal Loan Rate

42%

Students Like You

Tell us a little about yourself to see what students like you have typically experienced at University of Iowa — the net price for your income, your admission odds, and the outcomes that follow. These are patterns from federal data, not predictions.

Graduate Outcomes

Is University of Iowa Worth It? Graduate Earnings & ROI

Ten years out, alumni of University of Iowa earn a median of $64,762, roughly in line with the national average for college graduates.

6 Years After Entry

$52,696

8 Years

$60,321

10 Years

$64,762

Debt-to-Earnings

0.35x

Earning > $25K

80%

Social Mobility

Data: Raj Chetty's Mobility Report Card · 30M+ anonymized tax records

Does University of Iowa Drive Upward Mobility? Economic Mobility & Low-Income Outcomes

University of Iowa is a measurable contributor to upward mobility. Its mobility rate, the share of students who start in the bottom income quintile and climb to the top, is 1.01%, in line with strong performers nationally. Access is narrower: only about 3.1% of students come from the bottom income quintile, typical of more selective, higher-income institutions. Among bottom-quintile students who attend, roughly 32% go on to reach the top of the income ladder. The median family income of students sits near $114,700, a snapshot of the campus's socioeconomic mix.

Mobility Rate

1.01%

Bottom 20% → Top 20%

Success Rate

32.0%

If bottom 20% get in

From Bottom 20%

3.1%

Share of students

Parent Median Income

$155,837

today's $ (2015 cohort data)

Social Capital

Data: Opportunity Insights Social Capital Atlas

How Connected Is University of Iowa? Social Capital & Cross-Class Networks

Social capital, the web of cross-class friendships that researchers link to long-run upward mobility, runs high at University of Iowa. Its economic connectedness score is 1.75, where about 1.0 is the national norm. Its friending bias is low (0.00), a sign that students from different economic backgrounds actually mix rather than self-segregate. Around 8% of students take part in civic and volunteering activity.

Economic Connectedness

1.75

Cross-class friendships

Friending Bias

0.00

Lower = more inclusive

Volunteering Rate

8.3%

Support Ratio

0.99

Community support

Research & Teaching

Data: Times Higher Education World University Rankings

How Research-Intensive Is University of Iowa? World Rank, Teaching & Citations

Times Higher Education places University of Iowa at #132 worldwide, a mark of serious research standing. Its profile spans a research score of 60/100, teaching at 49/100, and citation impact of 55/100, reflecting both the volume of research output and how often that work is cited by scholars elsewhere.

World Rank

#132

Teaching

48.6

Research

59.8

Citations

54.8

International

31.7

Innovation & Knowledge Creation

Patents, inventors, and research influence · Opportunity Insights & Times Higher Education

University of Iowa produces inventors at a measurable rate, with 139 patents tied to its graduates, and ranks among research universities with a 60/100 research score.

Inventor Rate

0.52%

Top 44% nationally

Patents Produced

139

Linked to graduates

Patent Citations

535

Downstream influence

Research Score

60/100

Times Higher Ed

Academic Influence

55/100

Citation impact (THE)

Inventors From Low-Income

0.86%

Bottom-20% families

Institutional Finances

Data: NCES IPEDS

Investment Income

$-212,423,000

Top Programs

The fields University of Iowa awards the most degrees in, by share of completions. Where federal field-of-study data exists, we show what graduates in that major earned early in their careers. Each links to its degree guide — or see what someone with your income, scores, and major would pay and earn here in the Students Like You simulator.

• Business & Marketing 24% $73,977 early-career
• Health Professions 8% $72,306 early-career
• Social Sciences 6% $52,743 early-career
• Engineering 6% $84,779 early-career
• Biology & Biomedical 5% $45,495 early-career
• Visual & Performing Arts 5% $39,121 early-career
• English & Literature 4% $33,906 early-career
• Humanities 4% $33,906 early-career

Early-career median earnings by major (typically 1–2 years after completion, bachelor's level where available), in today's dollars (CPI-adjusted). Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard field of study. Distinct from the school-wide 10-year median; suppressed for small programs.