University of Northern Iowa

Overview

Rankings

• #1 Best Education Colleges in Iowa
• #1 Best Communications Colleges in Iowa
• #2 Best Online Colleges in Iowa
• #3 Best Colleges in Iowa
• #3 Best Bachelor's Programs in Iowa
• #3 Best Master's Programs in Iowa
• #3 Best Business Colleges in Iowa
• #4 Best Psychology Colleges in Iowa

Academics & Admissions

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

University of Northern Iowa, located in Cedar Falls, Iowa, admits most of the students who apply; the acceptance rate is roughly 93%. Admitted students typically arrive with an average SAT score near 1,122. The graduation rate is roughly 68%.

Acceptance Rate

93%

Retention Rate

82%

SAT Average

1122

ACT Midpoint

23

SAT Range

1020–1280

ACT Range

19–26

Full-Time Faculty

70%

Faculty Salary (mo)

$8,542

Student–Faculty Ratio

17:1

Diversity Index

0.30

First-Gen Students

22%

Applicants

4,594

Admitted

4,362

Inside the Admissions Office

School-reported Common Data Set · 2025-26

The acceptance rate tells you how hard University of Northern 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. 31% of admitted students go on to enroll here, making it a school many admits weigh against other offers.

Yield Rate

31%

of admits enroll

Submitted SAT

100%

of enrolled freshmen

Submitted ACT

44%

of enrolled freshmen

Cost & Financial Aid

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

Published tuition at University of Northern Iowa is $21,712, 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 $15,901. Students from families earning under $30,000 typically pay closer to $10,863 after need-based grants. The median graduate leaves with about $19,691 in federal student loans.

In-State Tuition

$9,936

Out-of-State

$21,712

Avg Net Price

$15,901

Median Debt

$19,691

Pell Grant Rate

27%

Federal Loan Rate

46%

Students Like You

Tell us a little about yourself to see what students like you have typically experienced at University of Northern 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 Northern Iowa Worth It? Graduate Earnings & ROI

Ten years out, alumni of University of Northern Iowa earn a median of $55,177, roughly in line with the national average for college graduates.

6 Years After Entry

$47,222

8 Years

$50,478

10 Years

$55,177

Debt-to-Earnings

0.36x

Earning > $25K

77%

Social Mobility

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

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

University of Northern 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 1.12%, in line with strong performers nationally. Access is narrower: only about 3.5% 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 $88,700, a snapshot of the campus's socioeconomic mix.

Mobility Rate

1.12%

Bottom 20% → Top 20%

Success Rate

32.0%

If bottom 20% get in

From Bottom 20%

3.5%

Share of students

Parent Median Income

$120,512

today's $ (2015 cohort data)

Social Capital

Data: Opportunity Insights Social Capital Atlas

How Connected Is University of Northern 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 Northern Iowa. Its economic connectedness score is 1.76, where about 1.0 is the national norm. Its friending bias is low (-0.01), a sign that students from different economic backgrounds actually mix rather than self-segregate. Around 7% of students take part in civic and volunteering activity.

Economic Connectedness

1.76

Cross-class friendships

Friending Bias

-0.01

Lower = more inclusive

Volunteering Rate

7.2%

Support Ratio

0.99

Community support

Innovation & Knowledge Creation

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

University of Northern Iowa produces inventors at a measurable rate, with 12 patents tied to its graduates.

Inventor Rate

0.16%

Top 84% nationally

Patents Produced

12

Linked to graduates

Patent Citations

23

Downstream influence

Institutional Finances

Data: NCES IPEDS

Investment Income

$-5,160,813

Top Programs

The fields University of Northern 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.

• Education 25% $48,945 early-career
• Business & Marketing 22% $76,041 early-career
• Communications 6% $48,066 early-career
• Psychology 5% $39,804 early-career
• Biology & Biomedical 5% $35,271 early-career
• Health Professions 4% $44,638 early-career
• Social Sciences 4% $51,008 early-career
• Visual & Performing Arts 3% $40,390 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.