More selective than 36% of Iowa colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $28,596. College Scorecard.
Higher than 86% of Iowa colleges we cover and 85% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 93% of Iowa colleges we cover and 79% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
University of Iowa acceptance rate & admissions
Of 25,682 applicants, University of Iowa admitted 21,746 and 5,064 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class). The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1130–1330 on the SAT or 21–28 on the ACT.
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
University of Iowa tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for Iowa residents who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (in-state, federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
What University of Iowa costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of University of Iowa took 4.2 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in Iowa. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $15,316 | $64,940 | 2.3 years |
| $30–48k | $15,489 | $65,673 | 2.3 years |
| $48–75k | $19,930 | $84,503 | 3.0 years |
| $75–110k | $23,811 | $100,959 | 3.6 years |
| $110k+ | $26,266 | $111,368 | 4.0 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.2 years, the average time graduates took (57% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($64,762) minus $36,661 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in IA (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $28,101 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.
University of Iowa majors, earnings & careers
University of Iowa offers 79 bachelor's majors across 10 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Humanities & Languages · 17
- Science & Math · 12
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 11
- Business & Finance · 9
- Engineering · 9
- Health & Medicine · 9
- Arts & Design · 5
- Technology & Computing · 3
- Communications & Media · 2
- Education · 2
Highest-earning majors at University of Iowa
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Statistics | $123,676 | $20,411 |
| Chemical Engineering | $97,329 | $27,000 |
| Electrical Engineering | $97,208 | $25,875 |
| Industrial Engineering | $95,347 | $22,540 |
| Accounting | $92,767 | $22,500 |
| Management Science / Analytics | $91,720 | $21,500 |
| Mechanical Engineering | $89,078 | $23,109 |
| Computer and Information Sciences | $88,264 | $26,025 |
Quick list of all 79 majors
- Accounting$92,767
- Allied Health (Imaging / Therapy / Tech)$68,601
- Anthropology$42,549
- Area Studies$43,083
- Astronomy and Astrophysics—
- Behavioral Sciences—
- Biochemistry$65,072
- Biology$60,450
- Biomedical Engineering$86,894
- Business—
- Business Administration$67,605
- Chemical Engineering$97,329
- Chemistry$60,227
- Civil Engineering$83,350
- Classical and Ancient Studies—
- Classics—
- Communications$60,737
- Computer and Information Sciences$88,264
- Computer Engineering—
- Computer Science—
- Criminology$60,947
- Dance$60,188
- Data Science—
- Economics$76,746
- Education (Elementary / Secondary)$51,338
- Education (Subject Teaching)—
- Electrical Engineering$97,208
- Engineering—
- English$51,679
- English Language and Literature / Letters, Other$40,434
- Environmental Engineering—
- Environmental Science / Conservation$59,071
- Ethnic / Gender Studies$46,063
- Film and Photography$47,892
- Finance$88,229
- Geography$59,578
- Geology / Earth Science—
- German—
- History$46,819
- Human Resources$77,659
- Industrial Engineering$95,347
- Insurance—
- Interdisciplinary Studies—
- International / Global Studies$47,421
- International Relations—
- Journalism$56,933
- Kinesiology / Exercise Science$61,732
- Legal Studies / Paralegal—
- Liberal Arts / General Studies$61,200
- Linguistics—
- Management Science / Analytics$91,720
- Marketing$81,994
- Mathematics$82,411
- Mechanical Engineering$89,078
- Medical Laboratory Science—
- Medicine—
- Microbiological Sciences and Immunology—
- Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other$67,760
- Music$50,180
- Neuroscience—
- Nursing$78,836
- Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies$57,098
- Philosophy$56,786
- Physics—
- Political Science$65,923
- Pre-Med / Pre-Health—
- Psychology$51,031
- Public Health—
- Rehabilitation / Therapy Sciences—
- Religious Studies—
- Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics—
- Social Work$52,451
- Sociology$54,464
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages$54,530
- Speech-Language Pathology / Communication Disorders$66,377
- Statistics$123,676
- Studio Art$43,192
- Systems Science and Theory—
- Theatre$30,231
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Finance → Financial analyst
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 7.2% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Nursing → Registered nurse
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 5.6% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Iowa City
Overall prices in the Iowa City, IA area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $1,180. Housing costs 16% below the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 36 inches of rain a year, 28 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: tornado (relatively high); winter weather (relatively high).
FEMA National Risk Index, Johnson County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Johnson County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare University of Iowa with similar schools
Similar public colleges in Iowa by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Iowa | 84% | $22,531 | 75% | $64,762 | This school |
| Iowa State University | 89% | $18,589 | 75% | $63,386 | |
| University of Northern Iowa | 93% | $15,901 | 68% | $55,177 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
University of Iowa would cost you $3,942 more per year than Iowa State University, on average.
- Higher sticker price at University of Iowa, mostly from higher housing & meal costs (+$2,890).
- University of Iowa gives aided families $636 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Iowa resident | University of Iowa | ISU | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $11,283 | $10,787 | +$496 |
| Books & supplies | $950 | $1,091 | −$141 |
| Housing & meals | $12,616 | $9,726 | +$2,890 |
| Personal & travel | $4,066 | $2,890 | +$1,176 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$319 | −$476 | +$157 |
| Sticker price | $28,596 | $24,018 | +$4,578 |
| Average grants | −$6,065 | −$5,429 | −$636 |
| You pay | $22,531 | $18,589 | +$3,942 |
“+” means University of Iowa costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about University of Iowa
What is the University of Iowa acceptance rate?
University of Iowa accepts 84% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 21,746 of 25,682 applicants were admitted. The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1130–1330 on the SAT or 21–28 on the ACT.
How much does University of Iowa cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $28,596 a year for in-state students. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $22,531 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $15,316 and families earning $110k+ pay $26,266.
How much do University of Iowa graduates earn?
Former University of Iowa students earn a median $64,762 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the University of Iowa graduation rate?
75% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 90% return for their second year.
How long does a University of Iowa degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at University of Iowa costs about $84,503 after grants ($19,930 a year for 4.2 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $64,762 ten years after starting, $28,101 more than high school graduates in Iowa ($36,661), so the cost is repaid in 3.0 years of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).
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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “University of Iowa: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/university-of-iowa (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).