More selective than 18% 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 $22,278. College Scorecard.
Higher than 72% of Iowa colleges we cover and 75% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 47% of Iowa colleges we cover and 56% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
University of Northern Iowa acceptance rate & admissions
Of 4,913 applicants, University of Northern Iowa admitted 4,638 and 1,552 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class). The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1020–1280 on the SAT or 19–26 on the ACT.
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
University of Northern 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 Northern Iowa costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of University of Northern Iowa took 4.4 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 | $10,863 | $47,797 | 2.6 years |
| $30–48k | $11,751 | $51,704 | 2.8 years |
| $48–75k | $14,099 | $62,036 | 3.4 years |
| $75–110k | $17,740 | $78,056 | 4.2 years |
| $110k+ | $18,706 | $82,306 | 4.4 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.4 years, the average time graduates took (45% 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 ($55,177) minus $36,661 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in IA (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $18,516 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 Northern Iowa majors, earnings & careers
University of Northern Iowa offers 69 bachelor's majors across 10 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 13
- Business & Finance · 12
- Science & Math · 11
- Humanities & Languages · 9
- Health & Medicine · 6
- Education · 5
- Arts & Design · 4
- Communications & Media · 4
- Technology & Computing · 3
- Engineering · 2
Highest-earning majors at University of Northern Iowa
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Computer Science | $89,305 | $26,200 |
| Industrial Production Technologies / Technicians | $87,580 | $23,213 |
| Construction Management | $85,688 | $23,000 |
| Real Estate | $83,592 | $23,125 |
| Accounting | $82,641 | $21,525 |
| Finance | $81,172 | $20,750 |
| Management Information Systems | $76,329 | $22,500 |
| Business Administration | $74,838 | $19,500 |
Quick list of all 69 majors
- Accounting$82,641
- Allied Health (Imaging / Therapy / Tech)$47,105
- Anthropology$34,102
- Apparel and Textiles—
- Biochemistry—
- Biological and Physical Sciences—
- Biology$62,391
- Broadcasting / Digital Media$49,794
- Business—
- Business Administration$74,838
- Chemistry—
- Communications$53,506
- Computer Science$89,305
- Construction Management$85,688
- Criminal Justice—
- Criminology$54,993
- Data Analytics—
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology—
- Economics$71,905
- Education (Elementary / Secondary)$45,885
- Education (Subject Teaching)$50,144
- Education, Other—
- Electromechanical Technologies / Technicians—
- English$46,343
- Environmental / Natural Resources Management and Policy—
- Environmental Science / Conservation$46,780
- Family and Consumer Sciences / Human Sciences—
- Finance$81,172
- General Sales, Merchandising and Related Marketing Operations—
- Geography—
- Geology / Earth Science$46,986
- Gerontology$63,876
- Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design$47,736
- Graphic Communications$44,066
- Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other$52,202
- History$49,313
- Human Development and Family Studies$41,053
- Human Resources—
- Industrial Production Technologies / Technicians$87,580
- Information Technology—
- International / Global Studies—
- Kinesiology / Exercise Science$54,629
- Liberal Arts / General Studies$51,712
- Management Information Systems$76,329
- Management Science / Analytics—
- Marketing$72,757
- Mathematics$44,407
- Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions—
- Music—
- Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies$48,506
- Philosophy—
- Physics—
- Political Science$50,277
- Psychology$53,829
- Public Administration$58,307
- Public Health—
- Public Relations and Advertising$64,067
- Real Estate$83,592
- Religious Studies—
- Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics—
- Social Work$50,629
- Sociology$53,198
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages$54,965
- Special Education—
- Speech-Language Pathology / Communication Disorders$60,509
- Statistics—
- Studio Art$40,288
- Teaching English or French as a Second or Foreign Language—
- Theatre$39,816
— 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 →Education (Elementary / Secondary) → Elementary school teacher
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to shrink 0.4% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Business Administration → Management analyst
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 10.1% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Waterloo
Overall prices in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $1,096. Housing costs 37% below the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 36 inches of rain a year, 39 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: tornado (relatively high); winter weather (relatively high).
FEMA National Risk Index, Black Hawk County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Black Hawk County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare University of Northern 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 Northern Iowa | 93% | $15,901 | 68% | $55,177 | This school |
| University of Iowa | 84% | $22,531 | 75% | $64,762 | |
| Iowa State University | 89% | $18,589 | 75% | $63,386 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
University of Northern Iowa would cost you $6,630 less per year than University of Iowa, on average.
- Lower sticker price at University of Northern Iowa, mostly from lower housing & meal costs (−$2,968).
- University of Northern Iowa gives aided families $312 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Iowa resident | University of Northern Iowa | University of Iowa | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $9,936 | $11,283 | −$1,347 |
| Books & supplies | $800 | $950 | −$150 |
| Housing & meals | $9,648 | $12,616 | −$2,968 |
| Personal & travel | $2,550 | $4,066 | −$1,516 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$656 | −$319 | −$337 |
| Sticker price | $22,278 | $28,596 | −$6,318 |
| Average grants | −$6,377 | −$6,065 | −$312 |
| You pay | $15,901 | $22,531 | −$6,630 |
“+” means University of Northern 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 Northern Iowa
What is the University of Northern Iowa acceptance rate?
University of Northern Iowa accepts 93% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 4,638 of 4,913 applicants were admitted. The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1020–1280 on the SAT or 19–26 on the ACT.
How much does University of Northern Iowa cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $22,278 a year for in-state students. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $15,901 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $10,863 and families earning $110k+ pay $18,706.
How much do University of Northern Iowa graduates earn?
Former University of Northern Iowa students earn a median $55,177 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the University of Northern Iowa graduation rate?
68% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 82% return for their second year.
How long does a University of Northern Iowa degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at University of Northern Iowa costs about $62,036 after grants ($14,099 a year for 4.4 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $55,177 ten years after starting, $18,516 more than high school graduates in Iowa ($36,661), so the cost is repaid in 3.4 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 Northern Iowa: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/university-of-northern-iowa (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).