More selective than 11% 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 $34,022. College Scorecard.
Higher than 3% of Iowa colleges we cover and 17% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 30% of Iowa colleges we cover and 49% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
UIU acceptance rate & admissions
Of 695 applicants, Upper Iowa University admitted 649 and 158 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class).
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
UIU tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for students who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
What UIU costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Upper Iowa University 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 | $17,715 | $77,769 | 4.8 years |
| $30–48k | $22,774 | $99,978 | 6.2 years |
| $48–75k | $18,720 | $82,181 | 5.1 years |
| $75–110k | $20,041 | $87,980 | 5.5 years |
| $110k+ | $23,805 | $104,504 | 6.5 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.4 years, the average time graduates took (29% 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 ($52,766) minus $36,661 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in IA (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $16,105 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.
UIU majors, earnings & careers
Upper Iowa University offers 40 bachelor's majors across 10 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Business & Finance · 7
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 7
- Health & Medicine · 5
- Humanities & Languages · 5
- Science & Math · 5
- Education · 4
- Arts & Design · 2
- Communications & Media · 2
- Engineering · 2
- Technology & Computing · 1
Highest-earning majors at UIU
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Nursing | $76,345 | $35,004 |
| Public Administration | $70,374 | $31,000 |
| Health Administration | $66,931 | $46,649 |
| Business Administration | $65,858 | $34,453 |
| Human Resources | $64,706 | $41,006 |
| Biology | $64,110 | $27,000 |
| Finance | $63,736 | $26,000 |
| Accounting | $63,645 | $37,608 |
Quick list of all 40 majors
- Accounting$63,645
- Agricultural Business—
- Allied Health (Imaging / Therapy / Tech)—
- Biological and Physical Sciences—
- Biology$64,110
- Business Administration$65,858
- Chemistry—
- Communications—
- Computer and Information Sciences—
- Computer Engineering—
- Criminology$56,767
- Education (Elementary / Secondary)$45,945
- Education (Subject Teaching)$47,790
- English—
- Environmental Science / Conservation$41,765
- Finance$63,736
- Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design$41,109
- Health Administration$66,931
- History—
- Homeland Security—
- Human Resources$64,706
- Human Services$48,461
- Industrial Production Technologies / Technicians—
- Interdisciplinary Studies—
- Kinesiology / Exercise Science$49,002
- Liberal Arts / General Studies—
- Management Information Systems—
- Marketing$54,858
- Mathematics—
- Nursing$76,345
- Pre-Med / Pre-Health—
- Psychology$50,877
- Public Administration$70,374
- Public Relations and Advertising—
- Social Sciences$57,430
- Sociology—
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages—
- Special Education$49,098
- Studio Art—
- Teaching English or French as a Second or Foreign Language—
— 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 →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
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 Fayette
2 bedrooms $940.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 40 inches of rain a year, 41 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
No hazard rated high.
FEMA National Risk Index, Fayette County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Fayette County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare UIU with similar schools
Similar private 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upper Iowa University | 96% | $20,942 | 34% | $52,766 | This school |
| University of Dubuque | 89% | $23,386 | 40% | $51,190 | |
| Maharishi International University | 96% | $14,956 | 50% | $27,981 | |
| Grand View University | 99% | $21,774 | 54% | $52,824 | |
| Graceland University-Lamoni | 81% | $18,504 | 42% | $47,361 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Upper Iowa University would cost you $2,444 less per year than University of Dubuque, on average.
- Lower sticker price at Upper Iowa University, mostly from lower tuition & fees (−$22,620).
- University of Dubuque gives aided families $17,340 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Iowa resident | UIU | University of Dubuque | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $19,475 | $42,095 | −$22,620 |
| Books & supplies | $1,000 | $1,200 | −$200 |
| Housing & meals | $9,770 | $11,470 | −$1,700 |
| Personal & travel | $4,252 | $1,700 | +$2,552 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$475 | −$2,659 | +$2,184 |
| Sticker price | $34,022 | $53,806 | −$19,784 |
| Average grants | −$13,080 | −$30,420 | +$17,340 |
| You pay | $20,942 | $23,386 | −$2,444 |
“+” means UIU 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 UIU
What is the UIU acceptance rate?
Upper Iowa University accepts 96% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 649 of 695 applicants were admitted.
How much does Upper Iowa University cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $34,022 a year. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $20,942 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $17,715 and families earning $110k+ pay $23,805.
How much do UIU graduates earn?
Former Upper Iowa University students earn a median $52,766 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the UIU graduation rate?
34% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 68% return for their second year.
How long does a UIU degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Upper Iowa University costs about $82,181 after grants ($18,720 a year for 4.4 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $52,766 ten years after starting, $16,105 more than high school graduates in Iowa ($36,661), so the cost is repaid in 5.1 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: “Upper Iowa University: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/upper-iowa-university (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).