Maharishi International University
Private College in Fairfield, IA. Six-year graduation rate 50%. Median 10-year earnings $27,981.
Median earnings ten years after entry come to $27,981, below what most undergraduate institutions return — the central fact to weigh against cost here. Six-year completion sits at 50%, near the national average for undergraduate institutions. Debt at graduation runs to a median of $24,781, neither a bargain nor a burden.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
- ! Debt-to-income ratio 0.89 — elevated (above 0.60)
Admissions
With an acceptance rate of 96%, Maharishi International University takes nearly everyone who applies. The applicant pool is small at 93, which makes year-over-year comparisons unreliable. Yield is high — 75% of admitted students go on to enroll, well above the typical rate.
Test score bands (middle 50% of submitters)
These bands describe the enrolled first-years who submitted a score, not the entering class. Where most students apply test-optional the submitters are a self-selected, higher-scoring group.
| Test | 25th–75th percentile | Submitted |
|---|---|---|
| SAT Evidence-Based Reading | — | — |
| SAT Math | — | |
| ACT Composite | — | — |
IPEDS Admissions · 2024
Apply at Maharishi International University →Academics
Six-year completion sits at 50%, meaning about one in two students who enroll leave without finishing. Retention of 61% means a meaningful slice of each entering class does not return. The part-time picture is harder: 22% return, against 61% full-time. The 13:1 student-faculty ratio is small enough that seminar-sized classes are the norm. Judge these figures against other institutions of the same type — sector explains more of the variation in completion than any single campus factor.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 775 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Students pay an average of $16,281 annually once grants are applied. The income table below is the number that matters — $14,269 at $0–30k versus $24,730 at $110k+. About 64% get grants averaging $8,542, so plan on the possibility of paying closer to full price. Borrowing is widespread: 65% take federal loans.
Entering first-year students
A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 31 students
Net price by family income
The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.
| Family income band | Average net price |
|---|---|
| $0–30k | $14,269 |
| $30–48k | $16,585 |
| $48–75k | $14,066 |
| $75–110k | $18,954 |
| $110k+ | $24,730 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 507 of these 775 students, totalling $4,492,101 — an average of $8,860 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Jefferson County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)