University of Iowa
Public Research University in Iowa City, IA. Six-year graduation rate 75%. Median 10-year earnings $64,762.
A decade after enrolling, the median University of Iowa student earns $64,762 — comfortably above what the typical bachelor's-granting institution returns. 75% graduate within six years, so most students who start here finish here. Median debt at graduation is $22,500, roughly typical for an undergraduate degree.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ Debt-to-income ratio 0.35 — healthy (below the 0.40 threshold)
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
- ! Mobility score 1.0 — limited economic uplift documented
Admissions
84% of applicants get in, so the odds favor most reasonably prepared students. The applicant pool is large — 27,770 in the most recent cycle — so the published rate reflects genuine competition rather than a small-sample quirk. Yield sits at 22% — the remainder of admitted students enroll elsewhere or not at all. 19% of enrolled first-years submitted an SAT score. The bands below describe the middle half of that group, not of the class.
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 | 570–670 | 964 (19%) |
| SAT Math | 560–660 | |
| ACT Composite | 21–28 | 2,949 (57%) |
IPEDS Admissions · 2024
Apply at University of Iowa →Academics
Six-year completion runs to 75% — students who start here overwhelmingly finish here. 90% of full-time first-years return for a second year — a healthy figure. Retention and completion are close, which places the gap between entering and finishing almost entirely in year one. A 18% transfer-out rate accounts for part of that gap: those students left for another institution rather than dropping out, and the graduation rate above counts them as non-completers here. Part-time students fare worse, returning at 64% — relevant if you plan to work while enrolled.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 21,688 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Students pay an average of $21,765 annually once grants are applied. Net price swings hard on family income here, from $15,316 at the $0–30k band to $26,266 at $110k+. About 70% get grants averaging $10,097, so plan on the possibility of paying closer to full price. 43% of students take federal loans, a middling borrowing rate.
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 · 5,050 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 | $15,316 |
| $30–48k | $15,489 |
| $48–75k | $19,930 |
| $75–110k | $23,811 |
| $110k+ | $26,266 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 9,223 of these 21,688 students, totalling $59,082,740 — an average of $6,406 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Johnson 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)