University of
Northern Iowa
Public College in Cedar Falls, IA. Six-year graduation rate 68%. Median 10-year earnings $55,177.
The median ten-year earnings figure of $55,177 sits near the national middle rather than at either extreme. The six-year graduation rate of 68% is well above average and the clearest sign this school holds onto its students. Graduates carry a median of $19,691 in debt — in line with the national norm.
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
Admissions
Admission is not the constraint here: 93% of applicants are accepted. The applicant pool runs to 5,360, typical for a school of this reach. About 31% of admitted students enroll, a yield in the normal range. 2% 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 | 520–650 | 25 (2%) |
| SAT Math | 500–630 | |
| ACT Composite | 19–26 | 670 (43%) |
IPEDS Admissions · 2024
Apply at University of Northern Iowa →Academics
68% of students finish within six years, putting completion well above the national norm. 82% 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. 22% transfer out. IPEDS does not follow them, so whether they finished elsewhere is not recorded either way. A 18:1 ratio is unremarkable; expect a mix of lecture halls and seminars.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 7,599 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Net price lands at $16,437 a year on average, neither cheap nor punishing. Net price varies modestly by income — $10,863 at $0–30k against $18,706 at $110k+ — so the average is a fair guide for most families. Grant aid reaches 70% of students at an average of $7,435. About 47% borrow federally, roughly the national pattern.
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 · 1,543 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 | $10,863 |
| $30–48k | $11,751 |
| $48–75k | $14,099 |
| $75–110k | $17,740 |
| $110k+ | $18,706 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 3,588 of these 7,599 students, totalling $21,395,579 — an average of $5,963 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Black Hawk 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)