University of Iowa

Iowa City, IA · Public · 22,264 undergrads (large, city) · website ↗

Test-optional
$40 application fee

What you'll actually pay

Average net price per year — tuition, fees, room & board minus grant and scholarship aid — for in-state students by household income.

Household income	Avg net price / year
Under $30,000	$15,316
$30,000 – $48,000	$15,489
$48,000 – $75,000	$19,930
$75,000 – $110,000	$23,811
Over $110,000	$26,266
All incomes (average)	$22,531

Sticker tuition and fees: $11,283 in-state, $33,371 out-of-state — before aid, from the same earlier College Scorecard release as the net prices above.

These are averages. For an estimate for your family, use University of Iowa's own net price calculator — every college that takes federal student aid must publish one.

Net price calculator ↗

Other costs of attendance, 2025–26

The college's own estimate for a full-time undergraduate for the year, before aid, from the October 2026 College Scorecard. It is a newer year than the tuition and net prices above, so don't add the two together.

Housing and meals, on campus	$13,680
Housing and meals, off campus (not with family)	$13,680
Books and supplies	$950
Other expenses, on campus	$4,598
Other expenses, off campus	$4,598

Grants and loans for first-year students, 2022–23

What the college reported for its full-time, first-time students (5,157 of them) in 2022–23; 88% got some kind of aid, loans included. Each average is over the students who received that kind of aid, not over everyone. It is an older year than the 2025–26 costs above.

Type of aid	Students awarded	Average amount
Any grant or scholarshipFederal, state, local and the college's own	74%	$9,512
Federal Pell GrantNeed-based, from the federal government	16%	$5,026
The college's own grants and scholarshipsNeed- or merit-based, funded by the college	70%	$8,745
Federal student loansBorrowed by the student; repaid with interest. No Parent PLUS or private loans	46%	$5,262

IPEDS, U.S. Department of Education, Student Financial Aid 2022–23 (SFA2223, provisional release); full-time, first-time degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates; public domain.

Admissions & outcomes

Acceptance rate: 84%
Average SAT: 1200
Median ACT: 26
Students with Pell grants: 18%
Graduation rate (6yr): 75%
Freshman retention: 90%
Median earnings @ 10yr: $64,762
Median debt at graduation: $22,500
International undergrads: 350 (1.6%)

For comparison, the median across all 1,596 four-year colleges on this site: graduation rate 56%, earnings ten years after entering $54,869, debt at graduation $23,250.

Admission policy, test scores and teaching

SAT/ACT policy: Test-optional
Application fee: $40
Students per faculty member: 16 to 1
Faculty who are full-time: 88%
Open admission: No

Middle 50% of test scores, fall 2024

25th to 75th percentile of enrolled first-year students who submitted scores. A quarter scored below the first figure and a quarter above the second. Section ranges can't be added together into a total-score range.

SAT Reading and Writing: 570–670
SAT Math: 560–660
ACT composite: 21–28

What the college considers in admission decisions, fall 2023

How the college said it used each item when deciding on first-time, degree- or certificate-seeking applicants for fall 2023. For SAT and ACT scores, see the fall 2024 policy above.

High school GPA	Required
High school class rank	Considered if submitted
High school record	Required
Completion of a college-preparatory program	Required
Recommendations	Considered if submitted
Formal demonstration of competencies (e.g. portfolio)	Considered if submitted
English proficiency test (for applicable students)	Required
Other test (Wonderlic, WISC-III, etc.)	Not considered
Work experience	Not considered
Personal statement or essay	Considered if submitted
Legacy status	Not considered

First-time applicants: 25,682
Admitted: 21,746
Enrolled: 5,064

Counts of first-time, degree- or certificate-seeking students, including early decision and early action. The acceptance rate higher up this page comes from a different College Scorecard release, so it may not match these counts.

IPEDS, U.S. Department of Education, Admissions 2023–24 (ADM2023, provisional release), fall 2023; open admission from IPEDS Institutional Characteristics 2023–24 (revised); public domain.

Most popular fields of study

Share of bachelor's degrees awarded.

Business24%

Kinesiology & Sports Science11%

Health & Nursing8%

Social Sciences6%

Engineering6%

Biology & Life Sciences5%

Visual & Performing Arts5%

English & Literature4%

Communications & Media4%

Education3%

Earnings and debt by field of study

Median annual earnings of graduates who received federal student aid and were working, not studying: one year after completing (graduates of 2020–21 and 2021–22) and four years after (2017–18 and 2018–19), measured in 2022 and 2023 and shown in 2024 dollars. Median debt is federal Direct and Grad PLUS loans borrowed at this college by 2022–23 and 2023–24 graduates; it leaves out Parent PLUS and private loans. “National” is the median for the same field and credential across all US colleges.

Bachelor's degrees (61)

Field of study	Degrees awarded 2023–24	Earnings, 1 yr after	Earnings, 4 yrs after	Median federal debt
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness	503	$41,856	$61,732national $54,562	$21,500
Finance and Financial Management Services	395	$67,881	$88,229national $83,343	$21,487
Behavioral Sciences	298	$39,798	—national $48,673	$19,500
Marketing	266	$60,672	$81,994national $69,303	$21,500
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing	232	$76,816	$78,836national $88,910	$19,742
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods	209	$68,531	$91,720national $86,176	$20,500
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities	202	$46,502	$61,200national $53,072	$22,412
Business Administration, Management and Operations	178	$52,882	$67,605national $68,257	$20,500
Human Resources Management and Services	166	$57,725	$77,659national $68,069	$22,500
Communication and Media Studies	151	$47,370	$60,737national $56,359	$21,500
Accounting and Related Services	146	$73,222	$92,767national $76,194	$20,500
English Language and Literature/Letters, Other	140	$32,549	$40,434national $46,634	$21,500
Political Science and Government	134	$41,748	$65,923national $63,293	$20,500
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods	133	$44,530	$51,338national $47,382	$25,975
Biology, General	123	$38,395	$60,450national $57,214	$22,500
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other	101	$45,726	$67,760national $55,693	$23,500
Fine and Studio Arts	100	$36,862	$43,192national $41,367	$22,750
Mechanical Engineering	95	$75,734	$89,078national $92,135	$26,774
Economics	94	$56,898	$76,746national $82,686	$21,500
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas	93	$44,488	—national $51,389	$25,076
Journalism	88	$45,377	$56,933national $56,278	$19,000
Biomedical/Medical Engineering	88	$67,558	$86,894national $93,451	$27,000
Computer Science	85	$70,437	—national $107,009	$20,485
Criminology	81	$43,676	$60,947national $55,556	$20,500
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services	79	$31,028	$66,377national $58,928	$23,687
Public Health	69	$41,739	—national $58,808	$22,500
History	66	$36,914	$46,819national $50,680	$24,847
Music	63	$43,865	$50,180national $42,892	$25,250
Neurobiology and Neurosciences	61	$37,558	—national $62,451	$22,964
Insurance	56	—	—national $88,472	$19,250
Film/Video and Photographic Arts	54	$30,998	$47,892national $43,765	$19,125
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions	52	$69,209	$68,601national $70,786	$26,929
Natural Resources Conservation and Research	49	$37,501	$59,071national $55,012	$24,250
Civil Engineering	48	$70,997	$83,350national $86,517	$26,494
English Language and Literature, General	47	$41,897	$51,679national $48,590	$25,250
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft	47	—	$30,231national $39,775	$20,907
Mathematics	46	$64,513	$82,411national $69,562	$17,239
Industrial Engineering	45	$76,637	$95,347national $98,442	$25,125
Chemistry	45	$44,774	$60,227national $65,120	$19,750
Computer Engineering	43	$81,533	—national $109,015	$24,108
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics	43	$35,221	$54,530national $55,000	$22,500
Social Work	43	$42,694	$52,451national $51,790	$19,135
Chemical Engineering	41	$76,099	$97,329national $98,158	$26,900
International Relations and National Security Studies	34	$34,738	—national $66,596	$18,000
Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology	32	$43,576	$65,072national $65,466	$22,898
Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, General	32	—	—national $50,532	$18,744
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering	30	$80,651	$97,208national $100,647	$27,000
Microbiological Sciences and Immunology	29	—	—national $62,582	$25,000
Sociology	29	$40,663	$54,464national $52,657	$23,194
Classical and Ancient Studies	24	—	—national $50,477	$27,000
Computer and Information Sciences, General	21	$56,597	$88,264national $92,374	—
Anthropology	21	$29,431	$42,549national $46,676	$26,500
Dance	17	—	$60,188national $39,980	—
Area Studies	14	—	$43,083national $56,625	—
Statistics	14	$62,172	$123,676national $92,425	—
Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies	12	—	$46,063national $51,710	$16,888
Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies	12	$45,819	$57,098national $50,983	$23,250
International/Globalization Studies	11	$24,968	$47,421national $59,972	—
Philosophy	11	$39,032	$56,786national $54,455	—
Geography and Cartography	10	—	$59,578national $57,853	—
Psychology, General	0	$38,474	$51,031national $50,706	—

Undergraduate certificates (13)

Field of study	Degrees awarded 2023–24	Earnings, 1 yr after	Earnings, 4 yrs after	Median federal debt
Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies	—	$45,196	$61,856national $57,315	$21,250
Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies	—	$41,963	$46,614national $55,975	$20,124
Museology/Museum Studies	—	$28,837	$40,294national $39,646	$18,765
Sustainability Studies	—	$44,203	$57,029national $59,056	$23,500
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other	—	$64,881	—national $55,699	$25,350
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness	—	$44,391	$50,154national $37,647	—
Social Work	—	$40,053	—national $43,190	$20,750
Public Health	—	$46,113	—national $53,933	$24,750
Business Administration, Management and Operations	—	$46,723	$62,970national $47,440	$22,851
Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations	—	$52,979	$71,233national $50,211	$22,375
Hospitality Administration/Management	—	$48,816	$59,801national $40,962	$22,125
International Business	—	$60,326	$91,117national $72,496	$23,550
Insurance	—	$67,909	$83,537national $80,539	$22,500

Master's degrees (21)

Field of study	Degrees awarded 2023–24	Earnings, 1 yr after	Earnings, 4 yrs after	Median federal debt
Business Administration, Management and Operations	521	$128,927	$139,677national $103,485	$49,156
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods	136	$100,070	$115,346national $124,807	$22,302
Public Health	96	$71,822	$103,005national $82,751	$37,122
Social Work	71	$54,031	$58,268national $65,123	$45,159
Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies	53	$27,972	$43,469national $55,035	—
Library Science and Administration	48	$45,344	$55,946national $56,301	$23,200
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness	47	$43,320	$61,522national $62,033	$29,500
Accounting and Related Services	43	$72,586	$101,555national $95,833	—
Applied Mathematics	41	—	—national $116,060	$50,276
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services	37	$60,317	$69,460national $67,030	$41,000
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas	34	$50,131	$58,371national $63,707	$20,500
Fine and Studio Arts	34	—	$51,368national $49,079	—
Educational Administration and Supervision	26	$57,277	$66,125national $71,685	—
Education, General	25	$60,846	—national $65,824	$30,429
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions	25	$110,475	$129,316national $127,347	—
Journalism	18	$65,566	$84,165national $69,034	—
Music	13	$39,636	$48,460national $48,285	—
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions	13	$55,052	—national $59,571	$41,000
Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other	13	$53,497	$59,989national $81,651	—
Student Counseling and Personnel Services	11	$51,517	—national $60,111	—
Education, Other	10	$57,087	—national $65,348	—

First professional degrees (4)

Field of study	Degrees awarded 2023–24	Earnings, 1 yr after	Earnings, 4 yrs after	Median federal debt
Law	173	$75,708	$107,273national $107,773	$89,700
Medicine	140	$65,152	$98,361national $112,460	$178,776
Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration	102	$85,217	$127,526national $138,348	$161,748
Dentistry	77	$167,810	$172,943national $170,812	$284,163

Doctoral degrees (6)

Field of study	Degrees awarded 2023–24	Earnings, 1 yr after	Earnings, 4 yrs after	Median federal debt
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing	61	$126,818	$132,306national $138,131	$88,550
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions	47	$74,948	$78,276national $82,893	$87,693
Music	22	—	$47,407national $59,592	—
Chemistry	21	$94,532	$100,644national $115,386	—
English Language and Literature, General	6	—	$59,774national $65,831	—
Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology	2	—	$89,186national $99,878	—

Graduate certificates (8)

Field of study	Degrees awarded 2023–24	Earnings, 1 yr after	Earnings, 4 yrs after	Median federal debt
Business Administration, Management and Operations	344	$122,311	$132,152national $94,506	$37,698
Finance and Financial Management Services	173	$131,241	$131,086national $118,893	$32,513
Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations	120	—	—national $79,275	$34,100
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods	104	$105,207	$123,753national $122,843	$20,500
Marketing	40	$141,288	—national $93,837	$49,001
Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences	31	—	$309,352national $207,164	—
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions	30	$108,371	$128,962national $125,392	$105,970
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing	8	$142,107	$127,420national $126,911	—

A dash means the Department of Education suppressed the figure because too few graduates were measured — not zero. 213 more programmes at this college have every figure suppressed and are not listed.

Contact and accreditation

Address: 101 Jessup Hall, Iowa City, IA 52242-1316
Phone: (319) 335-3500
Institutional accreditor: Higher Learning Commission

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Sources: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts) and IPEDS Fall Enrolment for international student counts. College Scorecard, October 2026 release: net price calculator link, mission flags and religious affiliation (2025–26), enrolment shares, test policy, SAT/ACT ranges and student-to-faculty ratio (fall 2024), cost-of-attendance components (2025–26), and earnings and debt by field of study. IPEDS Institutional Characteristics 2023–24 for the application fee and the IPEDS 2024 directory for the phone number. IPEDS Admissions 2023–24 (ADM2023, provisional release) for admission requirements and first-time applicants, admits and enrolments (fall 2023). IPEDS Student Financial Aid 2022–23 (SFA2223, provisional release) for grants and loans to full-time, first-time students. All are U.S. Department of Education data in the public domain. Verify current costs and requirements with the school.

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