Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsPublic

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, Iowa·Public, 4-year or above·Plains·uni.edu
6-yr Graduation
68%
+12.0pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Total enrollment
9,278
peer median 9,266
Avg net price
$14,609
-$76 vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
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Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

Applied
5,360
5,360 candidates competed
Admitted
4,971
92.7% acceptance rate
Enrolled
1,546
31.1% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

Overall completion
68%+12.0pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
4-year graduation
47%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
68%
Full-time retention
82%

Pell equity

11.0pp gap
Pell recipients
58%
Non-Pell
69%

Non-Pell students graduate at a 11.0-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

Of 122 Title IV programs, 51 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 1 fails. 70 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
122
Passing
51
41.8% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
1
0.8% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.8%
+0.2pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

122programs
  • Passing51 · 41.8%
  • No Data70 · 57.4%
  • Failing1 · 0.8%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
1
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
9
Safe
42
No data
70

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

52
Anthropology
Bachelor Degree · Social Sciences
-5.5%
$34,102 vs $36,082
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+10.3%
$39,816 vs $36,082
Fine and Studio Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+11.7%
$40,288 vs $36,082
Human Development Family Studies and Related Services
Bachelor Degree · Family And Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences
+13.8%
$41,053 vs $36,082
Student Counseling and Personnel Services
Master's Degree · Education
+16.8%
$53,892 vs $46,158
Mathematics
Master's Degree · Mathematics And Statistics
+17.0%
$62,739 vs $53,607
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+20.1%
$64,303 vs $53,519
Graphic Communications
Bachelor Degree · Communications Technologies/Technicians And Support Services
+22.1%
$44,066 vs $36,082

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

42
Allied Health Diagnostic Intervention and Treatment Professions
Bachelor Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
53%
$25,000 debt · $47,105 earn
Human Development Family Studies and Related Services
Bachelor Degree · Family And Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences
50%
$20,700 debt · $41,053 earn
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Bachelor Degree · Education
50%
$23,125 debt · $45,885 earn
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
50%
$20,000 debt · $39,816 earn
Fine and Studio Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
48%
$19,500 debt · $40,288 earn
Political Science and Government
Bachelor Degree · Social Sciences
47%
$23,631 debt · $50,277 earn
Social Work
Master's Degree · Public Administration And Social Service Professions
47%
$27,837 debt · $59,834 earn
English Language and Literature General
Bachelor Degree · English Language And Literature/Letters
45%
$21,000 debt · $46,343 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Higher Learning Commission

Accredited since 1918Next review Aug 2031
AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Higher Learning Commission

Accredited since 1913

Programmatic accreditations · 6

Action history · 5

  1. Jul 2022Renewal of Accreditation
    American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology · Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) - Graduate degree programs
  2. Jun 2021Renewal of Accreditation
    Higher Learning Commission
  3. Dec 2016Renewal of Accreditation
    Commission on English Language Program Accreditation · English Language
  4. Aug 2014Change in Agency recognition
    National Association of Schools of Music, Commission on Accreditation · Music (MUS) - Institutions and units within institutions offering degree-granting and/or non-degree-granting programs
  5. Aug 2014Change in Agency recognition
    National Association of Schools of Theatre, Commission on Accreditation · Theatre (THEA) - Institutions and units within institutions offering degree-granting and/or non-degree-granting programs

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$10,170
$30–48k$11,136
$48–75k$13,872
$75–110k$16,058
$110k+$16,396

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price
$14,609
vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs median $14,685
Federal loans
43.8%
In-state tuition
$9,728
Out-of-state
$21,272

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

In AY 2024–25, 2,525 students received $13.9M in Pell grants, alongside $33.1M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
2,525
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$13.9M
$13,859,322 total
Direct Loans
$33.1M
6,275 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

2k
20
2k
21
2k
22
2k
23
3k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$9.1M
2,281 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$13.4M
3,116 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$6.3M
460 loan awards
Parent PLUS$3.8M
350 loan awards
Grad PLUS$499K
68 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Of 2,581 borrowers who entered repayment, 29 (1.1%) defaulted within three years below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
1.1%
-1.2pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
2,581
Defaulted
29
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
2.9%
2017
3.6%
2018
2.8%
2019
1.1%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at University of Northern Iowa

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs132
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

2,127 total completions
01Education
65530.8%
02Business
53925.3%
03Health Professions
1697.9%
04Public Admin
1476.9%
05Psychology
1296.1%
06Social Sciences
1155.4%
07Communication
1054.9%
08Visual/Performing Arts
994.7%
09Biological Sciences
854.0%
10Parks/Recreation
843.9%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

Fall total
9,278
12-mo unduplicated
10,303
Undergraduate
8,433
Graduate
1,870

Gender split

Men
36%3,709
Women
64%6,594

Race / ethnicity composition

White
83.5%
Hispanic
6.1%
Black
3.1%
Two or more
2.9%
Asian
1.6%
Unknown
1.5%
Non-resident
1.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.1%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

Athletes
420
223 M · 197 W
Women athletes
46.9%
Athletic aid
$4.4M
Total student aid
Budget
$17.0M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$2.5M
$1.9M
Recruiting expense
$165K
$83K
Head-coach salaries
$231K
$78K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 10

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
102 M · 140 W
$1.3M
Football
107 M ·
$3.8M
Basketball
17 M · 31 W
$4.6M
Wrestling
34 M ·
$959K
Swimming and Diving (combined)
· 29 W
$471K
Soccer
· 29 W
$501K

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
2.46
22 offenses · 8,945 students

3-year trend

3.262 yrs ago2.171 yr ago2.46Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
73
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
78
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
5
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
8

Criminal offenses by type

Rape
8
Burglary
7
Fondling
6
Robbery
1

By location

22total
  • On campus22

Includes 19 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

2
Domestic violence
3
Dating violence
24
Stalking
29 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

  • Sexual orientation2

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons10
Drugs5410
Liquor2194

Residence-hall fires

  • Hagemann Hall1 fire
    ElectricalDamage $0-$99
  • Noehren Hall1 fire
    CookingDamage $0-$99
  • ROTH Complex1 fire
    ElectricalDamage $0-$99

Data quality: 3 reports were later determined unfounded across the reporting period and are excluded from the totals above.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

Student-to-faculty
18.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
386

University of Northern Iowa vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions University of Northern Iowa selected for federal comparison reporting.

GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

Carnegie
SubjectUniversity of Northern Iowa
68%9,278$14,609Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
University of Minnesota-Duluth
65%88.8%9,253$18,464Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Southeast Missouri State University
58%73.5%9,501$14,532Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Southwest Minnesota State University
44%62.2%8,214$14,760Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Northwest Missouri State University
54%86.1%9,152$14,824Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Saint Cloud State University
39%94.8%10,732$14,485Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Peer group median56%86.1%9,266$14,685

Frequently asked questions about University of Northern Iowa

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about University of Northern Iowa.

What is the graduation rate at University of Northern Iowa?

University of Northern Iowa reports a 6-year graduation rate of 68% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend University of Northern Iowa?

University of Northern Iowa reports a total enrollment of 9,278 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at University of Northern Iowa?

The average net price at University of Northern Iowa is $14,609 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at University of Northern Iowa?

University of Northern Iowa's yield rate is 31.1%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is University of Northern Iowa located?

University of Northern Iowa is located in Cedar Falls, Iowa 50614-0005.

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