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Public · Small city campus · verified rankings · federal data

University of Northern Iowa

Students comparing University of Northern Iowa on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

CompareOfficial site
Cedar Falls, Iowa7,529 undergraduatesMean consensus percentile 30Public universityResearch universityU.S. News ranked

The short answer

University of Northern Iowa: U.S. News ranks it #11 on Regional Universities (Midwest) (2026); Forbes ranks it #395 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #180 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #554 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 4 stars. It enrolls 7,529 undergraduates, admits 92.7% of applicants, and posts a 67.9% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $21,712; aid recipients pay $15,901 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $55,177.

The six numbers that matter most

Acceptance rate
92.7%

Above the dataset median of 76%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Average net price
$15,901

50% below the $31,698 published price

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardAverage for full-time first-time aid recipients, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median earnings, 10 yrs
$55,177

About the dataset median

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian earnings 10 years after entry, working and not enrolled, College Scorecard June 2026 release

6-year graduation rate
67.9%

Above the dataset median of 56%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent six-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median debt at graduation
$19,691

Above the dataset median of $23,250

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian federal loan debt of completers, College Scorecard June 2026 release

SAT middle 50%
1020–1280

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardSum of reported reading and math section percentiles for the most recent entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release. Section percentiles added together approximate, but do not exactly equal, the composite score range.

Where Northern Iowa ranks, and why the answers differ

Each publisher's position, the list it belongs to, and how many institutions it was drawn from.

SourceListRank
US News2026Regional Universities (Midwest)#11of 165Regional univ. (Midwest)
Forbes2026America's Top Colleges#395of 500Top colleges (Forbes)
Washington Monthly2026Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars#180of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)
WSJ2026Best Colleges in the U.S.Not ranked by this source
Niche2026Best Colleges (Overall)B#554of 2,605Overall (Niche)
Money2026Best Value Colleges4 starsListedBest value (Money)
Princeton Review2026Best Colleges (Overall)Not ranked by this source
QS2026World University RankingsNot ranked by this source

Methodology sensitivity: Northern Iowa's position moves 72 percentile points depending on which published list you read. That is a wide spread, so which list you consult substantially changes the impression you get. How we compute this

Ranking positions are the editorial property of their publishers and are reproduced here with attribution for comparison and commentary. Follow each source link for its full list and methodology.

About Northern Iowa

University of Northern Iowa is a public institution in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Federal data show 81.7% first-year retention and a 17:1 student-faculty ratio. Figures on this page come from College Scorecard and IPEDS; publisher rankings shown here are transcribed from named sources and checked in our dataset.

Strengths and honest considerations

Strengths

  • Cost and outcome metrics on this profile come directly from federal collections, not self-reported marketing sheets.
  • Net price $15,901 reflects what aid recipients actually paid in the most recent federal reporting year.

Considerations

  • This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
  • Compare $31,698 sticker cost against $15,901 net price before ruling a school in or out on price alone.
  • Publishers we have not loaded yet, or lists that omit this school, show as “not ranked by this source” — that is expected.

Who this school genuinely fits

Students comparing University of Northern Iowa on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

What it costs

Published price, then what families actually pay after grants and scholarships.

In-state tuition & fees
$9,936

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Out-of-state tuition & fees
$21,712

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Room & board
$9,986

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Published cost of attendance comes to roughly $31,698 a year, but the average family pays $15,901 — a 50% difference. 27.4% of undergraduates receive Pell grants, the federal marker of low family income.

Net price varies enormously by income band, so run Northern Iowa's net price calculator for your own household before drawing conclusions. Why net price is the only cost number that matters.

Programs and academics

Most popular majors

  1. 1Business
  2. 2Biology
  3. 3Psychology
  4. 4Computer Science
  5. 5Economics

Standout programs

    Student-faculty ratio
    17:1

    IPEDS / National Center for Education StatisticsIPEDS 2023 fall enrollment

    First-year retention
    81.7%

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent first-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Undergraduate enrollment
    7,529

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Northern Iowa: questions families ask

    Out-of-state tuition is $21,712 and on-campus room and board is $9,986, for a published total of $31,698 before aid. The average net price for first-time full-time students receiving aid is $15,901.

    The most recent federal admissions rate reported to the Department of Education is 92.7%. Test policy as reported in IPEDS: see the admissions section on this page for the institution's own category.

    Similar colleges

    Matched on institutional character, overlapping majors and comparable cross-source standing.

    University of Iowa

    Iowa City, IAPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    University of Iowa: U.S. News ranks it #102 on National Universities (2026); Forbes ranks it #256 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #495 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #162 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #90 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 4 stars; Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); QS ranks it #533 on World University Rankings (2026). It enrolls 22,264 undergraduates, admits 83.6% of applicants, and posts a 74.6% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $33,371; aid recipients pay $22,531 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $64,762.

    Acceptance rate
    83.6%
    Average net price
    $22,531
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $64,762
    6-yr graduation rate
    74.6%
    US News · National universities#102 of 436Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#256 of 500Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#495 of 1,504+5 more on profile

    22,264 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 30 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Truman State University

    Kirksville, MOPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Truman State University: U.S. News ranks it #5 on Regional Universities (Midwest) (2026); Forbes ranks it #257 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #590 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #740 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 4 stars; Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 2,513 undergraduates, admits 83.8% of applicants, and posts a 68.5% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $18,566; aid recipients pay $12,780 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $56,280.

    Acceptance rate
    83.8%
    Average net price
    $12,780
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $56,280
    6-yr graduation rate
    68.5%
    US News · Regional univ. (Midwest)#5 of 165Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#257 of 500Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#590 of 1,504+3 more on profile

    2,513 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 31 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    University of Kansas

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    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    University of Kansas: U.S. News ranks it #143 on National Universities (2026); Forbes ranks it #165 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #310 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #247 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #121 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 3.5 stars; Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); QS ranks it #468 on World University Rankings (2026). It enrolls 21,217 undergraduates, admits 93.5% of applicants, and posts a 68.8% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $30,432; aid recipients pay $18,059 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $61,945.

    Acceptance rate
    93.5%
    Average net price
    $18,059
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $61,945
    6-yr graduation rate
    68.8%
    US News · National universities#143 of 436Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#165 of 500Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#310 of 1,504+5 more on profile

    21,217 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 29 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

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