Comparison tool
Rankings across 8 publishers plus admissions, cost, debt and outcome data for Illinois State University, University of Iowa, University of Kansas. Every figure is sourced and dated.
| Metric | Illinois StateNormal, IL | IowaIowa City, IA | KansasLawrence, KS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acceptance rate | 88.1% | 83.6% | 93.5% |
| SAT middle 50% | 990–1210 | 1130–1330 | 1070–1300 |
| Average net price | $19,39832.1% on Pell grants | $22,53118.4% on Pell grants | $18,05920.5% on Pell grants |
| Published tuition & fees | $16,144 in-state · $28,210 outMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release | $11,283 in-state · $33,371 outMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release | $12,102 in-state · $30,432 outMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release |
| 6-year graduation rate | 64.5% | 74.6% | 68.8% |
| First-year retention | 81.4% | 90.4% | 86.5% |
| Undergraduates on Pell grants | 32.1% | 18.4% | 20.5% |
| Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry | $62,117 | $64,762 | $61,945 |
| Median federal debt at graduation | $20,482 | $22,500 | $21,000 |
| Student-faculty ratio | 19:1 | 15:1 | 17:1 |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 19,057 | 22,264 | 21,217 |
| Consensus percentile | 34Lower is better | 30Lower is better | 29Lower is better |
| Methodology sensitivity | 41 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points | 48 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points | 45 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points |
Highlighted cells mark the most favourable value in that row where a direction is meaningful. No highlight appears for metrics like enrollment or SAT range, where “better” depends entirely on what you want.
“Not ranked by this source” means that publisher’s list does not include the school — not missing data and not a poor rank.
| Source | Illinois State | Iowa | Kansas |
|---|---|---|---|
| US News | #222 of 436National universitiesNational Universities · 2026 | #102 of 436National universitiesNational Universities · 2026 | #143 of 436National universitiesNational Universities · 2026 |
| Forbes | #260 of 500Top colleges (Forbes)America's Top Colleges · 2026 | #256 of 500Top colleges (Forbes)America's Top Colleges · 2026 | #165 of 500Top colleges (Forbes)America's Top Colleges · 2026 |
| Washington Monthly | #164 of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars · 2026 | #495 of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars · 2026 | #310 of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars · 2026 |
| WSJ | #147 of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)Best Colleges in the U.S. · 2026 | #162 of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)Best Colleges in the U.S. · 2026 | #247 of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)Best Colleges in the U.S. · 2026 |
| Niche | #653 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 | #90 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 | #121 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 |
| Money | Listed | Listed | Listed |
| Princeton Review | Not ranked by this source | Listed | Listed |
| QS | Not ranked by this source | #533 of 1,504World (QS)World University Rankings · 2026 | #468 of 1,504World (QS)World University Rankings · 2026 |
Students comparing Illinois State University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.
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.
Full profileStudents comparing University of Iowa on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.
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.
Full profileStudents comparing University of Kansas on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.
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.
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