Buena Vista University
Storm Lake, Iowa · Website
$49,156
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$49,156
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Buena Vista University is a private nonprofit 4-year college in Storm Lake, Iowa with 1,366 undergraduates and 454 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $18,846 a year (tuition and fees $41,798). It admits 78% of applicants and 62% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $49,156 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $25,000 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$18,846
US median $17,138
Tuition and fees
$41,798
US median $11,837
Admission rate
78%
US median 78%
Completion rate
62%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$25,000
About $265 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$49,156
Rank 1,542 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $18,846
- Tuition and fees
- $41,798
- Cost of attendance
- $54,222
- Students with a need-based grant
- 44%
- Students with federal loans
- 67%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $12,901
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $14,838
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $18,094
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $19,571
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $24,967
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $31,318 in 2015-16 to $41,798 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- 78%
- Average SAT
- 1,120
- SAT reading, middle
- 532
- SAT math, middle
- 520
- ACT, middle
- 22
- Undergraduates
- 1,366
- Graduate students
- 454
- Part-time students
- 13%
- Women
- 63%
- Students per teacher
- 13
- Completion rate
- 62%
- Retention rate
- 76%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 62
- Endowment
- $159.2M
- Other
- Religious affiliation
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 1,542 of 5,094 US colleges and 29 of 69 in Iowa (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | IA median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $18,846 | $17,730 | $22,320 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $41,798 | $20,270 | $31,170 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 78% | 80% | 74% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 62% | 65% | 57% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 76% | 74% | 77% | 75% |
| Median debt | $25,000 | $14,745 | $24,287 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $43,572 | $39,099 | $44,392 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $49,156 | $42,793 | $52,928 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US private nonprofit 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 58% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 75% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
62 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 83 | $28,000 | $42,834 | $45,573 | $47,382 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 54 | $25,000 | $47,385 | $58,440 | $68,257 |
| Human Services, GeneralOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 51 | - | - | Withheld | - |
| Student Counseling and Personnel ServicesMaster's | Master's | 48 | $31,671 | $49,397 | $58,059 | $60,111 |
| Curriculum and InstructionOnlineMaster's | Master's | 46 | Withheld | Withheld | $68,691 | $63,399 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsOnlineMaster's | Master's | 38 | $29,291 | $57,228 | $61,710 | $103,485 |
| Special Education and TeachingOnlineMaster's | Master's | 35 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $64,397 |
| Psychology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 34 | $22,500 | $35,559 | $44,755 | $50,706 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject AreasBachelor's | Bachelor's | 25 | $28,900 | $44,551 | $48,048 | $51,389 |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied PsychologyMaster's | Master's | 24 | $60,404 | $49,323 | $62,389 | $65,184 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 21 | $23,270 | $53,280 | $63,454 | $76,194 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessBachelor's | Bachelor's | 19 | $27,000 | $38,356 | $49,281 | $54,562 |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 19 | $20,750 | $37,641 | $53,736 | $55,378 |
| Educational/Instructional Media DesignOnlineMaster's | Master's | 18 | - | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Finance and Financial Management ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 16 | $20,700 | $52,226 | $63,950 | $83,343 |
| MarketingBachelor's | Bachelor's | 14 | $20,931 | $42,972 | $55,330 | $69,303 |
| Teaching English or French as a Second or Foreign LanguageOnlineMaster's | Master's | 13 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $65,767 |
| Business/Commerce, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 13 | Withheld | $48,810 | Withheld | $68,407 |
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 12 | $26,918 | $30,682 | Withheld | $57,214 |
| Agricultural Business and ManagementBachelor's | Bachelor's | 11 | - | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Health/Medical Preparatory ProgramsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 11 | - | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Education, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 10 | $22,189 | Withheld | $50,997 | $49,808 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 7 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $92,374 |
| Special Education and TeachingBachelor's | Bachelor's | 6 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $50,499 |
| Animal SciencesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 5 | - | - | Withheld | - |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Storm Lake and Iowa on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in Iowa
- Homes: Homes for sale in Iowa
Questions and answers
How much does Buena Vista University cost?
$18,846 a year is the average net price at Buena Vista University after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $41,798, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $54,222. Families earning under $30,000 pay $12,901 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Buena Vista University?
78% of applicants are admitted to Buena Vista University. The average SAT score of admitted students is 1,120 and the middle ACT score is 22. The median admission rate of colleges in Iowa is 80%.
How much do Buena Vista University graduates earn?
$49,156 a year is the median pay of former Buena Vista University students who work, 10 years after they started ($43,572 after 6 years). That ranks 1,542 of 5,094 US colleges and 29 of 69 in Iowa. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's) at $57,228.
How much student debt do Buena Vista University graduates have?
$25,000 is the median federal student loan debt of Buena Vista University graduates, about $265 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 67% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Buena Vista University?
62% of first-time, full-time students at Buena Vista University finish within 6 years. 76% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of private nonprofit 4-year colleges is 57%.
What are the most popular majors at Buena Vista University?
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (83 bachelor's graduates), Business Administration, Management and Operations (54 bachelor's graduates), Human Services, General (51 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 62 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.