University of Northern Iowa
Cedar Falls, Iowa · Also known as UNI Panthers Northern Iowa · Website
$55,177
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$55,177
median earnings, 10 years after starting
University of Northern Iowa is a public 4-year college in Cedar Falls, Iowa with 7,529 undergraduates and 1,567 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $15,901 a year (tuition and fees $9,936 in-state, $21,712 out-of-state). It admits 93% of applicants and 68% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $55,177 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $19,691 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$15,901
US median $17,138
Tuition in-state
$9,936
Out-of-state $21,712
Admission rate
93%
US median 78%
Completion rate
68%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$19,691
About $209 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$55,177
Rank 1,088 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
- $15,901
- Tuition in-state
- $9,936
- Tuition out-of-state
- $21,712
- Cost of attendance
- $22,278
- Students with a need-based grant
- 27%
- Students with federal loans
- 46%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $10,863
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $11,751
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $14,099
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $17,740
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $18,706
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 $7,817 in 2015-16 to $9,936 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
- 93%
- Average SAT
- 1,122
- SAT reading, middle
- 535
- SAT math, middle
- 550
- ACT, middle
- 23
- Undergraduates
- 7,529
- Graduate students
- 1,567
- Part-time students
- 8.3%
- Women
- 61%
- Students per teacher
- 18
- Completion rate
- 68%
- Retention rate
- 82%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 116
- Endowment
- $224.4M
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 1,088 of 5,094 US colleges and 18 of 69 in Iowa (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | IA median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $15,901 | $17,730 | $12,792 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $9,936 | $20,270 | $8,626 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 93% | 80% | 83% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 68% | 65% | 46% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 82% | 74% | 76% | 75% |
| Median debt | $19,691 | $14,745 | $19,500 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $47,222 | $39,099 | $43,105 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $55,177 | $42,793 | $50,314 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US public 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 73% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 81% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
116 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 | 413 | $23,200 | $42,790 | $45,885 | $47,382 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject AreasBachelor's | Bachelor's | 144 | $22,500 | $43,602 | $50,144 | $51,389 |
| Finance and Financial Management ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 125 | $18,770 | $52,759 | $81,172 | $83,343 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 120 | $17,500 | $51,690 | $74,838 | $68,257 |
| Psychology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 118 | $19,500 | $32,673 | $53,829 | $50,706 |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative MethodsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 93 | - | - | Withheld | - |
| Social WorkBachelor's | Bachelor's | 73 | $15,388 | $37,257 | $50,629 | $51,790 |
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 71 | $20,720 | $36,286 | $62,391 | $57,214 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 68 | $19,500 | $40,009 | $51,712 | $53,072 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessBachelor's | Bachelor's | 64 | $18,750 | $32,709 | $54,629 | $54,562 |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 53 | $17,537 | $10,746 | $60,509 | $58,928 |
| MarketingBachelor's | Bachelor's | 52 | $16,661 | $48,990 | $72,757 | $69,303 |
| Construction ManagementBachelor's | Bachelor's | 49 | $18,000 | $68,698 | $85,688 | $95,124 |
| Design and Applied ArtsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 46 | $21,965 | $38,637 | $47,736 | $51,490 |
| Radio, Television, and Digital CommunicationBachelor's | Bachelor's | 43 | $18,625 | $36,324 | $49,794 | $50,497 |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and ServicesMaster's | Master's | 43 | $29,955 | $60,535 | $64,303 | $67,030 |
| CriminologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 38 | $20,278 | $43,914 | $54,993 | $55,556 |
| Real EstateBachelor's | Bachelor's | 38 | $20,500 | $56,866 | $83,592 | $84,821 |
| Communication and Media StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 37 | $16,562 | $40,558 | $53,506 | $56,359 |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied CommunicationBachelor's | Bachelor's | 36 | $19,500 | $43,755 | $64,067 | $63,560 |
| HistoryBachelor's | Bachelor's | 36 | $19,900 | $27,569 | $49,313 | $50,680 |
| Social WorkMaster's | Master's | 32 | $25,795 | $52,302 | $59,834 | $65,123 |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 31 | $20,700 | $32,614 | $41,053 | $48,568 |
| Public HealthBachelor's | Bachelor's | 31 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Computer ScienceBachelor's | Bachelor's | 30 | $22,770 | $65,960 | $89,305 | $107,009 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: Iowa on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in Iowa
- Homes: Homes for sale in Iowa
Questions and answers
How much does University of Northern Iowa cost?
$15,901 a year is the average net price at University of Northern Iowa after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $9,936 for in-state students and $21,712 for out-of-state students, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $22,278. Families earning under $30,000 pay $10,863 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at University of Northern Iowa?
93% of applicants are admitted to University of Northern Iowa. The average SAT score of admitted students is 1,122 and the middle ACT score is 23. The median admission rate of colleges in Iowa is 80%.
How much do University of Northern Iowa graduates earn?
$55,177 a year is the median pay of former University of Northern Iowa students who work, 10 years after they started ($47,222 after 6 years). That ranks 1,088 of 5,094 US colleges and 18 of 69 in Iowa. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's) at $78,244.
How much student debt do University of Northern Iowa graduates have?
$19,691 is the median federal student loan debt of University of Northern Iowa graduates, about $209 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 46% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at University of Northern Iowa?
68% of first-time, full-time students at University of Northern Iowa finish within 6 years. 82% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of public 4-year colleges is 46%.
What are the most popular majors at University of Northern Iowa?
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (413 bachelor's graduates), Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (144 bachelor's graduates), Finance and Financial Management Services (125 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 116 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.