University of Iowa

What are the graduation rates for students at University of Iowa?

The University of Iowa's reported six-year graduation rate is 75% for the applicable first-time, full-time undergraduate cohort. Its four-year rate is 58%. The difference shows why students comparing colleges should pay attention to the measurement period rather than treating a single "graduation rate" as a complete account of outcomes.

These federal-style cohort measures follow entering students for a specified number of years. They are not graduation rates for every transfer student, part-time student, or graduate student, and they do not explain why an individual leaves or takes longer to finish. The reported first-year retention rate is 90%, meaning most students in the measured entering group returned the following fall. Prospective students with a tightly sequenced major should also examine that program's course schedule and progression rules when estimating their own time to degree.

What is the earning potential for graduates at University of Iowa?

One-year-after-completion earnings figures vary substantially by University of Iowa field of study. College Scorecard program-level figures reported for October 2026 include approximately $72,973 for electrical, electronics, and communications engineering and $59,083 for registered nursing. The reported figure for English language and literature is $28,072.

These are reported median earnings for measured, federally aided program completers about one year after completion, not starting-salary offers to every graduate. The population excludes people whose earnings cannot be observed in the underlying data, and a one-year measure can be particularly hard to interpret for fields where graduates commonly continue into professional or graduate school. Earnings also reflect occupation, location, work hours, and prior experience. Students comparing majors should consider these limitations alongside program costs, typical career paths, and longer-term outcomes.