by our College Data Analytics TeamThe majority of students will not be asked to pay the advertised price of a school. Instead, they will be provided a financial aid package that will include a combination of scholarships, grants, loans, and work-study. The total price of attendance at University of Iowa can feel tremendous, but do not forget that almost all students receive some sort of financial help.
What financial assistance options will Iowa offer you, and what will you qualify for? Read on for more information. Keep scrolling to discover just how much financial aid could be open to you.
The amount of financial aid and scholarships you are eligible for will vary depending on your family’s income. Read on to get a sense of the financial assistance available at University of Iowa.
Aid such as grants, loans, work-study, and scholarships helps colleges decrease the real cost of attendance for most students. However, some types of aid are more desirable than others, and some students will receive more than others.
For freshmen starting at University of Iowa, 90% of first-year full-time students received aid of some kind some 4537 new students).
| Type of Aid | % of Freshmen Receiving | Average Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Grant or scholarship aid (all sources) | 76% | $9,865 |
| Institutional grants & scholarships | 72% | $8,888 |
| Federal Pell grants | 17% | $5,530 |
| State/local grants | 2% | $5,260 |
| Federal student loans | 47% | $5,255 |
Unlike loans, grants and scholarships are gift aid that does not need to be paid back, making them the most desirable form of assistance. At this school, about 69% of undergraduates were awarded an average grant or scholarship of $10,070 (across approximately 15291 recipients).
| Award | % of Undergrads Receiving | Average Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Grant or scholarship aid (all sources) | 69% | $10,070 |
| Federal Pell grants | 18% | $5,426 |
| Federal student loans | 42% | $6,441 |
On-campus students receiving title-IV aid were awarded grants averaging $6,065.
How much a family pays depends heavily on income, because most aid is awarded on the basis of financial need.
| Family Income | Average Net Price |
|---|---|
| $0 – $48,000 | $14,949 |
| $30,001 – $75,000 | $18,510 |
| Over $75,000 | $24,105 |
Each figure is the net price after grants and scholarships, not the published sticker price.
Net price is the average annual cost after grants and scholarships are subtracted from the published cost of attendance — the figure closest to what a typical aid-receiving student actually pays.
| Cohort | Average Net Price |
|---|---|
| On-campus title-IV students | $22,531 |
| Off-campus title-IV students | $21,398 |
To project your own net price, use Iowa’s NPC: admissions.uiowa.edu/finances/net-price-calculator.
Graduating students at Iowa carry a median federal student debt of $18,207 of federal student loans.
| Metric | Amount |
|---|---|
| Median federal debt (all student-aid borrowers) | $18,207 |
| Median federal debt (graduates only) | $22,500 |
| Typical 10-year monthly payment (graduates) | $238.54/mo |
The 10-year payment estimate assumes a standard federal repayment plan and the median graduate debt amount.
The numbers below show the full range, not just the middle of the distribution. The four reference points below map the debt distribution at Iowa.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,750 |
| 25th percentile | $7,500 |
| 75th percentile | $26,344 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $30,762 |
Outcomes differ by income bracket, by first-generation status, and by whether a student is financially dependent.
Debt by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $18,000 |
| Middle income | $18,268 |
| High income | $18,187 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $18,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $17,750 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $17,929 |
| Independent students | $19,339 |
Federal data publishes pre-calculated indicators that summarize debt outcomes. Iowa.
The Stafford program is the federal direct-loan vehicle most undergraduates use. Below is the annual Stafford program activity at Iowa:
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Stafford loan recipients | 71295 |
| Total Stafford loan amount | $1,864,495,360 |
The GI Bill and DoD Tuition Assistance are the main federal aid routes for veterans and service members.
Post-9/11 GI Bill activity
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| GI Bill recipients | 323 |
| Total GI Bill amount | $3,658,178 |
| Average GI Bill amount per recipient | $11,326 |
DoD program volume
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| DoD Tuition Assistance recipients | 149 |
| Total DoD amount | $506,677 |
| Average DoD amount per recipient | $3,401 |
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.