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University of Northern Iowa: Rankings, Admissions, Cost & Majors

338 awards Ranking Badges
Fair Price Value for Your Money
93% Acceptance Rate

University of Northern Iowa is a public institution in Cedar Falls, Iowa enrolling 7,529 undergraduates. It accepts 93% of applicants and has an on-time graduation rate of 68%, above the national average of 33%. College Factual ranks it #400 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in its 2027 Best Colleges ranking (top 8%), and its Value for Your Money analysis rates it a Fair Price.

Source: IPEDS 2025; College Scorecard July 2026; College Factual rankings 2027. Data as of: July 2026.

How Is University of Northern Iowa Ranked?

University of Northern Iowa ranks #400 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in College Factual’s 2027 Best Colleges ranking, placing it in the top 8%.

#400 Best Colleges in Nation
#5 Best Colleges in IA
University of Northern Iowa ranking badge

2027 Rankings

In its yearly rankings, College Factual analyzes over 2,000 colleges and universities to determine which ones are the best in a variety of categories, such as overall value, quality, diversity, which schools are the best for each major, and much more.

University of Northern Iowa was awarded 338 badges in the 2027 rankings.

Overall Quality

According to College Factual’s 2027 analysis, UNI Panthers Northern Iowa is ranked #400 out of 5,159 schools in the nation that were analyzed for overall quality. This puts it in the top 10% of all schools in the nation.

UNI Panthers Northern Iowa is also ranked #5 on the Best Colleges in Iowa list.

See all of the rankings for University of Northern Iowa.

Is It Hard to Get Into University of Northern Iowa?

93% Acceptance Rate
93% Of Accepted Are Women
2% Submit SAT Scores

Acceptance Rate

University of Northern Iowa has an acceptance rate of 93%, so it is easier to gain admission to this school than some others. Still, the admissions staff will examine your application closely to make sure you’re a good fit for UNI Panthers Northern Iowa.

Average Test Scores

About 2% of students accepted to UNI Panthers Northern Iowa submitted their SAT scores. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing scores ranged between 520 and 650. Math scores were between 500 and 630.

SAT Reading and Writing Scores for University of Northern Iowa  ( 520 to 650 )
200
800
SAT Math Scores for University of Northern Iowa  ( 500 to 630 )
200
800

UNI Panthers Northern Iowa received ACT scores from 43% of accepted students. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, ACT Composite scores ranged between 19 and 26.

ACT Composite Scores for University of Northern Iowa  ( 19 to 26 )
1
36

Learn more about University of Northern Iowa admissions.

What Is the Student-to-Faculty Ratio at University of Northern Iowa?

18 to 1 Student to Faculty
70% Full Time Teachers

Student to Faculty Ratio

The student to faculty ratio at University of Northern Iowa is about average at 18 to 1. This ratio is often used to gauge how many students might be in an average class and how much time professors will have to spend with their students on an individual level. The national average for this metric is 15 to 1.

Percent of Full-Time Faculty

When estimating how much access students will have to their teachers, some people like to look at what percentage of faculty members are full time. This is because part-time teachers may not have as much time to spend on campus as their full-time counterparts.

The full-time faculty percentage at University of Northern Iowa is 70%. This is higher than the national average of 47%.

Full-Time Faculty Percent  70 out of 100
0
100

What Are the Graduation and Retention Rates at University of Northern Iowa?

82% Freshmen Retention
68% On-Time Graduation Rate

Freshmen Retention Rate

The freshmen retention rate of 82% tells us that most first-year, full-time students like University of Northern Iowa enough to come back for another year. This is a fair bit higher than the national average of 68%. That’s certainly something to check off in the good column about the school.

Freshmen Retention Rate  82 out of 100
0
100

Graduation Rate

Students are considered to have graduated on time if they finish their studies within four years. At UNI Panthers Northern Iowa the on-time graduation rate of first-time, full-time students is 68%. That is great when compared to the national average of 33.3%.

On-Time Graduation Rate  68 out of 100
0
100

Find out more about the retention and graduation rates at University of Northern Iowa.

How Diverse Is University of Northern Iowa?

7,529 Undergraduate Students
14.5% Racial-Ethnic Minorities*
61.4% Percent Women

In the current academic year, there are 7,529 undergraduates at UNI Panthers Northern Iowa.

Get more detailed information on the diversity at University of Northern Iowa.

How Much Does University of Northern Iowa Cost?

$17,140 Net Price
46% Take Out Loans
$23,852 Total Student Loans

The average net price of UNI Panthers Northern Iowa is $17,140. The affordability of the school largely depends on your financial need since net price varies by income group. See the table below for the net price for different income groups.

Net Price by Income Group for UNI Panthers Northern Iowa

$0-30 K $30K-48K $48-75 $75-110K $110K +
$10,863 $11,751 $14,099 $17,740 $18,706

The net price is calculated by adding tuition, room, board and other costs and subtracting financial aid. Note that the net price is typically less than the published price for a school. For more information on the sticker price of UNI Panthers Northern Iowa, see our tuition and fees and room and board pages.

Student Loan Debt

It’s not uncommon for college students to take out loans to pay for school. In fact, almost 66% of students nationwide depend at least partially on loans. At UNI Panthers Northern Iowa, approximately 46% of students took out student loans averaging $5,963 a year. That adds up to $23,852 over four years for those students. The student loan default rate is 4.5%. This is significantly lower than the national default rate of 10.1%, which is a good sign that you’ll be able to pay back your student loans. Get more details about paying for University of Northern Iowa.

How Much Do University of Northern Iowa Graduates Earn?

$55,177 Avg Salary of Grads
High Earnings Boost

Yearly salaries vary depending on what you major in, but on average, bachelor’s degree recipients from University of Northern Iowa make around $55,177 per year during the early years of their employment. This is good news for future University of Northern Iowa graduates since it is 12% more than the average college graduate’s salary of $49,219 per year. Average Salary for University of Northern Iowa Graduates

See which majors at University of Northern Iowa make the most money.

Where Is University of Northern Iowa Located?

Iowa State
7,529 Undergraduate Students
Small City Campus Setting

University of Northern Iowa is a public institution located in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Cedar Falls is a great location for students who prefer city over country life. Get more details about the location of University of Northern Iowa.

Location of University of Northern Iowa

Contact information for University of Northern Iowa can be found below.

Contact Details
Address: 1227 W 27th St, Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0005
Phone: 3192732311
Website: www.uni.edu
Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Northern_Iowa
Facebook: www.facebook.com/universityofnortherniowa
Twitter: twitter.com/northerniowa

What Majors Does University of Northern Iowa Offer?

27 Majors With Completions
5,676 Undergraduate Degrees

During the most recent year for which we have data, students from 27 majors graduated from University of Northern Iowa. The following table lists the most popular undergraduate majors along with the average salary graduates from those majors make.

Most Popular Majors Completions Average Salary of Graduates
Multi-Disciplinary Studies 2,838 NA
Teacher Education Grade Specific 414 $39,394
Management Sciences & Methods 182 NA
Business Administration & Management 178 $48,934
Teacher Education Subject Specific 164 $39,744
Health & Physical Education 117 $31,129
Finance & Financial Management 116 $52,123
General Psychology 114 $29,766
Communication Sciences 109 $31,106
Social Work 106 $35,936

Learn more about the majors offered at University of Northern Iowa along with which ones have the highest average starting salaries.

Does UNI Panthers Northern Iowa Offer Online Classes?

44% Take At Least One Class Online
9% Take All Classes Online

3,341 students took at least one online class at University of Northern Iowa.

Online courses are a great option for busy, working students as well as for those who have scheduling conflicts and want to study on their own time. As time goes by, expect to see more and more online learning options become available.

Learn more about online learning at University of Northern Iowa.

Curious how schools stack up against UNI Panthers Northern Iowa? Match them up using College Combat, our free tool for head-to-head college comparisons.

Notes and References

Footnotes

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

References

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