University of Dubuque vs Iowa State

Envision yourself pursuing higher education in either the historic city of Dubuque or the vibrant college town of Ames. University of Dubuque, a private institution with a rich liberal arts tradition, stands in contrast to Iowa State University, a public research university renowned for its STEM programs. While both offer a diverse range of academic opportunities, their acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation rates paint distinct pictures. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to discover which university aligns better with your academic aspirations, preferred campus environment, and personal preferences.

	Iowa State University	University of Dubuque
Overview
Location	Ames, Iowa	Dubuque, Iowa
Campus setting	City: Small	City: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	88.0%	62.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation		Presbyterian

Admission
Acceptance rate	91.1%	76.4%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $60	$25
SAT range	1083 - 1330	N/A
ACT range	21 - 28	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	13.0%
Students submitting ACT score	63.0%
Total number of applicants	20,357	1,905
Total number of admissions given out	18,550	1,456
Admitted students who chose to enroll	5,387	335
Yield rate	29.0%	23.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $22,152 Out of state: $37,964	$51,050
Average net price	$15,422	$24,868
Tuition	In state: $8,324 Out of state: $24,136	$34,400
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,590 Meal plan: $4,498	Room/dormitory: $5,200 Meal plan: $5,100
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	87.0% Average amount $8,833	100.0% Average amount $22,700
Students receiving federal student loan	47.0% Average amount $5,202	78.0% Average amount $6,384
Students taking out private loans	11.0% Average amount $11,630	31.0% Average amount $13,145

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	25,808 Men 56.1% Women 43.9%	1,594 Men 58.2% Women 41.8%
Graduate students	4,900 Men 50.6% Women 49.4%	407 Men 43.2% Women 56.8%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	8.2%	4.2%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	9,400	930
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Engineering Agriculture Education Business Biological and Biomedical Sciences	Business Health Professions Law Enforcement and Firefighting Transportation and Logistics Theology
Students to faculty ratio	18:1	10:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	76.0%	40.0%
Dropout rate	6.1%	59.6%
Transferred out	16.7%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $85,739 Year 2: $94,408 Year 3: $101,292 Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $80,956 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $95,081 Industrial Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $99,120 Year 2: $89,059 Year 3: $92,521 Veterinary Medicine (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $77,573 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $85,108 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $74,299 Year 2: $73,321 Year 3: $83,452 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $72,598 Year 2: $73,839 Year 3: $83,292 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $71,184 Year 2: $71,734 Year 3: $81,196 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $83,223 Year 2: $70,680 Year 3: $79,916 Construction Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $71,580 Year 2: $70,083 Year 3: $77,479 Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $70,534 Year 2: $67,156 Year 3: $76,113	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $61,903 Year 2: $57,589 Year 3: $64,260 Air Transportation (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,490 Year 2: $43,798 Year 3: $61,208 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,828 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $57,048 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,141 Year 2: $48,432 Year 3: $56,505 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,107 Year 2: $35,701 Year 3: $48,768 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,218 Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $47,464 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $39,369 Year 3: $46,002 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,561 Year 2: $30,119 Year 3: $37,930 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $37,748 Year 3: $37,489 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,790 Year 2: $37,088 Year 3: $36,347

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