University of Iowa (UIowa) vs Berkeley

Nestled in the heart of the Midwest, the University of Iowa (UIowa) and the University of California-Berkeley (UC Berkeley), a beacon of academic excellence on the West Coast, stand as two distinct beacons of higher learning. While both institutions share a commitment to academic rigor and fostering intellectual growth, they offer unique experiences shaped by their distinct locations, student demographics, and academic strengths. UIowa, with its acceptance rate of 84%, welcomes a diverse student body, while UC Berkeley, with its highly selective admissions process (acceptance rate of 17%), attracts a globally diverse cohort. Delve into the comparison table to discover the nuances that set these two esteemed universities apart, from their popular majors and graduation rates to the vibrant campus cultures that await you.

	University of California-Berkeley	University of Iowa
Overview
Location	Berkeley, California	Iowa City, Iowa
Campus setting	City: Midsize	City: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	96.0%	88.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	14.4%	86.2%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $120	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $60
SAT range	N/A	1130 - 1350
ACT range	N/A	22 - 29
Students submitting SAT score		18.0%
Students submitting ACT score		65.0%
Total number of applicants	112,843	22,434
Total number of admissions given out	16,295	19,340
Admitted students who chose to enroll	6,931	4,521
Yield rate	42.5%	23.4%
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: $37,920 Out of state: $67,674	In state: $24,686 Out of state: $46,649
Average net price	$17,652	$17,599
Tuition	In state: $11,442 Out of state: $41,196	In state: $8,356 Out of state: $30,319
Room & board	$20,236	$11,780
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	52.0% Average amount $21,406	71.0% Average amount $11,007
Students receiving federal student loan	15.0% Average amount $4,586	44.0% Average amount $5,282
Students taking out private loans	6.0% Average amount $7,122	10.0% Average amount $16,747

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	31,814 Men 45.4% Women 54.6%	21,608 Men 44.3% Women 55.7%
Graduate students	13,222 Men 51.7% Women 48.3%	8,301 Men 46.1% Women 53.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	16.9%	39.4%
International students	18.0%	5.4%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	9,630	6,660
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	California New Jersey Texas Virginia New York	Iowa Illinois Minnesota Wisconsin California

Academics
Popular study areas	Engineering Business Computer and Information Science Legal Profession Health Professions	Business Health Professions Engineering Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies
Students to faculty ratio	20:1	15:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	92.8%	73.7%
Dropout rate	6.3%	7.2%
Transferred out	N/A	17.7%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $171,936 Year 3: $191,597 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $122,038 Year 3: $167,052 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $125,250 Year 2: $125,388 Year 3: $161,399 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $126,367 Year 2: $128,868 Year 3: $160,666 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $160,390 Year 2: $142,470 Year 3: $143,984 Information Science/Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $119,358 Year 3: $143,516 Chemistry (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $107,442 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $112,973 Optometry (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $74,750 Year 2: $91,363 Year 3: $104,601 Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $95,600 Year 2: $85,760 Year 3: $103,738 Applied Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $71,282 Year 2: $65,387 Year 3: $102,543	Dentistry (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $125,938 Year 2: $134,155 Year 3: $142,171 Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $85,649 Year 2: $112,215 Year 3: $121,442 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $95,222 Year 2: $96,991 Year 3: $113,045 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $107,534 Year 2: $103,913 Year 3: $108,049 Public Health (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $65,863 Year 2: $69,757 Year 3: $81,687 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $61,283 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $81,057 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $72,973 Year 2: $69,657 Year 3: $80,787 Industrial Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,231 Year 2: $71,351 Year 3: $80,592 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,094 Year 2: $65,387 Year 3: $78,583 Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,942 Year 2: $64,990 Year 3: $71,106

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