University of Iowa (UIowa) vs CU-Boulder

Nestled in the heart of the Midwest, the University of Iowa (UI) and the University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder) stand as two distinct beacons of higher education, each offering a unique blend of academic excellence, vibrant campus life, and diverse student experiences. While both universities share a commitment to providing a transformative educational journey, they differ in several key aspects, including acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to discover the nuances that set these two institutions apart and make an informed decision about your academic future.

	University of Colorado Boulder	University of Iowa
Overview
Location	Boulder, Colorado	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	87.0%	88.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	79.6%	86.2%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $60	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $60
SAT range	1170 - 1390	1130 - 1350
ACT range	25 - 31	22 - 29
Students submitting SAT score	32.0%	18.0%
Students submitting ACT score	16.0%	65.0%
Total number of applicants	54,756	22,434
Total number of admissions given out	43,576	19,340
Admitted students who chose to enroll	6,785	4,521
Yield rate	15.6%	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: $29,725 Out of state: $55,543	In state: $24,686 Out of state: $46,649
Average net price	$22,532	$17,599
Tuition	In state: $10,728 Out of state: $36,546	In state: $8,356 Out of state: $30,319
Room & board	$15,220	$11,780
Available payment plans	Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	53.0% Average amount $9,214	71.0% Average amount $11,007
Students receiving federal student loan	27.0% Average amount $4,986	44.0% Average amount $5,282
Students taking out private loans	6.0% Average amount $24,094	10.0% Average amount $16,747

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	30,886 Men 54.8% Women 45.2%	21,608 Men 44.3% Women 55.7%
Graduate students	8,114 Men 57.8% Women 42.2%	8,301 Men 46.1% Women 53.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	48.8%	39.4%
International students	7.1%	5.4%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	7,500	6,660
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Colorado California Texas Illinois New York	Iowa Illinois Minnesota Wisconsin California

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Engineering Communication and Journalism Visual & Performing Arts Legal Profession	Business Health Professions Engineering Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies
Students to faculty ratio	18:1	15:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	74.0%	73.7%
Dropout rate	8.6%	7.2%
Transferred out	15.9%	17.7%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Engineering, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $105,752 Year 2: $116,679 Year 3: $121,033 Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $97,071 Year 3: $118,373 Computer Science (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $93,907 Year 2: $94,408 Year 3: $108,458 Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $85,254 Year 2: $89,641 Year 3: $97,860 Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $76,200 Year 2: $75,706 Year 3: $92,272 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $87,191 Year 2: $80,503 Year 3: $87,258 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $74,023 Year 2: $75,204 Year 3: $86,676 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $69,804 Year 2: $75,921 Year 3: $85,563 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $75,633 Year 2: $83,177 Year 3: $85,039 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,440 Year 2: $71,957 Year 3: $83,132	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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