University of Iowa (UIowa) vs University of Kansas (KU)

Nestled in the heart of the Midwest, the University of Iowa and the University of Kansas stand as two prominent beacons of higher education. While both institutions share a commitment to academic excellence and student success, they also possess distinct characteristics that set them apart. Delve into our comprehensive comparison table to uncover the nuances that differentiate these two esteemed universities. Discover the variations in acceptance rates, tuition fees, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates. Whether you seek a vibrant urban setting or a charming college town atmosphere, our detailed analysis will guide you towards the institution that best aligns with your aspirations and goals.
University of Iowa logo

University of Iowa

University of Kansas logo

University of Kansas

Overview

Location Iowa City, Iowa Lawrence, Kansas
Campus setting City: Small 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 88.0% 85.0%
Common app member Yes Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission

Acceptance rate 86.2% 92.5%
Application fees
Undergraduate: $40

Graduate: $60
Undergraduate: $40

Graduate: $65
SAT range 1130 - 1350 1090 - 1330
ACT range 22 - 29 21 - 29
Students submitting SAT score 18.0% 12.0%
Students submitting ACT score 65.0% 80.0%
Total number of applicants 22,434 15,275
Total number of admissions given out 19,340 14,129
Admitted students who chose to enroll 4,521 4,119
Yield rate 23.4% 29.2%
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: $24,686

Out of state: $46,649
In state: $25,259

Out of state: $42,127
Average net price $17,599 $18,608
Tuition
In state: $8,356

Out of state: $30,319
In state: $10,092

Out of state: $26,960
Room & board $11,780
Room/dormitory: $6,100

Meal plan: $3,800
Available payment plans
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

71.0%
Average amount $11,007
80.0%
Average amount $10,408
Students receiving federal student loan 44.0%
Average amount $5,282
40.0%
Average amount $5,220
Students taking out private loans 10.0%
Average amount $16,747
6.0%
Average amount $13,036

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 21,608
Men 44.3% Women 55.7%
19,158
Men 46.8% Women 53.2%
Graduate students 8,301
Men 46.1% Women 53.9%
7,622
Men 42.7% Women 57.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity
Low
Low
Out-of-state students 39.4% 41.5%
International students 5.4% 6.8%
Campus local/setting City: Small City: Small
Dormitory capacity 6,660 5,235
First year students are required to live on campus? No No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from Iowa Illinois Minnesota Wisconsin California Kansas Missouri Illinois Texas Colorado

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Business
  • Health Professions
  • Engineering
  • Education
  • Kinesiology & Leisure Studies
  • Health Professions
  • Business
  • Education
  • Engineering
  • Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Students to faculty ratio 15:1 17:1
Institutional accreditation Higher Learning Commission Higher Learning Commission

Outcome

Graduation rate 73.7% 66.0%
Dropout rate 7.2% 7.8%
Transferred out 17.7% 24.6%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)
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
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $160,586
  • Year 2: $170,720
  • Year 3: $156,139
Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $112,189
  • Year 2: $119,061
  • Year 3: $123,797
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $80,966
  • Year 2: $73,299
  • Year 3: $88,195
Petroleum Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $71,179
  • Year 2: $63,005
  • Year 3: $81,042
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $69,338
  • Year 3: $78,614
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees)
  • Year 1: $67,617
  • Year 2: $72,625
  • Year 3: $77,366
Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $64,974
  • Year 2: $66,001
  • Year 3: $73,900
Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $65,436
  • Year 2: $59,722
  • Year 3: $72,306
Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $64,919
  • Year 2: $64,990
  • Year 3: $68,960
Law (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $56,347
  • Year 2: $53,108
  • Year 3: $68,650

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.
University of Iowa UIowa vs University of Alabama at Birmingham University of Alabama at Birmingham
University of Iowa UIowa vs Arizona State University Campus Immersion Arizona State University Campus Immersion
University of Iowa UIowa vs University of Arizona University of Arizona
University of Iowa UIowa vs University of Arkansas University of Arkansas
University of Iowa UIowa vs University of California-Berkeley University of California-Berkeley
University of Iowa UIowa vs University of California-Davis University of California-Davis
University of Iowa UIowa vs University of Colorado Boulder University of Colorado Boulder
University of Iowa UIowa vs Florida State University Florida State University
University of Iowa UIowa vs University of Georgia University of Georgia
University of Iowa UIowa vs Indiana University-Bloomington Indiana University-Bloomington
University of Iowa UIowa vs Iowa State University Iowa State University
University of Iowa UIowa vs University of Kansas University of Kansas
University of Iowa UIowa vs University of Kentucky University of Kentucky
University of Iowa UIowa vs University of Maryland-College Park University of Maryland-College Park
University of Iowa UIowa vs Michigan State University Michigan State University
University of Iowa UIowa vs University of Nebraska-Lincoln University of Nebraska-Lincoln
University of Iowa UIowa vs Rutgers University-New Brunswick Rutgers University-New Brunswick
University of Iowa UIowa vs University of New Mexico-Main Campus University of New Mexico-Main Campus
University of Iowa UIowa vs University at Buffalo University at Buffalo
University of Iowa UIowa vs University of Oregon University of Oregon
University of Iowa UIowa vs University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus
University of Iowa UIowa vs Texas Tech University Texas Tech University
University of Iowa UIowa vs Brigham Young University Brigham Young University
University of Iowa UIowa vs University of Utah University of Utah
University of Iowa UIowa vs University of Virginia-Main Campus University of Virginia-Main Campus
University of Iowa UIowa vs University of Washington-Seattle Campus University of Washington-Seattle Campus
University of Iowa UIowa vs West Virginia University West Virginia University
University of Iowa UIowa vs Purdue University-Main Campus Purdue University-Main Campus
University of Iowa UIowa vs Augusta University Augusta University
University of Iowa UIowa vs The Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University
University of Kansas KU vs University of Arizona University of Arizona
University of Kansas KU vs University of Arkansas University of Arkansas
University of Kansas KU vs University of California-Berkeley University of California-Berkeley
University of Kansas KU vs University of California-Davis University of California-Davis
University of Kansas KU vs University of Colorado Boulder University of Colorado Boulder
University of Kansas KU vs Colorado State University-Fort Collins Colorado State University-Fort Collins
University of Kansas KU vs University of Central Florida University of Central Florida
University of Kansas KU vs Florida State University Florida State University
University of Kansas KU vs University of Idaho University of Idaho
University of Kansas KU vs Indiana University-Bloomington Indiana University-Bloomington
University of Kansas KU vs Iowa State University Iowa State University
University of Kansas KU vs Harvard University Harvard University
University of Kansas KU vs University of Mississippi University of Mississippi
University of Kansas KU vs The University of Montana The University of Montana
University of Kansas KU vs University of Nevada-Reno University of Nevada-Reno
University of Kansas KU vs Rutgers University-New Brunswick Rutgers University-New Brunswick
University of Kansas KU vs Stony Brook University Stony Brook University
University of Kansas KU vs University of North Dakota University of North Dakota
University of Kansas KU vs University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus
University of Kansas KU vs South Dakota State University South Dakota State University
University of Kansas KU vs University of South Dakota University of South Dakota
University of Kansas KU vs Brigham Young University Brigham Young University
University of Kansas KU vs George Mason University George Mason University
University of Kansas KU vs University of Wyoming University of Wyoming
University of Kansas KU vs Stanford University Stanford University
University of Kansas KU vs Augusta University Augusta University
University of Kansas KU vs DeVry University-Missouri DeVry University-Missouri