Key differences on Outcomes
- 1
Iowa State graduates 2 pts more of its students than U. Iowa (74% vs. 72%)
Graduation rate - 2
U. Iowa grads earn $1.4K more ten years out than Iowa State's ($64,762 vs. $63,386)
Median earnings, 10 yrs
Outcomes
Outcomes
Earnings and finishing
Median earnings, 10 yrs
U. Iowa$64.8KHighest
Iowa State$63.4K
Graduation rate
U. Iowa72%
Iowa State74%Highest
Retention rate
U. Iowa90%Highest
Iowa State89%
Borrowing
Median debt
U. Iowa$22.5KLowest
Iowa State$22.9K
Undergrads with a federal loan
U. Iowa42%
Iowa State43%
Median debt, Pell Grant recipients
U. Iowa$19.5KLowest
Iowa State$19.6K
Eight-year outcomes
Credential within 4 years, all students
U. Iowa55%
Iowa State55%
Credential within 8 years, all students
U. Iowa73%
Iowa State74%
Enrolled at another college, 8 years on
U. Iowa17%
Iowa State17%
Graduation by group
Graduated in 6 years, Pell Grant recipients
U. Iowa65%
Iowa State70%
Graduated in 6 years, neither Pell nor subsidized loan
U. Iowa78%
Iowa State80%
Pell graduation gap
U. Iowa13 pts lower
Iowa State11 pts lower
Graduated in 6 years, by race and ethnicity
| Group | U. Iowa | Iowa State |
|---|---|---|
| White | 75% | 77% |
| Asian | 74% | 73% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 71% | 67% |
| Black | 64% | 61% |
| Two or more races | 71% | 66% |
| International | 76% | 71% |
On-time progress, from the colleges' Common Data Sets
| Finished within | U. Iowa | Iowa State |
|---|---|---|
| 4 years: Pell recipients | Not published | 49% |
| 4 years: neither Pell nor subsidized loan | Not published | 61% |
| 4 years: all first-time full-time | Not published | 57% |
| 5 years: Pell recipients | Not published | 67% |
| 5 years: neither Pell nor subsidized loan | Not published | 79% |
| 5 years: all first-time full-time | Not published | 75% |
Sources:College Scorecard, most recent release;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;College Scorecard, 2023–24;IPEDS Outcome Measures survey, Students entering fall 2016;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018;Iowa State University Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2024;Iowa State University Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2019About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)
Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why