Quad

Head-to-head

U. Northern Iowa
U. Maine

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    U. Northern Iowa's yield is 16 pts higher than U. Maine's

    Yield rate
  2. 2

    U. Maine's grants cover 34% of its full price on average, vs. 21% at U. Northern Iowa

    Aid generosity
  3. 3

    U. Northern Iowa graduates 11 pts more of its students than U. Maine (67% vs. 56%)

    Graduation rate
  4. 4

    U. Northern Iowa costs about $6.1K less per year on average than U. Maine ($18,888 vs. $24,967, all students)

    Average cost, all students
  5. 5

    U. Northern Iowa grads earn $6.5K more ten years out than U. Maine's ($55,177 vs. $48,653)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  6. 6

    U. Northern Iowa has 4 pts more Pell recipients than U. Maine (27% vs. 23%)

    Pell Grant recipients

The shape of each school

Each axis is a national rank among 4-year colleges; further out = more of it.

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Hollow dots at the center mean that measure isn't reported.

Who's hardest to get into

U. Northern Iowa admits 93%, U. Maine 97%; U. Northern Iowa's yield is higher, at 31%.

Acceptance rate
U. Northern Iowa93%
U. Maine97%
Quad's selectivity
  • U. Northern IowaAccessible
  • U. MaineOpen
SAT middle 50%Axis 900–1600
U. Northern Iowa
1020–1280
U. MaineTest-blind
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • U. Northern IowaGPA, school record, and prep program required
  • U. MaineSchool record and prep program required

Who's on each campus

U. Maine is a bit larger than U. Northern Iowa (8,496 vs. 7,529 undergrads); U. Northern Iowa has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
U. Northern Iowa7.5K
U. Maine8.5K
Pell Grant share
U. Northern Iowa27%
U. Maine23%

Majors and faculty

Elementary Education and Teaching leads at U. Northern Iowa, and Mechanical Engineering at U. Maine; U. Maine has 15 students per faculty member to U. Northern Iowa's 18.

Students per faculty member
U. Northern Iowa18 to 1
U. Maine15 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • U. Northern IowaElementary Education and Teaching15%
  • U. MaineMechanical Engineering6%

What each costs

U. Northern Iowa costs about $6.1K less a year than U. Maine on average; U. Maine's grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
U. Northern Iowa$18.9K
U. Maine$25K
Aid generosity
U. Northern Iowa21%
U. Maine34%

What each pays off

U. Northern Iowa's former students earn more, a median $55.2K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 50% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
U. Northern Iowa$55.2K
U. Maine$48.7K
Graduation rate
U. Northern Iowa67%
U. Maine56%

How each has changed

Applications grew at U. Maine but held steady at U. Northern Iowa; both got less selective.

Applications, 10-year change
  • U. Northern IowaSteady−4%
  • U. MaineGrowing+22%
All the numbersEvery figure for these colleges in one table, with differences highlighted.
Sources for this comparisonEvery dataset and year behind the numbers in this comparison; tap any ⓘ for one number's source

Sources:IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard, 2023–24;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018About 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