Quad

Head-to-head

U. Northern Iowa
Utah State

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    Utah State has 2.7× as many undergrads as U. Northern Iowa

    Undergrads
  2. 2

    U. Northern Iowa graduates 9 pts more of its students than Utah State (67% vs. 58%)

    Graduation rate
  3. 3

    Utah State's grants cover 29% of its full price on average, vs. 21% at U. Northern Iowa

    Aid generosity
  4. 4

    U. Northern Iowa's yield is 7 pts higher than Utah State's

    Yield rate
  5. 5

    Utah State has 6 pts more first-gen students than U. Northern Iowa (28% vs. 22%)

    First-generation students
  6. 6

    Utah State is more diverse (index 0.34 vs. 0.30)

    Diversity index

The shape of each school

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

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Who's hardest to get into

Utah State admits 92%, U. Northern Iowa 93%; U. Northern Iowa's yield is higher, at 31%.

Acceptance rate
U. Northern Iowa93%
Utah State92%
Quad's selectivity
  • U. Northern IowaAccessible
  • Utah StateOpen
SAT middle 50%Axis 900–1600
U. Northern Iowa
1020–1280
Utah State
1070–1290
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • U. Northern IowaGPA, school record, and prep program required
  • Utah StateGPA and school record required

Who's on each campus

Utah State has 2.7× as many undergrads as U. Northern Iowa; U. Northern Iowa has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
U. Northern Iowa7.5K
Utah State20.3K
Pell Grant share
U. Northern Iowa27%
Utah State26%

Majors and faculty

Elementary Education and Teaching leads at U. Northern Iowa, and Econometrics and Quantitative Economics at Utah State.

Students per faculty member
U. Northern Iowa18 to 1
Utah State19 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • U. Northern IowaElementary Education and Teaching15%
  • Utah StateEconometrics and Quantitative Economics8%

What each costs

U. Northern Iowa and Utah State cost about the same a year on average; Utah State's grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
U. Northern Iowa$18.9K
Utah State$19.2K
Aid generosity
U. Northern Iowa21%
Utah State29%

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
Utah State$54K
Graduation rate
U. Northern Iowa67%
Utah State58%

How each has changed

Applications grew at Utah State but held steady at U. Northern Iowa; Utah State got more selective while U. Northern Iowa got less.

Applications, 10-year change
  • U. Northern IowaSteady−4%
  • Utah StateGrowing+63%
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