Upper Iowa University — admissions, outcomes, merit aid & scholarships

🎯 Parent/student verdict

Likely

Accessible for most applicants.

✅ Best for

Students focused on Business, Management, & Marketing (the school's signature program)
Families wanting a small liberal-arts experience

🎯 The reality

Bottom-quartile academic profile if: SAT below 970, or ACT below 14 (admitted-class quartiles; GPA floor is a calibrated heuristic where CDS not yet on file)

Verdict is composed from this college's structured data (admit rate, SAT bands, net price by income, Carnegie classification, scholarship grids) using transparent rule thresholds — not a chat-bot's opinion.

🏛️ Institutional snapshot

What kind of college is this?

Carnegie classification

M1: Master's - Larger Programs

Total enrollment

1,994

1,000 - 4,999

In-state tuition

$19,475

sticker, before aid

Tuition

$19,475

flat rate (no in/out-of-state split)

Admit rate

93.4%

Accepts the majority

SAT middle 50%

970–1160

EBRW + Math composite

ACT middle 50%

14–21

composite

Test policy

Test-optional

2023

10-yr earnings

$52,766

median, after entry

Source: federal IPEDS Admissions 2023 for scores + admit rate; federal College Scorecard (20260606 vintage) for earnings + outcomes. SAT/ACT bands are the 25th–75th percentile of enrolled submitters.

📊 Outcomes & cost

What graduates actually earn, finish, and owe.

Federal College Scorecard data. Earnings are median annual income measured years after entering. Debt is for federal-aid borrowers only (cash-pay students aren't counted).

Earnings, 6 yrs after entry

$48,776

Earnings, 10 yrs after entry

$52,766

4-year completion

34%

Median debt (completers)

$25,000

Cost of attendance

$34,022

sticker price, not net

Pell-eligible students

32%

💰 True ROI

6.3× return

What families actually pay (after aid) vs. the sticker — and how 10-yr earnings stack against the real cost. Most sites quote sticker; we quote what families really pay.

What families actually pay (4 yrs)

$83,768

$20,942/yr avg net

Aid that hides behind the sticker

$52,320

vs sticker $136,088

10-yr earnings total

$527,660

$52,766/yr median, 10 yrs out

Years to recoup actual cost

1.6 yrs

at the median earnings rate

"True ROI" = (10-yr median earnings × 10) ÷ (actual 4-yr net price). The actual net is from Scorecard (average across all families); your family's net price will vary by income — see the breakdown above. Earnings are 10 years after enrollment (Scorecard PP-FOS, all majors combined).

💰 What families actually pay

Net price by family income

Net price = sticker price minus grant aid. This is what families actually pay out-of-pocket after scholarships and need-based aid — the most honest affordability signal there is. At Upper Iowa University, the average net price is $20,942/yr across all families.

Family income $0-30k

$17,715/yr

Family income $30-48k

$22,774/yr

Family income $48-75k

$18,720/yr

Family income $75-110k

$20,041/yr

Family income $110k+

$23,805/yr

🔎 Earning over $110K? The federal brackets above lump every family from $110K to $1M+ into one row.

Need-based aid usually phases out somewhere between $200K and $300K at private colleges — but the exact threshold varies a lot. For a precise estimate based on your family's actual income, assets, and your student's academic profile, use Upper Iowa University's official Net Price Calculator:

Get your family's estimate from Upper Iowa University →

Opens on Upper Iowa University's site. Takes about 10–15 minutes; have your most recent tax return handy.

Source: College Scorecard (NPT41-NPT45). Net price = total cost of attendance minus federal, state, institutional, and other grants. Some brackets may be suppressed for student-privacy reasons (small cohorts). Title IV first-time, full-time undergraduates only. The $110K+ ceiling is a federal data limitation — Department of Education hasn't refreshed these brackets since the early 2010s.

📚 What students study here

Most popular majors at Upper Iowa University

Top 5 fields of study by bachelor's degrees awarded (most recent IPEDS Completions). Use this to see what Upper Iowa University actually graduates — not just what it markets.

1. Business, Management, & Marketing

225 degrees · 45.6%

Typical career outcomes

Financial Analyst $100k Management Analyst (Consultant) $99k Marketing Manager $158k Accountant / Auditor $80k

Broad set of corporate roles. Finance + consulting pay top, accounting + HR pay middle, sales spread is wide.

2. Psychology

82 degrees · 16.6%

Typical career outcomes

HR Specialist $68k Market Research Analyst $75k Clinical Psychologist (post-PhD) $93k Social Worker $58k

Most undergrad psych grads go into non-clinical roles. Clinical/counseling psych requires a master's or doctoral.

3. Health Professions

68 degrees · 13.8%

Typical career outcomes

Registered Nurse $86k Physician Assistant $130k Pharmacist $136k Physical Therapist (post-DPT) $100k

Highest-paying group on this list, but most careers require additional training beyond a 4-year degree.

4. Social Sciences

64 degrees · 13.0%

Typical career outcomes

Economist $118k Political Scientist $130k Sociologist $93k Market Research Analyst $75k

Economics + poli sci sub-disciplines pay much more than sociology + anthropology.

5. Public Administration & Social Services

54 degrees · 11.0%

Typical career outcomes

Social Worker $58k Social / Community Service Mgr $77k Urban / Regional Planner $82k

Government, nonprofit, social work. Mission-driven; lower wages than private sector but stable.

Source: IPEDS Completions (C2023_a), bachelor's-level first majors aggregated to 2-digit CIP family. Share is of these top 5 only — not all majors.

💼 Top programs by earnings

Highest-earning majors at Upper Iowa University

Median earnings 4 years after entry, by major (CIP code). From the federal College Scorecard program-level outcomes.

Major (CIP)	Credential	Cohort	1-yr earnings	4-yr earnings
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing.	Bachelor's Degree	115	$70,224	$76,345
Public Administration.	Bachelor's Degree	23	$61,104	$70,374
Health and Medical Administrative Services.	Bachelor's Degree	21	$49,916	$66,931
Business Administration, Management and Operations.	Bachelor's Degree	162	$55,854	$65,858
Human Resources Management and Services.	Bachelor's Degree	38	$49,106	$64,706
Biology, General.	Bachelor's Degree	13	$43,311	$64,110
Finance and Financial Management Services.	Bachelor's Degree	19	$48,860	$63,736
Accounting and Related Services.	Bachelor's Degree	47	$54,152	$63,645
Social Sciences, General.	Bachelor's Degree	18	$56,221	$57,430
Criminology.	Bachelor's Degree	46	$43,170	$56,767

For full college-vs-major comparison + ROI leaderboards, see /college-outcomes →

🤖 AI program signal

AI + computing education at Upper Iowa University

CS degrees (annual)

4

CIP 11.0701 + 11.0101

Full multi-lens comparison: /ai-colleges →

⚖️ Compare side-by-side

Upper Iowa University vs. another college

Type the college you want to compare against. We'll show admit rates, net price by your family income, top majors with career outcomes, and merit aid — all in one side-by-side view.

Alternatives to Upper Iowa University

Matched not just by selectivity, but by strategic goal — what a family actually decides on.

🏆 Better merit-aid options

These similar-selectivity schools have published auto-merit grids that Upper Iowa University doesnt — your kids scores could unlock real scholarship dollars.

Texas Tech University

TX · Public

31 auto-merit scholarships on file

Mississippi State University

MS · Public

19 auto-merit scholarships on file

University of Louisville

KY · Public

19 auto-merit scholarships on file

University of Arkansas

AR · Public

15 auto-merit scholarships on file