University of Iowa and Iowa State University are about equally selective, admitting 79.9% and 87.9% of applicants respectively. For a family earning $48,001–$75,000, the average net price is about $19,930 per year at University of Iowa versus $15,463 at Iowa State University. Admitted students post SAT middle-50% ranges of 1130–1320 at University of Iowa and 1153–1360 at Iowa State University.
| Metric | University of Iowa | Iowa State University |
|---|---|---|
| Overall acceptance rate | 79.9% | 87.9% |
| SAT middle 50% | 1130–1320 | 1153–1360 |
| Avg unweighted GPA | 3.83 | 3.7 |
| Yield rate | 22.1% | 28.5% |
| Class size | 5,561 | 6,160 |
| Net price, $48,001–$75,000 income | $19,930 | $15,463 |
| Net price, over $110,000 income | $26,266 | $22,496 |
Admissions and cost data as of July 3, 2026 (CDS 2025–26 cycle), from the most recent Common Data Set, IPEDS, and College Scorecard. Rows appear only where both colleges report the statistic.
The two are about equally selective: University of Iowa admits 79.9% of applicants and Iowa State University admits 87.9%, based on the most recent Common Data Set.
For a family earning $48,001–$75,000, the average net price is about $19,930 per year at University of Iowa and $15,463 at Iowa State University, so Iowa State University is the lower-cost option at that income level (source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard/IPEDS data).
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