University of Iowa is harder to get into (80% vs 88% admitted), but students with aid paid less there on average (in-state): $18,517 vs $22,508 a year.
Highlighted = the better number: lower price or debt, higher rate or pay.
Sticker price per year (in-state at public colleges)
$24,539
$29,219
Average paid after grants (in-state at public colleges)
$18,517
$22,508
Average paid from out of state, estimated
$37,565
$44,596
What in-state families with aid paid, by income
Measure
Iowa State University
University of Iowa
Under $30,000
$11,957
$15,353
$30,000–$48,000
$12,869
$15,374
$48,000–$75,000
$14,013
$17,179
$75,000–$110,000
$19,173
$22,278
Over $110,000
$22,905
$26,721
After you start
Measure
Iowa State University
University of Iowa
Undergrads
25,367
22,264
Graduate within 6 years
75%
73%
Come back for year two
88%
90%
Median earnings 10 years after starting
$67,568
$70,727
Median debt at graduation
$21,250
$21,262
Highlighted only when the gap is at least 5%. "Average paid" is what students who got federal aid paid per year after grants, not a price quote; at public colleges the income rows are in-state students. The out-of-state estimate adds a public college's extra out-of-state tuition to its in-state average; out-of-state students usually get less aid, so many pay more. How we get our numbers