Iowa's flagship public research university, pioneering creative writing and health professions since 1847.
The University of Iowa is organized into 12 colleges offering more than 200 areas of study and 7 professional degrees. The university is classified as an R1 research institution with $818 million in research expenditures (fiscal year 2021). Iowa is particularly renowned for the Iowa Writers' Workshop, founded in 1936, which has produced 13 Pulitzer Prize winners since 1947 and serves as the prototype for over 300 writing programs nationwide. The university pioneered the Master of Fine Arts degree and was the first to accept creative projects as theses for advanced degrees. Additional strengths include engineering, medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, law, nursing, public health, business, and education.
The main campus spans 1,880 acres on the banks of the Iowa River in Iowa City, divided into east and west sides by the river. Notable architectural features include the Pentacrest, comprising five historic buildings reflecting Beaux-Arts and Collegiate Gothic styles. The campus houses 11 residence halls, with 94% of first-year students living on campus. Students participate in nearly 500 student organizations and have access to multiple museums, including the Stanley Museum of Art, Museum of Natural History, and Old Capitol Museum. The university operates a free campus bus system and maintains a bicycle-friendly environment. Additional campuses are located in Cedar Rapids, Des Moines, and Oakdale.
For the 2021 entering class, the University of Iowa received 22,434 applications with an 86.2% acceptance rate. The middle 50% ACT composite score was 22–29 (65% of freshmen submitted), and SAT scores ranged from 1140–1330 (18% submitted). The freshman retention rate is 88%, with 73.7% graduating within six years. The yield rate was 23.4%. Iowa is a college-sponsor of the National Merit Scholarship Program and sponsored 24 Merit Scholarship awards in 2020.
The University of Iowa reports a 96% job and graduate school placement rate for graduates. The university facilitates approximately 5,000 on-campus job interviews annually and thousands of internship opportunities with employers ranging from NASA to professional sports organizations. The Pomerantz Career Center provides resume writing, career advising, and internship resources. The Magid Center for Writing supports students in developing communication skills, which employers consistently identify as highly valued for new hires.