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Career outcomes brief

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# University of Iowa Career Outcomes & Earnings

Updated September 30, 2026

[Overview](/school/university-of-iowa/)[Cost & aid](/school/university-of-iowa/cost/)Outcomes[Admissions](/school/university-of-iowa/admissions/)[Majors](/school/university-of-iowa/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/university-of-iowa/similar/)

**On this page**+

## How much do University of Iowa graduates earn?

The reported median is $69,866 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $65,610 as its benchmark; the difference is $4,256 per year.

Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $69,866. That is $4,256 above the $65,610 median for comparable institutions (same type and size), and sits at the 76th percentile nationally.

Azimuth places the university at the 84th percentile for return among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $7,015 more than the model expects for similar students.

That places the gap at the 77th percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $10,042. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $3,027.

The earnings scenarios at University of Iowa span from a downside of $50,641 to an upside of $89,839 four years after completion. That range reflects the variation in outcomes across the university's 49 programs with published data.

The highest-earning programs illustrate the upper end of that spread: Statistics completers earn a median of $123,676, Chemical Engineering graduates reach $97,329, and Electrical Engineering completers earn $97,208.

University of Iowa graduates include an estimated 27.7% who continue to graduate study, a share modeled from the program mix. Four-year earnings count only completers who are working and not enrolled, so the median reflects the pay of those who go directly to work rather than the full graduating class.

**Median earnings · four years after completion**
$69,866

**Rank for difference from expectations**
77th percentile

Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks

**University of Iowa reported median**
$69,866

**Peer schools comparable schools · $4,256 below University of Iowa**
$65,610

**Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $7,015 below University of Iowa**
$62,851

School and program earnings use pooled 2017–18 and 2018–19 completion cohorts, measured in 2022 and 2023 and expressed in 2024 dollars. [How the model works](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/).

## How could earnings differ from the median?

The planning scenarios range from $50,641 to $89,839, around the reported median of $69,866. Compare the lower scenario with [University of Iowa borrowing and monthly payments](/school/university-of-iowa/cost/) to see how a smaller income could change your plan.

Modeled from the school’s program mix; not salary percentiles or a forecast for one graduate.

Earnings four years after completion

Planning rangeReported median

**Lower estimate**
$50,641

**Median · reported**
$69,866

**Higher estimate**
$89,839

Downside shows a lower-earning scenario based on the college’s mix of programs; upside shows a higher-earning scenario. Typical is the school’s reported median four years after completion. These are planning scenarios, not a forecast of your salary or percentiles of individual graduates.

[Why the downside matters](/analysis/median-roi-hides-a-harsh-reality/) explores the risk hidden by medians, using older ten-year entrant data. [Read about the move to four-year earnings](/analysis/college-scorecard-2026-4-year-vs-10-year-earnings-2-2/).

## Do University of Iowa graduates earn more than expected?

Azimuth models what we would expect graduates to earn based on who the college enrolls, how selective it is and its local economy. The difference between that expectation and reported earnings is what Azimuth calls [value added](/methodology/#value-added).

University of Iowa graduates’ reported earnings are $7,015 above that expectation, the 77th percentile for this measure. Unlike a peer comparison, it adjusts for who enrolls.

The breakdown separates the contribution attributed to observed factors from the remaining difference. Neither component establishes how much attending University of Iowa caused a student to earn. [Read how expected earnings are estimated](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/).

What explains value-added earnings?

**Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.**
+$10,042

**Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.**
\-$3,027

**Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.**
+$7,015

These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

## Which fields at University of Iowa report the highest earnings?

The University of Iowa's largest programs span a wide earnings range, from higher-earning fields to those closer to the national median. Finance, with 379 degrees awarded, shows a median of $88,229 four years after completion and an Azimuth national rank of #53.

Marketing follows at $81,994 on 234 degrees, ranking #39 nationally. On the moderate-earning side, Kinesiology and Physical Education awards the most degrees at 511 and earns a median of $61,732, with an Azimuth national rank of #30.

Business Administration and Management reaches $67,605 on 245 degrees and ranks #169. The spread illustrates the earnings range across these fields.

University of Iowa publishes earnings data for 49 bachelor's programs, 45 of which hold an Azimuth national rank. The largest program, Kinesiology and Physical Education, awarded 511 degrees, ranks #30 nationally, and shows a median of $61,732 four years after completion.

Finance awarded 379 degrees, ranks #53 nationally, and its completers earn a median of $88,229, the highest among the five largest programs. Several programs hold top national ranks.

English Language and Literature/Letters sits at #3 with 134 degrees awarded and a median of $40,434. Statistics ranks #9 with 29 degrees awarded and a median of $123,676.

Marketing, also among the largest programs with published earnings, ranks #39 nationally with 234 degrees awarded and a median of $81,994.

Highest reported four-year program earnings

**Statistics**
$123,676

**Chemical Engineering**
$97,329

**Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering**
$97,208

**Industrial Engineering**
$95,347

**Accounting and Related Services**
$92,767

**Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods**
$91,720

**Mechanical Engineering**
$89,078

**Computer and Information Sciences, General**
$88,264

[Explore University of Iowa program cohorts and field ranks](/school/university-of-iowa/majors/#largest-cohorts) for more context.

## Further analysis

Earnings at University of Iowa depend heavily on field, a pattern the earnings scenarios make concrete. The downside scenario, reflecting lower-earning program clusters, is $50,641, while the typical scenario is $69,866 and the upside scenario reaches $89,839.

Anchoring the range in named programs, Statistics graduates earn a median of $123,676 four years after completion, while Kinesiology and Physical Education, the largest program, sits at $61,732.

Graduates of University of Iowa earn about $7,015 more than the model expects for similar students, a gap that places the university in the 77th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The median earnings four years after completion reach $69,866, which is above the peer median of $65,610 for comparable institutions (same type and size).

The earnings cohort includes 5,215 federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled. Earnings scenarios, which reflect the university's program mix, show a typical outcome of $69,866, a downside scenario of $50,641, and an upside scenario reaching $89,839.

An estimated 27.7% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix. The median earnings sit in the 76th percentile nationally.

Earnings that run ahead of the model and a median that clears the peer benchmark point in the same direction for graduates of this public university.

## Data & methodology

Sources and reporting periods: [methodology](/methodology/).

Analysis and methodology by [Daniel Rogers](/about/#founder), founder of College Azimuth.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Figure notes link to sources and limitations. [About College Azimuth](/about/).