University of Northern Iowa Rankings & Recognition

University of Northern Iowa appears in 10 of CollegesRef's value rankings by major. Its best placement is #45 of 354 for marketing, and #1 of 6 ranked colleges in Iowa.

University of Northern Iowa rankings by major

Source: CollegesRef value rankings from U.S. College Scorecard data, 2025

Each ranking compares bachelor's programs in one field. A college's value score is the weighted average of four percentiles among the ranked colleges: graduate earnings, average net price, debt compared with earnings, and graduation rate. Percentiles here are 100 for the best figure in the field. How the rankings work

Marketing

Ranked #45 of 354 for value

Marketing · 37 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $72,757; Ranked-college median: $67,486
Median debt: $15,000; Ranked-college median: $19,523

Value score 71.1 of 100 · #1 of 6 in Iowa

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 68th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 63th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 91th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 67th percentile

Average net price $16,038 (median $17,699) · graduation rate 68.6% · debt is 21% of earnings

Ranked just above: George Washington University (#44)
Ranked just below: Trinity University-Texas (#46)

Best colleges for marketing

Business

Ranked #64 of 986 for value

Business Administration, Management and Operations · 143 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $74,838; Ranked-college median: $64,860
Median debt: $15,000; Ranked-college median: $21,375

Value score 77.8 of 100 · #2 of 18 in Iowa

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 78th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 65th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 92th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 78th percentile

Average net price $16,038 (median $19,132) · graduation rate 68.6% · debt is 20% of earnings

Ranked just above: James Madison University (#63)
Ranked just below: University of Pennsylvania (#65)

Best colleges for business

Biology

Ranked #88 of 680 for value

Biology, General · 60 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $62,391; Ranked-college median: $58,001
Median debt: $15,000; Ranked-college median: $20,717

Value score 71 of 100 · #1 of 7 in Iowa

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 69th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 62th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 89th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 67th percentile

Average net price $16,038 (median $18,049) · graduation rate 68.6% · debt is 24% of earnings

Ranked just above: University of Connecticut (#87)
Ranked just below: University of Illinois at Chicago (#89)

Best colleges for biology

Finance

Ranked #91 of 330 for value

Finance and Financial Management Services · 105 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $81,172; Ranked-college median: $77,916
Median debt: $18,495; Ranked-college median: $19,500

Value score 60.7 of 100 · #1 of 7 in Iowa

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 58th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 62th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 62th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 65th percentile

Average net price $16,038 (median $17,502) · graduation rate 68.6% · debt is 23% of earnings

Ranked just above: Adelphi University (#90)
Ranked just below: University of San Diego (#92)

Best colleges for finance

Kinesiology and exercise science

Ranked #101 of 459 for value

Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness · 49 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $54,629; Ranked-college median: $53,707
Median debt: $16,750; Ranked-college median: $21,500

Value score 66.3 of 100 · #4 of 12 in Iowa

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 55th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 65th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 81th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 79th percentile

Average net price $16,038 (median $18,314) · graduation rate 68.6% · debt is 31% of earnings

Ranked just above: Lebanon Valley College (#100)
Ranked just below: Syracuse University (#102)

Best colleges for kinesiology and exercise science

Psychology

Ranked #106 of 814 for value

Psychology, General · 102 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $53,829; Ranked-college median: $51,007
Median debt: $16,435; Ranked-college median: $21,000

Value score 70.4 of 100 · #2 of 12 in Iowa

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 66th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 65th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 86th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 71th percentile

Average net price $16,038 (median $18,874) · graduation rate 68.6% · debt is 31% of earnings

Ranked just above: St. John's University-New York (#105)
Ranked just below: Carnegie Mellon University (#107)

Best colleges for psychology

Communications

Ranked #169 of 388 for value

Communication and Media Studies · 32 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $53,506; Ranked-college median: $56,130
Median debt: $16,870; Ranked-college median: $19,593

Value score 53.4 of 100 · #3 of 3 in Iowa

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 39th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 58th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 68th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 64th percentile

Average net price $16,038 (median $17,285) · graduation rate 68.6% · debt is 32% of earnings

Ranked just above: Marquette University (#168)
Ranked just below: Radford University (#170)

Best colleges for communications

Mathematics

Ranked #192 of 208 for value

Mathematics · 15 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $44,407; Ranked-college median: $71,273

Value score 26.5 of 100 · #3 of 3 in Iowa

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 1th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 57th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 46th percentile

Average net price $16,038 (median $17,049) · graduation rate 68.6%

Ranked just above: Sam Houston State University (#191)
Ranked just below: Gonzaga University (#193)

Best colleges for mathematics

Education

Ranked #246 of 521 for value

Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods · 361 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $45,885; Ranked-college median: $48,822
Median debt: $18,891; Ranked-college median: $21,500

Value score 50.9 of 100 · #3 of 12 in Iowa

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 31th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 59th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 63th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 76th percentile

Average net price $16,038 (median $17,201) · graduation rate 68.6% · debt is 41% of earnings

Ranked just above: Kansas State University (#245)
Ranked just below: Rollins College (#247)

Best colleges for education

Computer science

Ranked #273 of 466 for value

Computer Science · 32 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $89,305; Ranked-college median: $97,375
Median debt: $19,500; Ranked-college median: $19,500

Value score 44.6 of 100 · #3 of 5 in Iowa

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 34th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 55th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 41th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 60th percentile

Average net price $16,038 (median $16,804) · graduation rate 68.6% · debt is 22% of earnings