Upper Iowa University
Upper Iowa University is a private nonprofit university in Fayette, IA, with about 772 students on campus and 2,330 more studying only online. Price, graduation and earnings figures on this page count online students too.
The short version on Upper Iowa University
Most of Upper Iowa University’s students study online
About 2,330 students take classes only online, against 772 on campus. Price, graduation and earnings figures on this page count online students too, so they describe the online college as much as the campus. The students ↓
Many students are adults coming back to school
65% of undergraduates are 25 or older, and 45% study part-time. Graduation rates count only first-time, full-time students, so they leave many of these students out. The students ↓
Students are a big part of Fayette
39% of Fayette’s 1,185 residents are enrolled in college. Median rent runs 39% above the state. Living in Fayette ↓
What you study here makes a big difference to pay
Among Upper Iowa University’s biggest bachelor’s programs, nursing graduates earn a median $76,345 four years out. Design and applied arts graduates earn $41,109. Majors ↓
This summary is written from the data on this page. Figures are from the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard; price, graduation and earnings include online students; graduation rates count only first-time, full-time students.
The students
1,994 degree-seeking undergraduates.
By race and ethnicity
Women and men
How hard is it to get into Upper Iowa University?
of applicants admitted
About 19 of every 20 applicants get in.
Test scores of admitted students
The middle 50%: a quarter scored below the range and a quarter above it. Average SAT: 1090.
The sticker price, and what families really pay
Sticker price: $34,022 a year
Before any grants
After grants, the average family on aid pays $20,942.
Your family’s price
Average net price after grants, by family income
About $74,880 over 4 years · 45% off the sticker price
Do students finish, and does it pay off?
Debt vs. the paycheck
The typical loan payment as a share of a typical graduate’s monthly pay six years after starting
$265 a month against about $4,065 a month in pay.
Paying back loans
Federal student loans, this college
of borrowers paid down at least some of their loan within three years, more than at 59% of U.S. colleges.
Almost none defaulted within three years (payments on federal loans were paused from 2020 to 2023, so recent default rates are near zero everywhere).
Earnings by family background
Median earnings 10 years after starting, by family income at enrollment
What students study, and what it pays
Share of degrees by field
Bachelor’s programs with the most graduates
And their graduates’ median earnings four years later (one year where that’s all that’s reported).
Living in Fayette
39% of Fayette’s 1,185 residents are enrolled in college. What the town is like, from TownRatings’ Fayette pages.
Other colleges within 30 miles
Straight-line distances from Upper Iowa University; colleges with 100 or more students on campus.
Ask around
Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.
Sources: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (institution and field-of-study files) and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023); town figures from the Census American Community Survey and NOAA climate normals. Graduation rates count first-time, full-time students; earnings and debt are for students who received federal aid. Distances are straight-line. Colleges are described, not graded (how TownRatings describes colleges). Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.