University of Iowa Admission
University of Iowa Undergraduate Program
University of Iowa Application

The Facts

University of Iowa is a large state school located in Iowa City .  It is home to over 17,700 undergraduate students and approximately 9,512 graduate students.  U of Iowa is made up of several undergraduate colleges including schools of English, speech pathology and audiology, science, music, political science and nursing.  The medical school is particularly strong, and U Iowa boasts one of the largest research hospitals in the nation.  The university offers many many majors across many different concentrations, but some of the most popular among students include majors in psychology, English, communication studies, art and biology.  Students have a diverse range of interests, which is directly reflected in the wide range of majors that are most popular.

Admission to the school is actually quite competitive for a large state school; the university attracts many students seeking prestigious careers in the fields of science and medicine.  Last year, over 13,337 students applied and 10,979 were accepted.  Eventually, only 4,083 actually enrolled for the coming fall semester.  The admitted students had an average combined SAT score ranging from 1070 to 1300 and an average comprehensive ACT score ranging from 22 to 27.  Over 48% of those admitted were ranked in the top 25% of their high school graduating class with an average high school GPA of 3.54.

University of Iowa has a manageable student to faculty ratio of 15:1, and most upper level classes are held in seminar form and are quite decently sized.  However, just like any other large state school, introductory and required classes are enormous and can be difficult to get at the most convenient time.  Students say that even though you won't receive much individualized attention here, the teachers do make themselves quite available during office hours, and will be happy to help any student who may require occasional assistance.

The Social Scene

The town of Iowa City is said to be a great college town by students; the residents are extremely supportive and active in campus life.  The town isn't very large, but it does offer some cut cafes, bars and shops to keep students entertained on the weekends.  There are quite a few fraternities and sororities on campus, and they throw many huge parties throughout the year that are popular social events, however, students say that the Greeks don't really dominate campus life.  If you aren't a Greek, you won't have to worry about being labeled as a social outcast.  The school isn't terribly diverse, as most students come from Iowa or Illinois , but the student population is generally really accepting and everyone seems to mix together just fine.

Sports are definitely big at the school; the university's football team has met with quite a bit of success in recent years, and big games are huge social events with most of the university's students. The dating scene is great if you like classic homespun American beauties and buff Midwestern corn fed boys.

What’s Good

“The school is huge, but it doesn't feel that way; there is a genuine small town friendliness that pervades the campus.”

“I love that the parties are bumping on the weekends, but people know when to get back to work.”

“The dorms are small but really nice.  People are very respectful of personal space here.”

What’s Bad

“The town is really boring.  If you are an urbanite, I wouldn't suggest coming here.”

“There is a total lack of diversity; I don't think I've seen a single non-Caucasian the whole time I've been here.”

“The dorm food is gross.  There's a lot of gray mystery meat.”

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