About 49 percent of University of Iowa students graduate with zero debt. But for those who do need financial assistance, we work hard to help them secure grants, scholarships, or work study funding. The UI allocates nearly $70 million from the general fund for need-based and merit scholarships for undergraduates.   

Within the last several years we’ve added additional financial literacy officers to provide one on one debt counseling to students—encouraging them to live frugally and borrow only what they need. 

One of the ways to keep borrowing in check is to graduate on-time—so we’ve also worked hard to improve our four-year graduate rate which exceeds the national average. In addition, we’re committed to helping students find employment after college. Within six or seven months of graduation, 95 percent of the UI’s graduates have found employment or have been accepted to graduate school.