Hunter
09/23/25
The latest US News & World Report rankings of the nation’s top colleges has been released, and the University of Iowa has dropped out of the top 100 for the first time since 2004.
The Gazette reports the U dropped from 98th to 102nd in this year’s report. It also dropped to No. 49 among public universities from No. 46 last year and No. 33 in 2022.
In the 2015 edition, the University of Iowa ranked 27th among public universities and No. 71 among all universities nationally,
The report recognized the U of I among the best public universities for writing and communication, tying for tenth.
The publication adjusted its methodology in 2023 and now bases more than half an institution’s rank on measures related to success in “enrolling and graduating students from all backgrounds with manageable debt and postgraduate success.” It also removed five factors including class size, faculty with terminal degrees, alumni giving, high school class standing, and proportion of graduates who borrow federal loans.
This fall, the University of Iowa said they received a record number of applications and welcomed the second largest incoming class in the school’s history.