Hunter
11/10/25
University of Iowa graduate students and faculty are reporting the strain of accommodating the second-largest incoming class in its history.
Iowa Capital Dispatch reports Applications to the UI were also record-breaking, totaling more than 31,000.
When enrollment grows, class sizes — and the number of offered course sections — grow with it. While some departments might not be feeling the full brunt of the strain yet, faculty and graduate students say it’s getting harder to balance all of the work on their plates.
Tanya Uden-Holman, UI associate provost for undergraduate education and dean of the University College, said in an emailed statement that the Enrollment Management data team created “predictive dashboards” a few years ago that have helped the university prepare for enrollment growth by “anticipat(ing) student interest” and planning out staffing, course sections and classroom space.
Anne Moore, press and publicity coordinator of the Campaign to Organize Graduate Students (COGS), said the union has been hearing from its members “across the board” about increased expectations and workloads from more sections and more students. There is also the rule that most graduate workers are generally limited to 20 hours of work per week, but many employees don’t find it easy to stay within that limit.
The full article is attached below.