UNI’s enrollment tops 9,200 students for a second straight year

Number of incoming freshmen, transfers and new grad students all up this fall

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa - For the third consecutive year, the University of Northern Iowa has enrolled an incoming freshman class of over 1,500 students. UNI welcomed its 150th class in 2025, a group that includes 1,549 freshmen and 804 new transfer students, marking the school's largest total of new undergraduate students since 2017.

UNI also enjoyed an increase in new graduate students (664) for the fourth consecutive year. The university's total enrollment of 9,204 (7,800 undergraduate/1,404 graduate) marked the second straight year that UNI has boasted a total of over 9,200 students and the fourth time in the past six years that the school has eclipsed that mark.

Based on applications received as of early September for admission in Fall 2026, students across the Midwest are showing increased interest in the University of Northern Iowa.

Thanks to UNI's Neighboring State Rate which offers in-state tuition and fees to undergraduate students from the six states bordering Iowa, applications are up 99% from those states.

"We couldn't be more excited to welcome our 150th class of UNI students to campus," said UNI President Nook. "We are particularly encouraged that the numbers of our incoming freshmen, transfers and new graduate students have all increased compared to last year.

"Nearly one in seven UNI students now graduate in three years," Nook continued. "This trend not only saves our graduates thousands of dollars and results in low average student debt, but it also means that Iowa is benefiting from well-trained, workforce-ready employees who are contributing to our state in vital roles in a variety of disciplines. The University of Northern Iowa remains committed to developing skilled and vibrant individuals who serve in communities in Iowa and across the globe."

In addition to its impressive three-year graduation rates, UNI has boasted its three highest four-year graduation rates each of the past three years, a mark that stands nearly 20 percentage points above similar universities.

UNI students are also increasingly choosing to live on campus. A total of 3,431 students have signed housing contracts for the 2025-26 academic year, the highest number of resident students since 2018 when 3,558 individuals lived on campus. Those numbers mean that 37.3% of UNI's entire student body lives on campus, the highest percentage dating back to the 1999-2000 academic year.

UNI continues to be a destination of choice for community college students seeking a four-year degree with 74.6% of new transfer students coming from one of Iowa's community colleges. Enrollment in UNI's partnership with Iowa community colleges, known as UNI@IACC, has more than doubled over the past three years with 539 students enrolled in 2025 after 252 students took advantage of the program in its initial year of 2022. To date, 348 students have graduated through the UNI@IACC initiative since the program's inception in Fall 2022.

Some of the university's academic areas experiencing the strongest influx of students have been in the School of Health and Human Sciences, which includes nursing and other health-related programs. UNI's applied engineering program has seen substantial interest from students, particularly in the area of mechanical engineering technology. Other fields of study that have experienced enrollment growth include construction management, social work, kinesiology, political science and elementary education.

In total, UNI's overall student population represents all 99 of Iowa's counties, 42 U.S. states and 53 countries from around the world. UNI's freshmen class is comprised of 1,402 students from the state of Iowa, equating to 90.5% of the school's incoming freshmen.