There are 76 colleges in Iowa - 19 public and 57 private schools. At Iowa colleges, over the past decade, the Cost of Attendance (COA)—covering tuition, fees, textbooks, room and board, and living expenses—has sharply increased, making higher education less affordable for many students and families.
The total Cost of Attendance has increased substantially at Iowa colleges:
Tuition and fees saw dramatic increases across institution types:
| Institution Type | 10-Year Increase (2016-2025) | 2025 Average Tuition & Fees |
|---|---|---|
| Public, In-State | -13.99% (from $12,405 to $10,669) | $10,669 |
| Public, Out-of-State | 57.31% (from $17,792 to $27,988) | $27,988 |
| Private Colleges | 25.30% (from $26,613 to $33,345) | $33,345 |
Note on Degrees: Undergraduate tuition & fees increased by 57.31%, while graduate program tuition & fees increased by 93.31% over the same period.
Over the past 10 years, the COA has increased 44.86% when living on campus and 46.52% when living off campus at Iowa Colleges.
In private Iowa Colleges, the COA has increase by 25.92% (on-campus) and 27.11% (off-camus). The COA includes tuition, fees, books & supplies, room & board, and other personal expenses.
For the academic year 2024-2025, the total cost of attendance is $43,979 when a student lives on campus and $44,211 when living off campus at Iowa Colleges. The following table and chart illustrate the changes of COA for Iowa Colleges over the past 10 years.
| Year | Living On Campus | Living Off Campus | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| In-State | Out-of-State | Private Schools | In-State | Out-of-State | Private Schools | |
| 2015-16 | $24,973 | $30,360 | $39,181 | $24,788 | $30,175 | $38,996 |
| 2016-17 | $25,543 2.28% | $31,061 2.31% | $40,918 4.43% | $25,077 1.17% | $30,595 1.39% | $40,452 3.73% |
| 2017-18 | $26,034 1.92% | $31,787 2.34% | $42,228 3.20% | $25,495 1.67% | $31,248 2.13% | $41,689 3.06% |
| 2018-19 | $25,865 -0.65% | $31,729 -0.18% | $43,134 2.15% | $25,291 -0.80% | $31,155 -0.30% | $42,560 2.09% |
| 2019-20 | $22,758 -12.01% | $39,236 23.66% | $44,190 2.45% | $22,620 -10.56% | $39,098 25.50% | $44,052 3.51% |
| 2020-21 | $22,944 0.82% | $39,422 0.47% | $44,407 0.49% | $22,680 0.27% | $39,158 0.15% | $44,143 0.21% |
| 2021-22 | $23,471 2.30% | $39,630 0.53% | $45,751 3.03% | $23,213 2.35% | $39,372 0.55% | $45,493 3.06% |
| 2022-23 | $24,258 3.35% | $40,791 2.93% | $46,832 2.36% | $24,158 4.07% | $40,691 3.35% | $46,732 2.72% |
| 2023-24 | $25,375 4.60% | $42,273 3.63% | $48,127 2.77% | $25,620 6.05% | $42,518 4.49% | $48,372 3.51% |
| 2024-25 | $26,660 5.06% | $43,979 4.04% | $49,336 2.51% | $26,892 4.96% | $44,211 3.98% | $49,568 2.47% |
For the current year (2025), the average tuition & fees for Iowa Colleges is $12,304 for Iowa residents and $29,623 out-of-state students. In private schools, the average tuition & fees is $34,401.
For graduate programs, the 2025 average graduate tuition & fees is $14,206 for Iowa residents and $30,292 out-of-state students. In private schools, the average graduate program tuition & fees is $13,786.
The tuition & fees has increased 57.31% for undergraduate programs and 93.31% for graduate programs at Iowa Colleges. The following table and chart illustrate the changes of tuition & fees by tuition rates and degrees.
| Year | Undergraduate | Graduate | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| In-State | Out-of-State | Private Schools | In-State | Out-of-State | Private Schools | |
| 2015-16 | $12,405 | $17,792 | $26,613 | $9,839 | $14,873 | $11,545 |
| 2016-17 | $12,605 1.61% | $18,123 1.86% | $27,980 5.14% | $10,074 2.39% | $15,248 2.52% | $10,351 -10.34% |
| 2017-18 | $12,747 1.13% | $18,500 2.08% | $28,941 3.43% | $10,774 6.95% | $16,139 5.84% | $11,113 7.36% |
| 2018-19 | $12,363 -3.01% | $18,227 -1.48% | $29,632 2.39% | $11,168 3.66% | $16,627 3.02% | $12,016 8.13% |
| 2019-20 | $9,288 -24.87% | $25,766 41.36% | $30,720 3.67% | $11,029 -1.24% | $26,404 58.80% | $12,546 4.41% |
| 2020-21 | $9,287 -0.01% | $25,765 | $30,750 0.10% | $11,028 -0.01% | $25,403 -3.79% | $13,249 5.60% |
| 2021-22 | $9,543 2.76% | $25,702 -0.24% | $31,823 3.49% | $11,346 2.88% | $26,387 3.87% | $13,075 -1.31% |
| 2022-23 | $9,966 4.43% | $26,499 3.10% | $32,540 2.25% | $11,845 4.40% | $27,257 3.30% | $12,867 -1.59% |
| 2023-24 | $10,396 4.31% | $27,294 3.00% | $33,148 1.87% | $12,342 4.20% | $29,007 6.42% | $12,642 -1.75% |
| 2024-25 | $10,669 2.63% | $27,988 2.54% | $33,345 0.59% | $12,665 2.62% | $28,751 -0.88% | $13,256 4.86% |
For the current year (2025), the average book & supplies costs is $1,154 for Iowa Colleges. The following table shows the changes of book & supplies costs from year 2016 to 2025.
| Year | Books & Supplies |
|---|---|
| 2015-16 | $1,121 |
| 2016-17 | $1,131 0.89% |
| 2017-18 | $1,166 3.09% |
| 2018-19 | $1,167 0.09% |
| 2019-20 | $1,140 -2.31% |
| 2020-21 | $1,131 -0.79% |
| 2021-22 | $1,132 0.09% |
| 2022-23 | $1,118 -1.24% |
| 2023-24 | $1,095 -2.06% |
| 2024-25 | $1,154 5.39% |
For Iowa Colleges, the living have increased 23.64% when a student lives on campus facilities and 28.70% when living off campus from year 2016 to 2025. The living costs includes costs for room & board, and other living expenses.
| Year | Living On Campus | Living Off Campus |
|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | $11,447 | $12,146 |
| 2016-17 | $11,807 4.22% | $12,353 2.99% |
| 2017-18 | $12,121 3.54% | $12,656 3.19% |
| 2018-19 | $12,335 2.14% | $12,857 2.15% |
| 2019-20 | $12,330 2.89% | $13,049 6.28% |
| 2020-21 | $12,526 2.29% | $13,247 1.01% |
| 2021-22 | $12,796 2.54% | $13,565 2.34% |
| 2022-23 | $13,174 2.77% | $13,973 4.56% |
| 2023-24 | $13,884 4.53% | $14,810 7.35% |
| 2024-25 | $14,837 5.18% | $15,430 8.79% |