CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – The University of Northern Iowa has once again earned the No. 2 spot on the list of best regional public universities in the Midwest, according to the recently released 2023-2024 Best Colleges list by U.S. News & World Report. The University of Northern Iowa has consistently held the number two position for about 20 years. 

UNI made notable gains in other categories scored in the report, including:

• Climbing to No. 3 in the 2023-2024 Best Colleges for Veterans among Regional Universities (Midwest)
• Ranking 11th for Regional Universities Midwest (tie) and Most Innovative Schools (tie)
• Climbing to the No. 52 spot for Best Value Schools

To compile the rankings, U.S. News & World World Report evaluated nearly 1,500 colleges and universities on as many as 19 measures of academic quality. The rankings place special emphasis on a number of outcome measures including: graduation rates, retention rates, graduate indebtedness and social mobility.

“We’re proud to share that the University of Northern Iowa has once again been recognized as one of the top colleges in the Midwest,” said director of university relations Pete Moris. “While these rankings are good news, what is hard to quantify is just how devoted our faculty and staff are to student success. Our entire campus community is committed to helping all our students achieve their personal and professional goals and we encourage prospective students to visit campus and see what sets UNI apart from other institutions.” 

UNI is known for its signature programs in teaching and business. The size and quality of UNI’s teacher preparation program puts UNI in the top 1% of public institutions graduating students with a bachelor’s degree in education nationwide. UNI’s teacher preparation program is the largest in the state of Iowa, boasting more than 10,000 alumni educators in all 99 counties and 99% of Iowa school districts.

UNI’s College of Business is among the elite. For more than a decade, the Princeton Review has named UNI “A Best Business School.” UNI has also earned accreditation from the AACSB, a distinction belonging to fewer than 5% of business schools worldwide. UNI students have a career placement rate above 95%, and the CPA pass rate for accounting students is over 70%, more than double the state pass rate of 33%.

In the last year, especially, UNI has proven its innovation with numerous new degree launches, including a hybrid accounting program and new engineering degrees. UNI is also launching its first-ever standalone nursing program, which will welcome its first students next fall.

This year’s U.S. News Report & World ranking comes on the heels of UNI’s highest year-over-year enrollment increase in over a decade. Graduation rates for UNI students stand at record levels for a third consecutive year, and are nearly 20 percentage points above similar universities. One in 11 UNI students graduates in only three years.