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UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN IOWA CEDAR FALLS, IA THURSDAY, APRIL 5 VOLUME 114, ISSUE 42 WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2025
CEDAR FALLS, IA
Key Numbers on UNI’s Enrollment Increases
Compared to enrollment in 2022 By NI Staff
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
VOLUME 122, ISSUE 4
UNI enrollment tops 9,200 for two years in a row
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 Mark 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 com-
mitted 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 2024-25 academic year, the highest num-
150th Class Spotlight Featuring Josie Brown
ber 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 19992000 academic year.
See 150 CLASS SPOTLIGHT, page 2