The rivalry between Iowa and Iowa State extends beyond sports, as both institutions also vie for students and academic prestige. In a recent assessment by the Wall Street Journal, the two universities were ranked among the top 500 public and private universities for 2025, revealing a competitive edge.
Iowa State University outperformed the University of Iowa in the rankings, securing the title of the highest-ranked public higher education institution in Iowa. Iowa State was positioned at 119th, while the University of Iowa came in at 162nd. Drake University also surpassed the University of Iowa, though it was unable to outdo Iowa State. Notably, the University of Northern Iowa did not make it onto the Wall Street Journal’s list.
To compile its list of best colleges, the Wall Street Journal analyzed various student outcomes, including a “salary impact score,” which assesses graduation salaries in relation to tuition costs. Other factors included graduation rates, learning opportunities, career preparation, recommendation scores, learning facilities, diversity, and character development. Each category was rated on a scale from 1 to 100, and schools were ultimately ranked based on their overall scores.
In terms of individual scores, Iowa State achieved an overall score of 75, surpassing the University of Iowa’s score of 70.6. The University of Iowa excelled in areas such as salary impact, diversity, and character development, while Iowa State outshined in graduation rates, learning opportunities, career preparation, learning facilities, and recommendation scores.
In detail, Iowa State University scored as follows:
– Salary impact score: 79
– Graduation rate score: 80
– Diversity: 41
– Learning opportunities: 67
– Preparation for career: 71
– Learning facilities: 78
– Character development: 78
– Recommendation score: 79
Conversely, the University of Iowa’s scores were:
– Salary impact score: 83
– Graduation rate score: 65
– Diversity: 42
– Learning opportunities: 64
– Preparation for career: 68
– Learning facilities: 76
– Character development: 81
– Recommendation score: 76
At the top of the Wall Street Journal’s list of best colleges were Princeton University, Babson College, and Stanford University, scoring 92.3, 91.9, and 91.6, respectively.