The competition between Iowa and Iowa State extends beyond sports, as both institutions strive for academic excellence and student enrollment. The Wall Street Journal recently published its rankings of the top 500 universities in the United States for 2025. While neither university made it into the top 100, Iowa State performed better than Iowa.
Iowa State University emerged as the highest-ranked college in Iowa, placing 119th overall, while the University of Iowa ranked 162nd. Drake University also surpassed Iowa in the rankings but did not exceed Iowa State’s position. The University of Northern Iowa was not featured in the Wall Street Journal’s rankings.
The Wall Street Journal’s methodology for ranking institutions included evaluating student outcomes such as salary impact, graduation rates, learning opportunities, career preparedness, recommendation scores, learning facilities, and diversity. Each criterion was rated on a scale from 1 to 100, with the final rankings determined by each school’s aggregate score.
In terms of overall scores, Iowa State secured a rating of 75, while the University of Iowa scored 70.6. The University of Iowa excelled in salary impact, diversity, and character development. Conversely, Iowa State outperformed Iowa in graduation rate, learning opportunities, career preparation, learning facilities, and recommendation scores.
Breaking down the scores further, Iowa State achieved the following ratings:
– Salary impact score: 79
– Graduation rate score: 80
– Diversity score: 41
– Learning opportunities score: 67
– Preparation for career score: 71
– Learning facilities score: 78
– Character development score: 78
– Recommendation score: 79
The University of Iowa’s scores were as follows:
– Salary impact score: 83
– Graduation rate score: 65
– Diversity score: 42
– Learning opportunities score: 64
– Preparation for career score: 68
– Learning facilities score: 76
– Character development score: 81
– Recommendation score: 76
Top institutions featured in the Wall Street Journal’s rankings include Princeton University, Babson College, and Stanford University, which scored 92.3, 91.9, and 91.6 respectively.