St. Mary's College vs. Iowa

Should I go to Saint Mary's College or University of Iowa? Compare 50+ facts and figures about the colleges to help you determine if St. Mary's College or Iowa is the better college for you. The CollegeSimply comparison tool allows side-by-side comparison of 50+ statistics and facts for over 2,500 colleges and universities.

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Saint Mary's College vs. University of Iowa comparison
Saint Mary's College University of Iowa College 3 College 4
Saint Mary's College University of Iowa
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Overview

St. Mary's College Iowa
Location Notre Dame, IN Iowa City, IA
Setting Rural Fringe Small City
Enrollment 1,519 30,015
Type Private 4 Year Public 4 Year
National Ranking #162 #224
Religious Affiliation Roman Catholic - - -
Status Non-profit Non-profit
Website saintmarys.edu uiowa.edu
Team Colors                    

Costs

St. Mary's College Iowa
Tuition (In State) $48,880 $8,711
Tuition (Out of State) $48,880 $30,674
Room & Board $13,580 $11,476
Avg Net Price $27,960 $19,587
Avg Grant Aid $36,112 $9,959
% Receiving Grant Aid 100% 82%

Admission

St. Mary's College Iowa
Admission Chances Calculate Calculate
Applied 2,260 25,729
Admitted 1,896 22,128
Acceptance Rate 83.9% 86%
Enrolled % 20.9% 23.4%
Avg High School GPA 3.83 3.81
Typical High School Grades A- A-
Admissions Standards Difficult Challenging
Applicant Competition
ACT Range 26/32 22/28
SAT Range 1100/1328 1130/1340
Submit Test Scores Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional) Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional)
Application Deadline May 1, 2025

Academics

St. Mary's College Iowa
Student to Faculty Ratio 9:1 16:1
Popular Majors
  • Health Professions (13%)
  • Communication (12%)
  • Business (10%)
  • English and Literature (9%)
  • Social Sciences (9%)
  • Business (18%)
  • Social Sciences (9%)
  • Health Professions (9%)
  • Liberal Arts and Humanities (8%)
  • Communication (8%)

Outcomes

St. Mary's College Iowa
Graduation Rate 79% 71%
Median Earnings (After 10 years) $51,100 $59,800
Making Student Loan Payments 85% 70%
Median Student Loan Debt $27,000 $21,616
Median Loan Payment $279 $223

Diversity

St. Mary's College Iowa
% Men 1% 44%
% Women 99% 56%
Racial Diversity Low Medium
HBCU No No
% White 78% 67%
% Black 2% 3%
% Hispanic 11% 7%
% Native American 0% 0%
% Pacific Islander 0% 0%
% Two or More Races 3% 3%
% International 1% 12%
% Unknown Race 3% 4%

Students

St. Mary's College Iowa
% In-State 35% 54%
% Out-of-State 64% 45%

Campus

St. Mary's College Iowa
Campus Housing Yes Yes
Freshman Dorm Required No No
Meal Plan Yes Yes
Weekend/Evening Classes No No
Daycare Facility Yes Yes
Learn More Details Details

Comparable Facts

  • University of Iowa is larger than than St. Mary's College based on total student enrollment (30,015 students vs. 1,519 students)

St. Mary's College vs. Iowa Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, St. Mary's College or Iowa?

  • Saint Mary's College is 461.1% more expensive to attend than Iowa for in-state tuition ($48,880.00 vs. $8,711.00)
  • Out of state tuition is 59.4% higher at St. Mary's College than University of Iowa ($48,880.00 vs. $30,674.00)
  • The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at University of Iowa than St. Mary's College ($19,587 vs. $27,960)
  • Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at University of Iowa are 18.3% lower than costs at Saint Mary's College ($11,476 vs. $13,580)
  • More students receive financial grant aid at Saint Mary's College than University of Iowa (100% vs. 82%)
  • The average total grant financial aid received by Saint Mary's College students is 262.6% larger than aid received University of Iowa ($36,112 vs. $9,959)

St. Mary's College vs. Iowa Admissions Difficulty Comparison

Which college is harder to get into, St. Mary's College or Iowa? Average SAT and ACT scores plus acceptance rates offer good insight into the difficulty of admission between Iowa or St. Mary's College .

  • The average SAT score at University of Iowa (1164) is 39 points higher than at St. Mary's College (1125)
  • Incoming Iowa students have a 1 point higher average ACT score (26) than students at St. Mary's College (25)
  • Accepted freshman St. Mary's College students have a 0.02 point higher average high school GPA (3.83) than students at Iowa (3.81)
  • Iowa has a higher acceptance rate (86%) than St. Mary's College (83.9%)

St. Mary's College vs. Iowa Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, St. Mary's College or Iowa? Graduation rate, salary and amount of student loan debt are indicators of a college which offers better outcomes for its graduates. Compare the following outcomes facts between Iowa and St. Mary's College.

  • The graduation rate at St. Mary's College is higher than University of Iowa (79% vs. 71%)
  • Graduates from University of Iowa earn on average $8,700 more per year than St. Mary's College graduates after ten years. ($59,800 vs. $51,100)
  • University of Iowa students graduate with a $5,384 lower median federal student loan debt than St. Mary's College graduates. ($21,616 vs. $27,000)
  • Iowa graduates are paying $56 less per month on federal student loans than St. Mary's College graduates. ($223 vs. $279)
  • More St. Mary's College graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Iowa students, three years after graduation. (85% vs. 70%)

Sources: U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov IPEDS and College Scorecard https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/