Weekend commencements to graduate 4,100 from Iowa’s public universities

IOWA CITY — Although well below the numbers that cross the commencement stage every spring, more than 4,100 students at one of Iowa’s public universities have applied to graduate this winter — with ceremonies and celebrations planned throughout the weekend.

This semester’s 4,182 total anticipated graduates from the University of Iowa, University of Northern Iowa and Iowa State University is up slightly from last year’s 4,134 and 2023’s 4,129.

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Numbers across the campuses are mostly stable, with both UNI and Iowa State eyeing modest bumps and UI looking at a 16-student dip to 1,691 — which is 138 graduates below 2022’s 1,829.

The fall commencement comes as lawmakers are urging Iowa’s public universities to find ways to speed up students’ time to graduation in hopes of saving them tuition while also dispensing workers into Iowa’s economy at a faster clip.

Helping the campuses up their four-year and three-year graduation rates are concurrent offerings at the high school level — allowing students to start their freshman year having already earned college credit.

“Over the last number of years, the number of students who are coming to our institutions with prior credit is continuing to grow,” ISU Associate Provost Ann Marie VanderZanden told Iowa’s Board of Regents in November.

In fall 2024, the most recent data available, 74 percent of entering UI students had some college credit, 75 percent started Iowa State with some credit, and 79 percent entered UNI with credit.

Of that 74 percent at UI, 41 percent had 20 or more college credits — or the equivalent of two semesters. At Iowa State, the percent with 20 or more credits was 56 percent; and UNI reported 39 percent of its credit-carrying students had 20 or more.

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“We think this is directly contributing to our increasing three-year graduation rates,” VanderZanden said.

Where just 1 percent of students graduated in three years across Iowa’s public universities in 2000, those rates have spiked to 11 percent at UNI and 6 percent at both Iowa State and UI.

The universities all recently reached their highest-ever four-year graduation rates — with 64 percent at UI, 59 percent at Iowa State, and 51 percent at UNI, according to the most-recent data reported to the Board of Regents earlier this year.

And the campuses’ six-year graduation rates have stayed strong at 75 percent for both UI and Iowa State and 68 percent at UNI. That puts them collectively just above the national average for public four-year institutions of 71 percent, according to a new progress and completion report from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.

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When looking statewide — including community colleges and private institutions — Iowa, with an average 70-percent six-year completion rate, ranks fifth nationally behind New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Vermont’s best 73 percent.

This weekend’s commencement ceremonies — celebrating students with a wide range of degree pathways and years to get there — started Thursday with a ceremony for just undergraduates in the UI College of Education.

Additional UI ceremonies are planned for graduate students on Friday and Saturday before the largest College of Liberal Arts and Sciences ceremony Sunday.

Both Iowa State and UNI are holding their main undergraduate ceremonies Saturday.

“It’s pretty special to be part of the Hawkeye environment — the University of Iowa really brings people together,” graduating UI senior Nate Harbert told UI Strategic Communications of his time on campus earning a sports and rec management degree. “That’s true whether we’re talking about sports, graduations, or creative writing events. That tie that everyone has to the University of Iowa is really cool.”

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Vanessa Miller covers higher education for The Gazette.

Comments: (319) 339-3158; vanessa.miller@thegazette.com