University of Iowa Reviews

"I feel we have a program that need to grow and are limited due to the values of the current faculty."

"As far as I know, every math graduate student is offered a teaching assistant position which can cover up to 100% of tuition cost; and you still collect a stipend. Virtually every faculty member in the math department wants to see their students succeed. The cost of living in Iowa is fairly cheap; you can further reduce this cost by rooming with other graduate students. Overall, it is an excellent school."

"Pro: good group of people Con: horrible teachers"

"For clinical psychology, a lot lot lot of work. Some beneficial, some just for APA requirements. I think the program could make things less stressful. They are implementing some changes however."

"Iowa city is a great place to live and work. The faculty are brilliant and supportive. Workload can be heavy but is mostly manageable. The student fees are heavy on a grad school budget but the cost of living in Iowa city is low."

"Affordable living and peaceful environments help focus on research. Accessible faculty and staff as well as friendly residents are everywhere. Definitely worth it."

"Overall, this program is serving its purpose although I am not particularly happy with the location or social life."

"Iowa itself is pretty boring, even if the town of Iowa City has plenty to do. Chicago, the twin cities, Omaha, Des Moines, and St Louis are reasonably close-by. The faculty in my program are really what makes it shine; excellent support from the professors, lots of collaboration opportunities, and the faculty are very invested in your success. There's a good energy overall in my program. All the grad students get along great."

"Uinversity of Iowa is a good university to take the PhD course and I am happy to be here. However, for internationaly student, be aware of English Speaking Proficiency Assessment!"

"An average grad school with some high quality faculties and other resources in a very peaceful and quiet city."

"Pro: Funding and collegiality among graduate students and faculty Con: Lack of hands on training and communication about progress through program."

"One positive aspect of the Biochemistry Department at the University of Iowa is that the introductory courses cover basic principles necessary to provide a fundamental level of understanding essential for laying the foundation for each students future. One aspect that could be improved is to have more specialized electives offered within the department that pertain to biophysical or cellular based questions. Another positive is that the department is also highly collaborative. Having the ability to walk to another lab and ask and receive help is an invaluable, and not present at other graduate programs. Another great aspect of the biochemistry department is it's highly competent and up to date crystallography and NMR facilities. The staff are always excited to help advance your understanding of your system and offer expert advice! The other great advantage to living in Iowa City is the extremely affordable cost of living."

"Great education, but the burden of paying for it is daunting."

"The journalism program at the University of Iowa is one of the best in the country. The department sets aside money every year to bring in guest speakers who share their experiences with students and who serve as points of contact to build a network within the field. This, along with other networking events, helps students find internship and job opportunities in their desired fields. Many of the faculty members have been published in well-known media outlets, and they add their own real-world experiences to course content in order to give students a real-world look into the journalism industry. Students learn not only from their textbooks, but also from studying journalistic history, media law, and current and classic examples of journalistic writing (in all genres), as well as gaining their own hands-on reporting and writing experience through various assignments and projects. Students also study ways to use equipment and technology to create and share their own journalistic work, and equipment is loaned to the students through the university -- so no student needs to pay hundreds of extra dollars in order to gain these increasingly important skills. The University of Iowa is staying ahead of the curve by making sure their journalism graduates can plan, create, and produce entire media packages themselves and use social media efficiently and effectively to reach their audiences. The university also has a full-time staff member dedicated solely to helping students in the journalism major find jobs and internships during and after their time there, so a student need have no worries about finding a job post-graduation. I give the University of Iowa 5 stars for their stellar journalism program!"

"Love the area and the program. I strongly dislike the Medicine and Society class as it requires a lot of time for low yield material and is more of an indoctrinating class than factual material."

"Pros - Staff, reputable degree, involvement with the community, small class size Cons - cost"

"This is a strong program, but it is what you choose to make it. If you're not sure what you want, this is not the place for you."

"I love my PA program. The faculty really care about the students. I could use more financial aid though..."

"The University of Iowa was so organized during the application process, and I truly felt at home. The UI college of dentistry is the only dental school in the nation to house every recognized specialty and was very generous with its aid to out-of-state students. Great impression thus far."

"Pros: Prestigious, and rightly so. Great faculty who are always available for questions and/or discussion. Lots of opportunities for funding. Strong academics which push critical thinking, not regurgitation. Fantastic campus and city bus systems make up for tragic lack of parking. Incredible depth and breadth of clinical outplacements. Plenty of opportunities for recreation (restaurants, bars, sports, theaters and theatre, etc.). 100% pass rate on the Praxis. Cons: Building, like most programs' buildings, is old. As mentioned above, lack of parking. Expensive for out-of-staters who don't get funded."