Upper Iowa University reviews

Very athletic-based atmosphere, difficult to recruit non-athlete students when there is such an emphasis to cater to athletes. Great pressure to recruit non-athletes though.

This school is struggling. In 2022 Forbes gave UIU a financial GPA of 1.11 and a grade of D. The financial position is precarious and the school took out an enormous loan of $70+ million that they keep deferring payments on. Enrollment has declined precipitously and there are noticeably fewer students on campus. This has a snowball effect and there are even less things to do and worse turnout. Upper administration has never been a strength here, but they are unprofessional and unqualified. There are superstars in all departments, but the good and competent people get dumped on and asked to do more and more. Normal things like ROI are not measured and used to inform future decisions. Thousands of dollars are set on fire by doing silly things like an Iowa State Fair booth. It wastes time, money and resources. In the last 8 years, the Board of Trustees fell asleep while the school racked up massive deficits, then canceled a presidential search and appointed an internal candidate. They are now just sitting by while the school continues to nosedive in enrollment, staffing, and online reputation. You’ve got to govern the place and not just show up for your goodie bag a couple of times a year!