Bachelor's · Iowa City, Iowa

Is Anthropology at University of Iowa worth it?

Low confidence Low confidence: fewer than 40 graduates behind the earnings figures.

The verdict · all families, in-state, half paid with loans

Pays back slowly: graduates typically recover the cost in about 19.5 years.

Earnings 1 year after graduating: $31,612; Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Earnings 4 years after graduating: $45,703; Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Typical federal debt at graduation: $26,500; NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
Net cost to graduate, all families: $95k (likely $95k – $123k); AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
Earnings bump, year 4: $6k a year vs high-school graduates aged 25–34 in IA; 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
Payback: 19.5 years (likely 10.6–20+); Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
10-year net return: −$248k (likely −$336k – −$172k); Today's dollars
20-year net return: −$160k (likely −$319k – $24k); Today's dollars
Odds of finishing (school-wide): 76%; Fall 2019 or AcadYr 2019-20 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26