CollegeCostWise

Bachelor's · Iowa City, Iowa

Is Public Health at University of Iowa worth it?

Medium confidence Medium confidence: 40–99 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 18.8 years.

Earnings 1 year after graduating
$44,833
Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Earnings 4 years after graduating
Not enough graduates to report
Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Typical federal debt at graduation
$22,500
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
$7k a year vs high-school graduates aged 25–34 in IA
2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
Payback
18.8 years (likely 9.9–20+)
Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
10-year net return
−$222k (likely −$306k – −$157k)
Today's dollars
20-year net return
−$155k (likely −$285k – −$15k)
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

Change income, residency or loans Compare Public Health at other schools

🩺 Getting ready in high school

Students heading toward health & medicine majors like this one often take these classes. Every school offers a different mix, so check with your counselor.

AP classes

  • AP Biology
  • AP Chemistry
  • AP Psychology
  • AP Statistics

IB Higher Level

  • Biology HL
  • Chemistry HL

Build my roadmap 🗺️ Middle school to career, plus high schools near you that offer these classes.

Other majors at University of Iowa

Public Health at other schools in Iowa