We offer a powerful and personal education within a Big Ten Research Institution.
Our graduates go on to become world-class leaders, scholars, and innovators in many different facets of education – from teaching, educational administration and counseling to student development, higher education, measurement and testing, and more.
As part of a Big Ten research institution, we are proud to offer a personal, affordable, and top-ranked education for undergraduate and graduate students from all 50 states and 78 different countries, including a growing number of distance learners.

The Office of the Dean works to ensure that our college provides a strong foundation for the success of our more than 1,000 graduate and undergraduate students, our faculty, and staff.

The University of Iowa College of Education is the top-ranked college in the state of Iowa, and we are proud of our many nationally recognized, highly-ranked academic programs.

The College of Education has a rich legacy. In 1847, Iowa legislators created the State University of Iowa, the state’s first public institution of higher education to provide teacher training.
Dear Colleagues and Friends,
Welcome to the University of Iowa College of Education.
I am honored to lead a world-class institution with a strong tradition of academic excellence and that has offered outstanding teaching, research, and engagement opportunities for more than 165 years.
Our faculty, staff, students, and alumni are leaders, scholars and innovators nationally and globally in fields ranging from standardized testing, gifted education and assistive technology to rehabilitation counseling, psychology, reading research, and more.
This is evident in everything from the high national rankings of many of our graduate programs to the excellent placement rates of our Hawkeye teacher leaders across the state, nation, and globe. In fact, our teacher preparation program is consistently ranked the No. 1 program in the state, with our secondary education program in the top 2 percent and the elementary education program in the top 6 percent nationally.
I encourage you to explore our website and learn more about our strong teacher preparation programs in elementary and secondary education as well as our 45 rigorous graduate programs. Our academic programs are high quality yet affordable. You will learn that our caring and dedicated faculty and staff are committed to fostering authentic dialogue about diversity and pursuing research and service opportunities with a strong social justice focus. We care about serving real world problems.
Our college is also home to eight research centers dedicated to everything from gifted education and talent development to measurement and assessment, assistive technology and reading research.
Discover our many cutting-edge programs and certifications with online options and flexibility to accommodate your aspirations. We are dedicated to fostering student success. Our goal is to empower you with the skills, creativity, and resolve to truly transform lives, whether working as a teacher, principal or superintendent, professor, test writer, rehabilitation counselor, psychologist or administrator.
Please stop by to say hello on your campus visit and feel free to email me at dan-clay@uiowa.edu if I can be of any assistance.
Go Hawks!
Daniel Clay
Ph.D., MBA
Dean and Professor
University of Iowa College of Education’s academic programs are consistently ranked among the best in the state and the nation.
U.S. News & World Report
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#1 College of Education in Iowa
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#9 Rehabilitation Counseling (2020)
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#10 Student Counseling and Personnel Services (2021)
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#34 Best Public College of Education, #47 Best College of Education in U.S. among graduate schools of education nationally (2021 US News and World Report Best Graduate Programs)
Fiske Best Buy
For the 15th straight year, the University of Iowa has been designated a “Best Buy” in the Fiske Guide to Colleges.
National Council on Teacher Quality
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Top 2% — Secondary Education program in the nation
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Top 6% — Elementary Education program in the nation
Counseling Psychology.org National Report
The college’s Counseling Psychology doctoral program was ranked #8 in the nation.
By the Numbers
Student Success
10:1 student to faculty ratio
$388,560 in scholarships for academic excellence
13,000+ hours students volunteered in communities and schools
614 undergraduate students
582 graduate students
48 UI REACH students
64% Iowa Residents
36% Non-resident
580 Iowa students took 911 Advanced Placement courses through the Iowa Online AP Academy
Productivity
180 books, chapters, and peer-reviewed publications
$12.5 million awarded in research grants
300+ workshops, seminars, and professional development opportunities
1,065 dyslexia trainings by the Iowa Reading Research Center
Alumni Network
27,875 Alumni teaching, leading, counseling
in 81 countries
all 50 states
all 99 counties in Iowa

Check out our online magazine dedicated to our passionate, amazing alumni.