What Upper Iowa University does

Upper Iowa University (UIU) is a private non-profit institution founded in 1857 and headquartered in Fayette, Iowa, serving more than 5,000 students through 80+ academic programs spanning associate, bachelor's, master's, graduate certificate, postgraduate certificate, and micro-credential offerings. The university operates a multi-modal delivery model built on five formats: a residential Fayette Campus, fully online 8-week courses, self-paced web-based programs with monthly start dates, self-paced paper-based programs requiring no computer, uiuLive synchronous Zoom-based classes, and a 16-week uiuFlex Semester that is financial-aid eligible. The core delivery platform is uiuLearn, a learning management system powered by Desire2Learn Brightspace, supplemented by Accudemia (tutoring scheduling), Brainfuse (24/7 online tutoring), Grammarly, and a Jurni student-support resource platform; AI and business-analytics micro-credentials are sourced through a partnership with Rize.

UIU distributes its programs through a physical network of 12 regional education centers across four states — Iowa (Cedar Rapids, Des Moines, Quad Cities, Waterloo), Kansas (Fort Riley), Louisiana (Alexandria, Baton Rouge, DeRidder, Fort Polk, New Orleans), and Oklahoma (Fort Sill) — three of which sit on active military installations. Pricing is segmented by channel: Fayette residential tuition is $20,455 per year (with the Peacock Promise providing zero tuition to Iowa Tuition Grant-qualifying students), the Military Family Grant prices undergraduate courses at $250/credit and graduate at $325/credit, stand-alone micro-credentials are $300/credit (financial-aid ineligible), and a Master of Education partnership pathway with Happy Teacher Professional Development is priced at $10,000 total versus a national average of ~$50,000. The university enrolls six primary student segments — first-time freshmen, transfer students, military/veterans, working adults/non-traditional learners, international students, and graduate students — and was named a 2026-2027 Military Friendly School while earning national brand exposure through a feature on The College Tour on Amazon Prime.

UIU is governed as an independent non-profit with no parent company, no outside investors, and no funding rounds disclosed; institutional leadership is led by President Kathy Franken. Revenue derives primarily from tuition across modalities, supplemented by over $500,000 in annual scholarship distributions (252 individual awards) funded through donations and institutional aid. Customer segments are diversified across residential, regional-center, and online channels, but the military channel is concentrated through three on-base centers and the graduate M.Ed. line is increasingly anchored to a single external partnership, creating moderate concentration risk in those specific revenue streams.

Name

Upper Iowa University

Legal name

Upper Iowa University

Website

https://uiu.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1857

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Upper Iowa University is a private non-profit university founded in 1857 that serves 5,000+ students through 80+ academic programs delivered via a residential Fayette, Iowa campus, 12 regional centers across four states, and five online/self-paced modalities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Online Nonprofit Universities (EDAHALAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

College & Career Transition Services (Bridge Programs, Dual Enrollment Pathways) (EDAAABAK)

Keywords

• Higher education
• Online degree programs
• Distance learning
• Military education
• Graduate programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Fayette

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices12 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Undergraduate and Graduate Tuition: UIU charges tuition and fees for on-campus, online, and self-paced degree programs. Fayette Campus tuition is $20,455. Military Family Grant provides $250/credit hour for undergraduate courses and $325/credit hour for graduate courses. Stand-alone micro-credential courses are $300/credit hour. Revenue is generated from a broad range of associate, bachelor's, master's, graduate certificates, postgraduate certificates, and micro-credential programs across multiple delivery formats.
2. Financial Aid and Scholarships: UIU distributes over $500,000 in scholarships annually through its Honors & Awards Banquet (252 individual scholarships awarded). The Peacock Promise covers tuition for Iowa Tuition Grant-qualifying students at the Fayette Campus. Institutional scholarships supplement federal and state aid, contributing to net tuition revenue.
3. Regional Education Center Operations: UIU operates education centers in multiple states (Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma) serving local civilian and military populations. These centers provide face-to-face instruction and enrollment services, generating tuition revenue from students preferring in-person or hybrid formats near their workplaces or military installations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Upper Iowa University is a private nonprofit institution delivering undergraduate and graduate degree programs (associate, bachelor's, master's, certificates, and micro-credentials) through a residential Fayette, Iowa campus, 12 regional education centers, and multiple online/self-paced formats. The university serves more than 5,000 students across 80+ academic programs with flexible 8-week sessions, monthly rolling admissions, and dedicated admissions paths for traditional, transfer, military, international, and adult learners.

Product overview

Upper Iowa University offers a multi-modal educational platform combining on-campus instruction at its Fayette, Iowa location with distance learning options. The core educational delivery system is uiuLearn, powered by Desire2Learn Brightspace, which supports five distinct learning formats: traditional Online programs (8-week courses), Self-Paced Web-Based (monthly starts), Self-Paced Paper-Based (no computer required), uiuFlex Semester (traditional 16-week online), and uiuLive (synchronous with Zoom). The institution provides approximately 80+ academic programs including bachelor's degrees (26 majors such as Business Administration, Cybersecurity, Psychology), master's degrees (MBA, M.Ed., MHA, MA in Psychology, MPA, MSC), associate degrees, minors, certificates, and micro-credentials. Special programs include the 100% tuition-free UIU ExcEL Honors Program and Pre-Professional Studies for health profession admissions preparation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Online Degree Programs
• Self-Paced Web-Based Programs
• Self-Paced Paper-Based Programs
• uiuFlex Semester
• uiuLive Synchronous Online
• Micro-Credentials
• Master of Business Administration (MBA)
• Master of Education (M.Ed.)
• Master of Healthcare Administration (MHA)
• Master of Arts in Psychology
• Master of Public Administration (MPA)
• Master of Science in Counseling (MSC)
• Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity
• Bachelor's in Business Administration
• Fayette Campus Residential Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 93% graduate employment rate within their field of study or related career
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

AI capability2 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Happy Teacher Professional DevelopmentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 January 2026Happy Teacher Professional Development has partnered with Upper Iowa University to offer educators an affordable Master of Education (M.Ed.) degree pathway for $10,000 — significantly below the national average of $50,000. Students can transfer 12 graduate credits earned through Happy Teacher's program as elective credit toward the M.Ed., achieving additional savings of over $2,800. The collaboration emphasizes accessible, high-quality professional development and flexible pathways for working teachers to advance their careers without leaving the classroom. Both organizations stated the partnership reinforces their commitment to accessible, high-quality professional development for educators.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bellevue University: Private nonprofit Nebraska university with a top-rated military-friendly program, extensive online and accelerated degree formats, and a similar focus on working adults and transfer students — directly comparable to UIU's distance education and military customer mix.
• Waldorf University: Iowa-based private nonprofit university offering online, residential, and military-base programs, including Fort Sill. Operates with a similar tuition positioning and adult-learner focus as UIU, making it the closest geographic direct competitor.
• Columbia College (Missouri): Private nonprofit with deep military base presence (13+ military installations), extensive online programs, and adult learner focus — extremely similar profile to UIU in both distribution and target segments.
• Norwich University: Private nonprofit university with a strong military heritage and significant online learning programs. Notable overlap with UIU in military-friendly positioning and adult/online learner segments.
• Saint Leo University: Private nonprofit Catholic university with extensive online programs and education centers serving military and adult learners, including multiple base locations. Directly comparable distribution model and target segments to UIU.
• Tiffin University: Private nonprofit Ohio university offering online and accelerated degree programs with strong adult learner and military-affiliated enrollment. Similar pricing tier and program breadth to UIU.
• Franklin University: Private nonprofit university focused entirely on adult and online learners, with strong transfer credit policies and corporate partnerships. Targets a similar working-adult and military-affiliated population as UIU.

Broad incumbents

• Southern New Hampshire University: The leading nonprofit online university with 200,000+ online learners and a broad adult-learner focus. Competes head-on with UIU in online undergraduate and graduate markets, but at materially larger scale and broader geographic reach.
• Western Governors University: Nonprofit competency-based online university with strong employer and adult-learner focus. A meaningful competitor in the same online adult/military space, differentiating on pricing structure and accreditation strength.
• Liberty University Online: Large private university with a substantial online division serving adult, military, and undergraduate learners nationwide. Competes with UIU across online modalities and price-conscious adult segments.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/upperiowa
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/UpperIowaUniversity
• Facebookfacebook.com/upperiowauniversity
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/upperiowauniversity
• Instagraminstagram.com/upperiowauniversity

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Upper Iowa University