Workforce Recruitment

UNI is uniquely positioned to play a critical role in attracting talent from other states and boosting Iowa’s economic growth. 

Iowa has more job openings than people to fill them, and the state’s slow population growth is not keeping pace with retirements. Our state’s main economic growth challenge is our population. Historical data shows that UNI produces a large number of graduates who stay in the state of Iowa. Not only do 86% of UNI graduates take their first job in Iowa, but 5 years down the road over 70% of those graduates are remain employed in Iowa. When it comes to retaining out of state students, UNI has a history of having 40-50% of out of state students remain to live and work in the state. 

UNI is requesting $3 million in FY 2026 state appropriations that would allow UNI to offer students from states contiguous to Iowa the same rate of tuition and mandatory fees that are charged to resident students. Not only will this funding open access to our programs for students from the states surrounding Iowa, it will also increase enrollment of undergraduates ready to join the Iowa workforce upon graduation. As an access institution of higher education with a proven track record of keeping graduates in the state, UNI is excited to play a role in helping to solve the workforce shortage in the state.