This fall, the University of Iowa welcomes the second-largest first-year cohort in university history.

Published: Sept. 11, 2025

First-year University of Iowa student Kate Lillie is from the southwest Iowa town of Corning. She wants to be a nurse, so coming to a state school with one of the nation’s top nursing programs was a no-brainer. Although the UI campus is big, she says it feels small when she’s in class.

Lillie is part of Iowa’s 2025 incoming class — at 5,561, it is the second largest in university history. It is also one of the highest-achieving, with an average high school grade-point average of 3.86, besting last year’s mark of 3.83.

Matieis Mayes of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is eager to work in a campus research lab and start making an impact in the field of health care. He is interested in regenerative medicine and came to Iowa to study biochemistry and molecular biology and human physiology.

Sophie Firek of Algonquin, Illinois, is excited to be on a campus where she can pursue her passions in both the arts and the sciences. Although she is an exercise science major who plans to go to med school and become a surgeon, she also is a cellist and is part of the UI School of Music’s chamber residency program.

When aspiring Hollywood screenwriter Cole Ritter of Long Beach, California, was looking at writing programs, Iowa was always at the top of the list. After attending an event hosted by the Iowa Young Writers’ Studio and meeting members of the UI writing faculty, he knew Iowa was the place for him.

Benie Toko, a mechanical engineering major from Davenport, Iowa, and Togo, says she has met “helpful Hawkeyes” everywhere she has traveled and knew she wanted to be part of the Hawkeye family — and she also has joined the Air Force ROTC family. Meanwhile, María José Blanco Arias, an international studies major from Bogotá, Colombia, is excited to be at Iowa and learn about who she is away from home.

Sarah Hansen, vice president for student life, says she is excited to see these newest Hawkeyes make their mark: “I have been thrilled to see how engaged our new Hawkeyes are. We will do everything we can to help them succeed.”

Growing up in nearby Coralville, Iowa, finance major Butali Butali says he was comfortable with the University of Iowa campus but also knew he would be exposed to new ideas, activities, and people.

“The school prioritizes making students feel welcome, excited, and open to embarking on new adventures,” he says. “I am excited to try out different clubs and intramurals and especially to meet new people.”

“The University of Iowa had a record-setting admissions cycle for the fall of 2025, receiving more than 31,000 first-year student applications for the first time ever. Interest in attending the University of Iowa has never been greater, and this group of students represents talented students from Iowa, across the nation, and around the world,” says Brent Gage, associate vice president for enrollment management. “We are excited to welcome one of the largest first-year classes that we have ever had as they join the Hawkeye community this fall.”

In a speech delivered Aug. 22 during Kickoff at Kinnick, Lexi Vazquez, a marketing major from Marshalltown, Iowa, reminded her fellow first-year peers that they enrolled at Iowa for more than a degree.

“The Hawkeye experience is about something deeper. It’s about finding yourself in the unexpected ways,” she said. “Maybe it’ll happen in a lecture hall when a professor says something that shifts your perspective. Maybe it’ll happen during a late-night conversation with your new roommate. Maybe it’ll even happen trotting up the hill midwinter. So, let’s make a promise tonight … let’s lean into the unknown and honor our growth, lead with heart, and create a legacy we’ll be proud of. We have so much ahead of us, and this is just the beginning.”

This information represents a snapshot of enrollment information from early in the fall 2025 semester and may change with time.