As the latest cohort of Hawkeyes prepares to graduate, we laud all they have accomplished.

Published: May 1, 2024
 

This spring, more than 5,300 University of Iowa undergraduate, graduate, and professional students will earn degrees. These Hawkeyes have engaged, excelled, and stretched to reach their goals.

Abbi Shekleton always knew she wanted to be a Hawkeye; it was a happy coincidence that Iowa has a highly ranked program in speech pathology, her academic area of interest. With master’s degree in hand, Shekleton will begin a clinical fellowship in Cedar Rapids, followed by a full-time position there as a speech-language pathologist.

Brian Damman, a senior legal counsel at a financial technology company in Des Moines and father of three, was able to add valuable perspective to his job while also maintaining a busy home life by completing Iowa’s online MBA program.

Sushma Santhana, a biomedical engineering graduate, worked in a campus lab to help create hydrogels to prevent skin wound infections and now is headed to a job at Boston Scientific.

Benton Renaud combined his academic work in finance and political science with his extracurricular work serving as a resident assistant and on the University Lecture Committee to pave a career path that is taking him to a two-year financial rotation with Boeing.

And Maggie McQuillen found the perfect fit for her active lifestyle in Iowa’s exercise science program — the Anamosa, Iowa, native will help others reach and maintain their own fitness goals through her work as a personal trainer.

Year after year, our students have pushed to achieve more and to come together for the greater good — that’s the Hawkeye Way. As this cohort of new graduates enters the next stage of their lives, they leave campus full of potential and promise.

3,632

undergraduate degree applicants

1,732

graduate/professional degree applicants

3.32

average undergraduate cumulative GPA

16 %

undergraduates with multiple majors

20 %

undergraduates who identify as first-generation

137

graduating students who identify as Veterans

69

age of the oldest degree recipient

18

age of the youngest degree recipient

iowa map with certain counties shaded gold

81

Iowa counties represented

u.s. map with certain states shaded gold

41

U.S. states and territories represented

world map with certain countries shaded gold

60

countries represented, including the U.S.

Because the final number of graduates will not be available until just before ceremonies begin, these statistics pertain to degree applicants.

 

Popular areas of study

Iowa’s spring 2024 graduates will bring their talents to vital parts of the workforce — here in Iowa, across the U.S., and around the world. Here are some of the more popular majors, minors, and certificates among spring 2024 undergraduate degree applicants.

Communication Studies

English and Creative Writing

Finance

Marketing

Psychology

Sport and Recreation Management

What are previous grads doing?

Of the Hawkeyes who graduated in the 2022–23 academic year…

  • 96% found a job, continued their education, or are not seeking employment.
  • Their median salary is $54,000.
  • 21% chose to continue their education.

These are our latest stats and they come from a survey of graduates completed six to seven months after graduation. More about Hawkeye grads and student outcomes is available at the Pomerantz Career Center.

Get to know our graduates