With every college, recruiter, and algorithm trying to grab your attention, cutting through the noise to find your actual fit is tough.
Even when they’re communicating, it can feel like they’re speaking a different language. We want to clarify some of this language. Here are a few terms you may hear from the University of Iowa, and schools around the nation, and what they actually mean.
Regent Admission Index (RAI)
While colleges and universities across the country use a wide variety of methods to evaluate incoming student applications, public institutions in Iowa rely on a standard known as the Regent Admission Index (RAI). Rather than leaving admissions to subjective review, the University of Iowa, Iowa State, and Northern Iowa use this specific index to streamline the qualification process for you.
The RAI is a formula used by Iowa’s three public universities to determine automatic first-year admission for high school students. By combining your standardized test score (ACT or SAT), cumulative high school GPA, and the number of completed core subject years, the index generates a single score. Students who achieve an RAI score of at least 245 (students from Iowa) or 255 (students from outside Iowa) and satisfy the minimum high school course requirements are automatically granted admission.
You can try it for yourself using the online RAI Calculator.
Semester Hours
Semester hours are the way that student courses are measured. At other colleges, you may hear these referred to as “credits” or “credit hours;” they mean the same thing!
The amount of semester hours is essentially how many hours per week your courses will take. For example, if you have a class that is 3 semester hours, you will meet for around 3 hours each week. The average course load at Iowa is 15 semester hours; a full-time student is required to take at least 12 semester hours.
Work-Study
Work-study is a financial aid program that gives students assistance applying for on-campus jobs and select jobs in the Iowa City area.
Unlike other financial aid, the money you earn from work-study is not applied directly to your tuition bill. Instead, your money will be deposited into your own bank account every other week. This means what you earn from work-study can go wherever you need it, like housing, textbooks, food, or other personal expenses.
MyUI
MyUI is your online portal for all things Iowa Admissions. In MyUI, you will be able to find updates on your application, the housing application, and information regarding orientation.
After enrolling at Iowa, you’ll use MyUI even more. It’s your hub to register for classes, pay your University Bill, and set up appointments with your academic advisor.
Application Deadlines
All colleges have deadlines that you need to meet when applying. However, there are different types of deadlines that offer different benefits.
Early action is a term usually used alongside your application to college. Typically, this is an early deadline that offers some sort of benefit. These benefits could be early notification of admissions, priority for financial aid, and earliest access to housing applications.
At the University of Iowa, our early action deadline was November 3 for fall 2027.
Regular admission is exactly what it sounds like: the standard deadline for you to apply. Applying by this date will ensure you are still eligible for merit scholarships.
At the University of Iowa, our regular admission deadline is February 1.
Admission Decisions
After applying to the University of Iowa, there are a few admission decisions you may receive.
If you receive Accepted, congratulations! You have been admitted to the University of Iowa and will receive communications with your next steps.
If your admission is Deferred, you have not been admitted to the University of Iowa yet. However, you can submit additional materials, like an official high school transcript or ACT/SAT score, to help make your case for admission. You can submit these materials on MyUI.
In the case of being Waitlisted, you can only be admitted if there is space available. There is still a chance of being admitted, but if you receive this decision, we highly recommend making alternate plans for your fall semester.
