Private nonprofit · University

Maharishi International University

Fairfield, Iowa · Remote town

#1 best value in Iowa
95.7%
Admit rate
$14,956
Avg net price
50%
Graduation rate
$27,981
Median earnings

Maharishi International University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Fairfield, Iowa (remote town setting), enrolling 922 undergraduates.

Private nonprofitSmall · 922 undergradsRemote townAccessible · 96% admitCold winters

About Fairfield, Iowa

Fairfield is a city in and the county seat of Jefferson County, Iowa, United States. The name was suggested by Nancy Bonnifield, one of the settlers, because it aptly described the fair fields of the area. But author Susan Welty suggests it was also a play of words on the woman's own name (bonny field). The first library in the state of Iowa was established in Fairfield in 1853, first housed in a rented room off the city square. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Remote town
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To Great Lakes shore
231 miles
Nearest airport
47 miles to Southeast Iowa (BRL)

How Maharishi International University compares

Selectivity95.7%

More selective than 12% · #24 most selective of 28 in Iowa

Graduation rate50%

Higher than 40% · #24 of 30 in Iowa

First-year retention61%

Higher than 15%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$27,981

Higher than 2% · #31 of 31 in Iowa

Average net price$14,956

Cheaper than 73% · #1 cheapest of 29 in Iowa

Median debt at graduation$24,781

Lower than 40%

Student–faculty ratio13 : 1

Lower than 50%

Undergraduate enrollment922

Larger than 35%

Percentiles compare Maharishi International University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Iowa.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

2,592students
  • Undergraduate92236%
  • Graduate1,67064%

Undergraduates by gender

922undergrads
  • Women48753%
  • Men43547%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White39%
  • Black7.4%
  • Hispanic10%
  • Asian1.4%
  • Other or multiracial42%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
922
Graduate enrollment
1,670
Student–faculty ratio
13 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
57%
First-generation students
34%
Students over 25
75%
Median family income
$8,040
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$41,238
Endowment
$12,113,000

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Admissions

Admission rate
95.7%
Test scores
Not considered
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite

Cost

In-state tuition
$16,530
Room & board
$7,400
Books & supplies
$1,000
Total cost of attendance
$27,892
Average net price
$14,956

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
50%
Graduated on time (4 years)
39%
First-year retention
61%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$26,468
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$27,981
Median debt at graduation
$24,781
Students with federal loans
65%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
41%

About 11% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
906
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
98%
Housing charge (year)
$3,400
Meal plan (year)
$4,000
Application fee
$20

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
1.0 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
2
Property offenses (2022–2024)
6

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (2,592 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

2.7reported offenses a year
0.7 violent a year2.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
1.7
Rape
0.3
Fondling
0.3
Motor vehicle theft
0.3

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$14,269
$30–48k
$16,585
$48–75k
$14,066
$75–110k
$18,954
$110k+

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$60,952

$14,066/year × about 4.3 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

90%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$5,058
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 90% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $5,058. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 20 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$27,981
Typical debt at graduation
$24,781
Debt vs. one year's pay
89%
Out-earn a HS grad
37%

Typical debt would take roughly 8.9 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Weigh it value

The payoff is less clear-cut here — weigh the debt against the earnings and your intended field before borrowing heavily.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$26,422
Men
$30,159

Men out-earn women by $3,737 (14%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
84°F
Winter low
14°F
Annual rain
38.4″
Annual snow
21.7″

Average temperature

HighLow
0°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.85.5JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Fairfield, IA US station (0.7 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Maharishi International University

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Maharishi International University side by side →

Colleges near Maharishi International University

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.