What is Being Black at Iowa?

Black undergraduate students at Iowa do not achieve the same success outcomes as the general population. Some Black students also report microaggressions and an unwelcoming campus environment. Here's some statistics: 

• Black students (males and females) come to Iowa with lower pre-college scores (ACT) and earn lower GPA’s and fewer credit hours. (UI Registrar’s data)
• Black male first-year students are less satisfied with and less committed to Iowa than other first-year students. Although they report good social integration, this does not affect GPA. (MAP-Works data)
• Black males report fewer positive academic behaviors, less financial confidence, and poorer time management than other first-year students. Black females report lower social integration, financial confidence, and academic integration than other first-year students. (MAP-Works data)

The Being Black at Iowa Project, also known as the Black Student Success Initiative, seeks to increase Black student retention at the University of Iowa primarily through interdepartmental intervention and other key strategies. Some of those strategies include: On Iowa programming, first-year seminars, advocacy through the President’s Black Student Advisory Committee, faculty and staff development through initiatives and certificates, specialized living learning communities such as Young, Gifted and Black, advising and grant funding for Black student organizations and more!