The Comprehensive Fiscal Report

Each fall, the Board of Regents receives the annual Comprehensive Fiscal Report detailing the financial information of the Regents Enterprise. The Board governs a $7.88 billion enterprise that includes a world-class teaching hospital, two nationally-ranked research universities, a nationally-ranked regional comprehensive university and more than 70,000 students. 

The primary revenue sources for general operating funds for Iowa’s public universities are state appropriations and tuition revenue. FY 2024 operating revenues (including all special purpose units except UIHC) at Iowa’s public universities totaled $1.78 billion. Reflective of our mission to serve students and Iowans from all 99 counties, personnel costs comprise the majority of operating expenses.

 
For FY 2024, the Iowa General Assembly appropriated $574.3 million to the university general operating fund, which includes the general education fund and special purpose units. The universities continue to be more reliant on tuition revenues and less on state appropriations. 

Each year, the Board conducts a series of reviews and approvals for budgetary and financial matters. The comprehensive fiscal report compares real-world revenues, expenditures and budgets. Understanding how Iowa’s public universities are funded and how they spend those funds is important to fulfilling the Board’s core values of transparency and accountability.