Average IQ of College Students (US, UK and Canada)
The average IQ of college students today is close to the general average, roughly 100 to 105, not the 115-120 people often assume. A meta-analysis led by psychologist Bob Uttl found that undergraduate IQ has drifted down over the decades as university went from something a small slice of people did to something most young people do.
If you're at uni (or about to be) and wondering where you actually stand and what to sharpen, IQ Tester shows your reasoning strengths and weak spots in one sitting: Find my weak spots.
Average IQ of college students: short answer
- Today: about 100-105 on average for undergraduates, per the best available research.
- Decades ago: noticeably higher, likely in the 115-120 range, because far fewer people went.
- At very selective schools: higher than average, but still with a wide spread.
- Community college students: research on this specifically is thin; the most honest answer is "close to the general population average, with a big range."
The key idea: when university was for a small, selected group, that group averaged high. Now that most students go, the average looks like... most people.
What changed as more people went to uni
The Uttl meta-analysis
Bob Uttl and colleagues pooled many studies that tested college students' IQ over roughly 80 years. The work was first shared as a preprint around 2018 and later published in a peer-reviewed journal. Their headline: the average IQ of undergraduate students has fallen over time, and recent samples sit only a little above 100.
Why that matters:
- It kills an old myth. A lot of textbooks and professors still assume college students average around 115. The data says that's outdated.
- It's about who goes, not people getting dumber. More people from every background go to university now, so the student body looks more like the whole population.
- It's about averages. Plenty of students are well above or below.
The massive growth in higher education
In the mid-1900s, a small fraction of young adults went to college. Today, in the US, UK and Canada, a large share of young people go on to some kind of higher education. The bigger the group, the closer its average gets to everyone's average. That's just math.
Knowing "the average student is about 100" doesn't tell you anything about you, and guessing your own level from vibes in a seminar is not it. IQ Tester gives you 20 untimed questions across number series, verbal analogy, logic and pattern, and shows your score band and strongest categories, so you have a real starting point. Find my weak spots
US vs UK vs Canada
No country publishes an official "average IQ of university students," so here's what we can say honestly.
| US | UK | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it's called | College / university | University ("uni") | University or college (college often means diploma programs) |
| Who goes | Very broad, including community colleges | Broad, with roughly half of young people going on to higher education | Very high share of adults with post-secondary education |
| Best estimate for undergrads | Around 100-105 | Likely similar, no big direct study | Likely similar, no big direct study |
| Selective end | Ivy League and top publics | Oxford, Cambridge and other highly selective unis | U of T, McGill, UBC, Waterloo and similar |
Average IQ of college students in America
The US has the biggest spread: open-admission community colleges, mid-size state schools and ultra-selective private universities. So the average iq of college students in America blends very different groups. Overall, it lands near the general average.
Average IQ of university students UK
UK readers go to uni after A-levels (Year 13) or equivalents like BTECs or Scottish Highers. Participation has grown a lot since the 1990s, so the same "average drifts toward 100" logic applies. There's no big UK dataset testing uni students' IQ directly.
Average IQ of university students in Canada
Canada has one of the highest shares of adults with post-secondary education among wealthy countries. That broad access means Canadian university and college students, taken together, are also likely close to the general average. Grade 12 marks and program cut-offs vary by province, so selectivity varies a lot.
Does going to uni raise IQ?
A little, it seems. A 2018 meta-analysis by Stuart Ritchie and Elliot Tucker-Drob looked at studies where people got extra education for reasons outside their control, and estimated that each additional year of education adds roughly 1 to 5 IQ points on average.
What that means in practice:
- School and uni seem to sharpen the kinds of reasoning IQ tests measure.
- The effect is modest and averaged over lots of people.
- It's not a reason to do a degree you hate. Other kinds of deep practice (trades, coding, reading, debating) build skills too.
So do college graduates have higher IQs?
On average, a bit. Partly because stronger students are more likely to finish, and partly because education adds some reasoning practice. But the average iq of college graduates is still nowhere near "genius," and plenty of people without degrees score higher than plenty of people with them.
Top universities vs average
Selective schools are different. When admissions requires top grades and high test scores, the student body averages above the general population. If a school's typical admit has an SAT around 1500, that suggests many students in roughly the 120s-130s range on a rough estimate (see SAT score to IQ conversion for the big caveats).
But even at Oxford, Harvard or McGill:
- The range is wide.
- Hard work, strong schooling and good test prep all help people get in.
- Lots of brilliant people choose other schools for money, location or program reasons.
The average iq of students by college major also varies (physics and philosophy students tend to post higher test scores than some other fields). See average IQ by major for the ranking and why it's shakier than it looks. And for grad school, check GRE to IQ conversion.
Where you fit
Here's the part that actually matters. Whatever the average IQ of college students is, it tells you almost nothing about your own path. What helps more:
- Know your strengths. Are you faster with numbers, words, logic or patterns?
- Find the weak spot. Most students have one area that drags on everything (often mental math, focus or reading speed).
- Practise a little daily. Ten focused minutes beats a three-hour cram in week 10.
- Stop comparing to the loudest person in the seminar. Confidence isn't the same as reasoning.
See where you stand beyond the average iq of college students
Averages describe crowds; you're one person. In the next few minutes, IQ Tester's 20 untimed questions give you a score band and three of your four category strengths, and its guides turn weak spots like memory, focus or mental math into a short daily drill. Your answers save if you close the tab, so you can do it between lectures.
FAQ
What is the average IQ of college students today?
Research led by Bob Uttl suggests it's now around 100 to 105 for undergraduates, much closer to the general average than older estimates of about 115. The drop reflects more people going to university.
What is the average IQ of university students in the UK?
There's no big UK study measuring it directly. Since UK participation has grown a lot, it's likely close to the general average, with higher averages at highly selective universities.
Does going to college increase your IQ?
Somewhat. A 2018 meta-analysis estimated each extra year of education adds roughly 1 to 5 IQ points on average. The effect is modest and varies by person.
What IQ do you need for college?
There's no IQ requirement for college. Admissions look at grades, coursework, tests and applications, and students with a wide range of IQs succeed.
Is 110 IQ good for a college student?
Yes. With the undergraduate average near 100 to 105, a 110 is above the typical student. What you do with your study habits matters far more than a few points.