Welcome and congratulations on your employment!
The University of Iowa is a vibrant and bustling place. Our campus is home to over 20,000 employees and over 30,000 students. Additionally, UI Hospitals & Clinics and the UI Dental Clinics host up to 10,000 patients and visitors each day.
Parking and Transportation operations and services help meet the demand of our campus population while promoting sustainable land use and renewable fuel sources. According to the 2019 American Commuting Survey, Iowa City has the lowest percentage of single-occupant employee vehicles among all Big 10 communities.
Parking on campus is limited and can make access for employees, students, and visitors challenging. There are several convenient commuting options to consider when traveling to, from, and around the UI campus.
Transportation options as a new University of Iowa employee
Many employees take advantage of the subsidized employee bus pass program, known as the U-PASS program. The U-PASS program allows for unlimited rides on Coralville Transit with a non-expiring pass. See the Faculty & Staff U-PASS Program page for full details and eligibility requirements.
Beginning Aug. 1, 2023, Iowa City Transit will provide fare free rides for at least the next two years during the Fare Free Iowa City pilot. During the fare free pilot program, the UPASS program for Iowa City Transit will be suspended. The UPASS program for Coralville Transit will continue with no changes.
Need to get around on campus? Since 1972 CAMBUS has been the university’s public transit system to deliver no-fare, fixed-route service throughout campus. Check out the CAMBUS page for more information. CAMBUS also operates a specialized service for persons with disabilities, Bionic Bus.
The University and the surrounding communities offer many walking and bicycle amenities including repair stations, covered parking, dedicated bike lanes, and trail systems. See the Bicycle and Walking page for more resources.
The Parking and Transportation Employee Van Pool Program provides university owned vans to groups of university faculty and staff for the purpose of getting them to and from work. If you are a University of Iowa faculty or staff member, have steady work hours and are looking for a cost-efficient way to get to work, this program may be for you!
Parking and Transportation offers a ride sharing system that allows UI students, faculty, and staff to securely and easily find UI persons to share their commute or trips. UI Rideshare uses software to help university employees and students find commuting partners who also work or study at the University of Iowa. The system can also be used for single trip matching for academic breaks or to attend events plus options for finding walking, biking, and transit buddies.
Discounted passes are available for the bus service that travels between Cedar Rapids and Iowa City and stops in Coralville. Current University of Iowa faculty and staff employed 50% or greater and all students can purchase one-way, 10-ride or monthly-unlimited passes using the Token Transit app. See the 380Express page for full details and eligibility requirements.
Parking
Parking for employees is provided in more than 60 different parking facilities around campus. Employees who choose to park on campus will need to meet eligibility criteria as outlined in the Faculty & Staff Permit Parking Assignment Policy and place their name on lot-specific waiting lists.
On your first day
Our customer service team is here to help. Contact us with any questions you have at parking-office@uiowa.edu or call 319-335-1475 so your first day on campus is as smooth as possible.
If you have your Hawk ID and password, you can purchase a parking permit online in the Parking Portal. Night/Weekend permits, motorcycle permits, Lot 85 – Hawkeye Commuter and Lot 55 - Hancher are always available. All other campus parking lots are assigned from a waitlist.
Visit the Parking Portal Info page to learn more about navigating the parking portal in addition to step by step instructions for ordering permits. HawkID information is available at https://its.uiowa.edu/hawkid.
How parking works
If you plan to drive to work, please keep in mind parking on campus is limited. You will need to purchase a permit to park on campus. There are hourly options, but permits are the more economical option.
University of Iowa faculty and staff employed 50% time or more in a permanent position are eligible for a parking assignment to a Faculty/Staff parking facility. An employee’s eligibility for a specific parking facility is based on their campus work address. See the University of Iowa’s Faculty & Staff Permit Parking Assignment Policy for full detail.
Many parking facilities on campus are assigned to capacity. Since demand exceeds the capacity of many parking facilities, Parking and Transportation maintains waiting lists. Most assignments are made from these waiting lists. Turnover primarily defines the rate at which new assignments are made. See the Parking Waitlist page for details and instruction on how to access the waitlist.
More than likely your preferred parking lot will have a waitlist. While you wait to receive an offer in your preferred parking lot, you can buy a permit in an “open” lot. Open lots can vary based on campus parking demand, as such, the most up to date list of open lots is published on the Permit Type Table found on the Employee Parking page. The Hawkeye Commuter lot is always “open” and available for permit purchase.
How to apply for parking permits
Parking permit purchases can be made directly through the Parking Portal. You will need your HawkID, password and your vehicle information. Night / Weekend permits, motorcycle permits, Lot 85 commuter and open lot permits are always available. All other campus parking lots are assigned from a waitlist.
Visit the Parking Portal Info page to learn more about navigating the parking portal in addition to step by step instructions for ordering permits. More HawkID info is available at https://its.uiowa.edu/hawkid.
Permit tips
If you work at UIHC or on the west side of the Iowa River, generally the only immediately available daytime parking option is Lot 85, Hawkeye Commuter. Depending on capacity, other lots may appear when ordering. Take a look at the Parking Map to see what lots are closest to your work location.
If you work on the east side of the Iowa River, there are generally spots available in lot 36. Depending on capacity, other lots may appear when ordering. Take a look at the Parking Map to see what lots are closest to your work location.
If you wish to be on a waitlist for a sold-out lot, you can place yourself on lists via Parking Waitlist. If a lot shows at waitlisted, you should make other arrangements for parking for now.
If you are 2nd or 3rd shift, the Night/Weekend permit allows parking in ramps on campus after 4:30 p.m. until 8:30 a.m. M-F and all weekend.
If you do not yet have a HawkID and password, go to the Parking Office at the West Campus Transportation Center (north of Kinnick Stadium) M-F 7:30a-5:00p to arrange temporary parking.
Hospital Parking Ramps 1, 2, and 4 are reserved for patients and visitors between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Employees are not permitted to use the parking facilities during those hours unless you have an appointment or are accompanying someone to an appointment. Therefore, you should use Hospital Parking Ramp 3 and Newton Road Parking Ramp to avoid receiving a parking citation if there is a chance you may stay beyond 8:30 a.m. on a weekday.
Parking waitlist offers
Permit offers for waitlisted lots are sent by email as openings occur. You will only be contacted if/when an offer can be made to you. You will remain on the waitlist until you receive an emailed offer. See the Parking Waitlist page for more details on how waitlists work.