- The Inkwell
- Iowa
- Iowa State University
Ames, IACity: smallZIP 50011Founded 1858
- Sector
- Public
- Founded
- 1858
- Motto
- Science with practice
- Carnegie class
- Doctoral: very high research activity (R1)
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Federal aid since
- 1966
- Website
- www.iastate.edu
- Member of
- APLU
IowaPublic
Iowa State University
Iowa State University is a public university in Ames, Iowa, with 25,367 undergraduates. It admits 89% of applicants, graduates 77% within six years and costs $18,517 a year after aid.
77%graduate
Admission rate89%
Retention88%
4-year graduation57%
Pell Grant share23%
Federal loans44%
$18,517net price / year
89%admission rate
1204average SAT
77%graduate in 6 years
$67,568median earnings, 10 yrs
$21,250median debt
#461 of 1,704 for earnings#757 of 1,739 for lowest net price#239 of 1,738 for graduation rate#1,144 of 1,552 for selectivity
what it costs
Cost and net price
Net price is the average annual cost after grants and scholarships for full-time students who receive federal aid; it varies with family income.
Published cost
- Cost of attendance
- $24,539tuition, fees, housing, books, per year
- Tuition & fees, in-state
- $11,092
- Tuition & fees, out-of-state
- $30,140
- Average net price
- $18,517national median $19,980
Net price by family income
$0–30,000$11,957
$30,001–48,000$12,869
$48,001–75,000$14,013
$75,001–110,000$19,173
$110,001+$22,905
getting in
Admissions and test scores
Admission
- Admission rate
- 89%national median 77%
- Average SAT
- 1204
- SAT reading, middle 50%
- 560–670
- SAT math, middle 50%
- 560–690
- ACT composite, middle 50%
- 21–28
Against the national median
Admission rate · this college89%
Admission rate · U.S. median77%
Retention · this college88%
Retention · U.S. median76%
Graduation · this college77%
Graduation · U.S. median55%
Pell share · this college23%
Pell share · U.S. median39%
after enrolling
Graduation, earnings and debt
Completion
- Graduation rate, 6 years
- 77%within 150% of normal time
- Graduation rate, 4 years
- 57%
- First-year retention
- 88%
- Award within 8 years, all students
- 74%
Earnings and debt
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $58,609
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $67,568middle 50%: $48,177–$95,187
- Median debt at graduation
- $21,250
- 3-year loan default rate
- 0%
Earnings ten years after entry
Upper quarter$95,187
Median, Iowa State University$67,568
Lower quarter$48,177
U.S. median, all colleges$58,886
Former students working and not enrolled · College Scorecard
who studies here
Students and faculty
Undergraduates
- Degree-seeking undergraduates
- 25,367
- Part-time
- 3.8%
- Women / men
- 45% / 55%
- Average age at entry
- 20.5
- First-generation students
- 20%
- Pell Grant recipients
- 23%
Faculty and resources
- Student-to-faculty ratio
- 18 : 1
- Full-time faculty
- 84%
- Average faculty salary
- $12,702 / month
- Instructional spending per student
- $12,347
- Endowment, end of year
- $1,559,640,740
Race and ethnicity, undergraduates
White75%
Hispanic7.0%
Black2.4%
Asian4.2%
Two or more races3.2%
U.S. nonresident3.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander0.1%
Unknown4.3%
27 fields of study
Most popular fields
Share of bachelor’s degrees awarded, by broad field (CIP family).
Engineering21%
Business & management20%
Agriculture10%
Biological & biomedical sciences6.0%
Computer & information sciences5.8%
Education3.8%
Parks, recreation & fitness3.8%
Psychology3.8%
keep comparing
Similar colleges
Public colleges in Iowa
| College | Net price | Grad. | Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Iowa Iowa City, IA | $22,508 | 76% | $70,727 |
| University of Northern Iowa Cedar Falls, IA | $16,038 | 69% | $57,187 |
Same Carnegie class, similar price
| College | Net price | Grad. | Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stony Brook University Stony Brook, NY | $18,902 | 77% | $83,232 |
| The University of Tennessee-Knoxville Knoxville, TN | $18,314 | 74% | $65,090 |
| University of California-Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, CA | $18,549 | 74% | $73,362 |
| New Jersey Institute of Technology Newark, NJ | $18,783 | 72% | $90,769 |
| University of Kentucky Lexington, KY | $18,868 | 72% | $63,924 |
| Kansas State University Manhattan, KS | $18,210 | 71% | $61,473 |
Source: College Scorecard, U.S. Department of Education — institution file, most recent cohorts. UNITID 153603. Founding year, motto and memberships: Wikidata Q1136919.