Iowa State University

Public · Moderately Selective · IA

Photo: Dirk DBQ (CC BY 2.0)

School data & stats

TypePublic

LocationIA · Midwest

SettingUrban

Undergrads25,367

Student:faculty18:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate56.7%

6-yr grad rate75.3%

Drop-out rate12.4%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$11k

Out-of-state tuition$29k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity25.1%

Gender diversity44.8%

International3.6%

Identity—

Overview

Iowa State University is Iowa's land-grant university, located in the college town of Ames in the center of the state. It is known for its central lawn and campanile, literal and symbolic gathering points around which campus tradition has grown over more than a century, and the surrounding town is consistently ranked among the more livable small college cities in the country. Iowa State also hosts Ames Laboratory, a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory operated in partnership with the university.

Academics

Engineering, agriculture, veterinary medicine, and design are Iowa State's signature strengths, with deep research ties to agriculture and materials science that reflect its land-grant mission. Ames Laboratory gives students and faculty in materials science and chemistry access to national-lab-caliber research facilities directly on campus, a genuine rarity for a public university of this kind. The College of Design, covering architecture and landscape architecture among other fields, and the College of Veterinary Medicine, one of the older veterinary programs in the country, both carry strong regional and national reputations.

Campus & student life

Ames offers a classic, self-contained college-town experience, with campus life centered on the central lawn and campanile as literal and symbolic gathering points, the campanile's bells and the traditions built around them are a genuine point of student pride passed down across generations. Cyclone athletics and a strong Greek and student-organization scene fill out a traditional Big 12 public-university social life, and the town's manageable size means most of student life happens within a short walk or bike ride of campus.

Getting in

Admission is largely credentials-based and predictable for well-prepared applicants, particularly in engineering and agriculture, with less emphasis on an elaborate essay process than at more selective private institutions. Applicants to the College of Design or veterinary-track programs benefit from building a portfolio or relevant coursework early, since those tracks carry more program-specific expectations than the university's general admission.

After graduation

Graduates in engineering and agriculture find strong pipelines into Midwest agribusiness, manufacturing, and materials-science industries, supported by deep, longstanding employer relationships tied to the university's land-grant research mission. Materials science and chemistry graduates with Ames Laboratory research experience are especially well positioned for national-lab and industry research careers.

Worth knowing

Ames Laboratory is an under-the-radar asset, a genuine national lab embedded in a public university, that gives science and engineering undergraduates a path into serious federally funded research without leaving Ames. The campanile traditions are also a real, living part of student culture, not just campus lore.

iastate.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate88.7%

Enrolled mid-50%SAT 1120–1360 · ACT 21–28

Test policyoptional

Rec letters0

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

AdmissionRolling

Applying (2026-27 cycle)

Apply through Common App or Own application.

Verified from the school’s admissions pages ↗