R1 ResearchPublicLand-grantMedical

Iowa State University

Ames, Iowa·Public, 4-year or above·Plains·iastate.edu
6-yr Graduation
75%
+2.0pp vs R1 Research
Total enrollment
30,380
peer median 30,086
Avg net price
$18,165
+$141 vs R1 Research
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AdmissionsOutcomesProgram outcomesAccreditationCostFederal aidLoan defaultsAcademic programsEnrollment trendsAthleticsCampus safetyFacultyPeers

Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

IPEDS
Applied
23,095
23,095 candidates competed
Admitted
20,475
88.7% acceptance rate
Enrolled
5,906
28.8% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

IPEDS
Overall completion
75%+2.0pp vs R1 Research
4-year graduation
57%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
75%
Full-time retention
88%

Pell equity

0.0pp gap
Pell recipients
69%
Non-Pell
69%

Pell and non-Pell students graduate at nearly identical rates — a notably small equity gap.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

FVT/GE

Of 318 Title IV programs, 84 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 234 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
318
Passing
84
26.4% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

318programs
  • Passing84 · 26.4%
  • No Data234 · 73.6%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
2
Watch
5
Safe
77
No data
234

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

84
Ecology Evolution Systematics and Population Biology
Bachelor Degree · Biological And Biomedical Sciences
+8.5%
$39,143 vs $36,082
Visual and Performing Arts General
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+9.2%
$39,403 vs $36,082
Linguistic Comparative and Related Language Studies and Services
Bachelor Degree · Foreign Languages, Literatures, And Linguistics
+12.9%
$40,726 vs $36,082
Agricultural Public Services
Master's Degree · Agriculture, Agriculture Operations, And Related Sciences
+13.3%
$60,737 vs $53,607
Anthropology
Bachelor Degree · Social Sciences
+20.4%
$43,443 vs $36,082
Allied Health Diagnostic Intervention and Treatment Professions
Bachelor Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+24.4%
$44,892 vs $36,082
Architectural Sciences and Technology
Master's Degree · Architecture And Related Services
+24.6%
$66,778 vs $53,607
Human Development Family Studies and Related Services
Bachelor Degree · Family And Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences
+28.2%
$46,253 vs $36,082

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

68
Ecology Evolution Systematics and Population Biology
Bachelor Degree · Biological And Biomedical Sciences
63%
$24,618 debt · $39,143 earn
Anthropology
Bachelor Degree · Social Sciences
58%
$25,250 debt · $43,443 earn
English Language and Literature General
Bachelor Degree · English Language And Literature/Letters
51%
$25,065 debt · $49,626 earn
Landscape Architecture
Bachelor Degree · Architecture And Related Services
50%
$30,750 debt · $61,364 earn
Design and Applied Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
49%
$26,000 debt · $52,671 earn
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Bachelor Degree · Education
47%
$22,500 debt · $47,462 earn
History
Bachelor Degree · History
47%
$25,000 debt · $52,934 earn
Liberal Arts and Sciences General Studies and Humanities
Bachelor Degree · Liberal Arts And Sciences, General Studies And Humanities
47%
$25,580 debt · $54,889 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

DAPIP
AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Higher Learning Commission

Accredited since 1916Next review Aug 2026

Programmatic accreditations · 11

Action history · 17

  1. Jul 2025Removal of Monitoring Status
    American Veterinary Medical Association, Council on Education · Veterinary Medicine (VET) - Programs leading to a D.V.M. or D.M.V. degree
  2. Apr 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics · Didactic Program in Dietetics
  3. Apr 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics · Dietetics (DIET) - Coordinated Program in Dietetics
  4. Mar 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    American Veterinary Medical Association, Council on Education · Veterinary Medicine (VET) - Programs leading to a D.V.M. or D.M.V. degree
  5. Oct 2023Approved for Distance Education
    Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics · Didactic Program in Dietetics

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

College Scorecard

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$11,734
$30–48k$12,465
$48–75k$15,430
$75–110k$19,807
$110k+$21,827

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price
$18,165
+$141vs R1 Research median $18,024
Federal loans
45.9%
In-state tuition
$10,497
Out-of-state
$27,683

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

Federal Student Aid

In AY 2024–25, 5,984 students received $32.1M in Pell grants, alongside $134.3M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
5,984
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$32.1M
$32,133,079 total
Direct Loans
$134.3M
18,771 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

5k
’20
5k
’21
5k
’22
5k
’23
6k
’24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$25.9M
6,204 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$41.9M
9,290 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$25.9M
973 loan awards
Parent PLUS$34.3M
2,001 loan awards
Grad PLUS$6.4M
303 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Cohort Default Rate

Of 6,279 borrowers who entered repayment, 50 (0.7%) defaulted within three years — below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
0.7%
-1.6pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
6,279
Defaulted
50
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
3.2%
2017
3.3%
2018
2.4%
2019
0.7%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at Iowa State

Top program areas ranked by completions.

IPEDS
Distinct CIP programs204
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

5,867 total completions
01Engineering
1,48525.3%
02Business
1,21020.6%
03Agriculture
93916.0%
04Biological Sciences
4728.0%
05Computer Sciences
4497.7%
06Education
3285.6%
07Visual/Performing Arts
2945.0%
08Parks/Recreation
2404.1%
09Psychology
2334.0%
10Family/Consumer Sci
2173.7%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

IPEDS
Fall total
30,380
12-mo unduplicated
32,133
Undergraduate
26,641
Graduate
5,492

Gender split

Men
54%17,496
Women
46%14,637

Race / ethnicity composition

White
77.1%
Hispanic
7.2%
Asian
4.4%
Non-resident
3.3%
Two or more
3.1%
Black
2.6%
Unknown
2.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.1%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

EADA
Athletes
462
259 M · 203 W
Women athletes
43.9%
Athletic aid
$9.7M
Total student aid
Budget
$100.5M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$5.2M
$4.5M
Recruiting expense
$1.1M
$496K
Head-coach salaries
$1.7M
$306K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 11

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
127 M · 104 W
$5.1M
Football
139 M · —
$30.0M
Soccer
— · 46 W
$2.0M
Wrestling
42 M · —
$2.6M
Basketball
15 M · 15 W
$15.0M
Softball
— · 25 W
$1.9M

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Clery Act
Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
1.27
38 offenses · 29,969 students

3-year trend

1.982 yrs ago1.071 yr ago1.27Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
134
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
141
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
2
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
13

Criminal offenses by type

Rape
12
Arson
7
Motor vehicle theft
6
Burglary
5
Fondling
5
Aggravated assault
3

By location

38total
  • On campus33
  • Non-campus5

Includes 19 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

6
Domestic violence
6
Dating violence
58
Stalking
70 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

  • Race2

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons40
Drugs6910
Liquor211242

Residence-hall fires

  • Lyon Hall1 fire
    Vandalism - posters were set on fire in the 2nd floor men's restroom.Damage $0-$99
  • Frederiksen Ct.2 fires
    CookingDamage $0-$99
  • Frederiksen Ct.2 fires
    CookingDamage $0-$99
  • Friley Hall1 fire
    Vandalism - paper set on fire in the 4th floor den.Damage $0-$99
  • Linden Hall1 fire
    CookingDamage $0-$99
  • Willow Hall1 fire
    CookingDamage $0-$99

Data quality: 2 reports were later determined unfounded across the reporting period and are excluded from the totals above.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

IPEDS
Student-to-faculty
18.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
1,417

Iowa State vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Iowa State selected for federal comparison reporting.

IPEDS
GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

Carnegie
SubjectIowa State University
75%—30,380$18,165R1 Research
University of Iowa
75%83.6%30,779$21,398R1 Research
University of Missouri-Columbia
75%78.5%31,543$19,889R1 Research
University of Kansas
69%93.5%29,792$17,365R1 Research
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
67%87.5%24,393$17,424R1 Research
Kansas State University
71%81.7%20,295$17,883R1 Research
Peer group median73%83.6%30,086$18,024

Frequently asked questions about Iowa State University

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Iowa State.

What is the graduation rate at Iowa State University?

Iowa State University reports a 6-year graduation rate of 75% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Iowa State University?

Iowa State University reports a total enrollment of 30,380 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Iowa State University?

The average net price at Iowa State University is $18,165 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at Iowa State University?

Iowa State University's yield rate is 28.8%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Iowa State University located?

Iowa State University is located in Ames, Iowa 50011-2103.

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