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Add up to three schools and toggle the stats you care about. All data comes from each school's official Common Data Set.

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IowaIowa City, IA

Acceptance rate

Overall acceptance rate, plus the in-state and out-of-state admit rates the school reports separately.

Iowa CDSIn-state vs. out-of-state admit rates from Iowa CDS (Fall 2025).
79.9%acceptance rate
Applied
31,454
Admitted
25,131
Enrolled
5,561

Admit rate by residency

% admitted
In-state84.6%
4,984 admitted of 5,892 applicants
Out-of-state81.1%
19,510 admitted of 24,060 applicants
International42.4%
637 admitted of 1,502 applicants

Early action

Iowa offers non-binding Early Action — an earlier decision with no commitment to enroll.

Fall 2027 datesEarly Action is published on Iowa's own Fall 2027 dates page. Iowa's 2025-2026 Common Data Set, which is cited for its other figures, does not report it.
Early Decision
Not offered
Early Action
Non-binding
Restrictive EA
Not offered

Standardized tests

Iowa is currently test-optional — you may apply without submitting scores.

SAT Accepted?

ACT Accepted?

Test Optional?

SAT Scores

4001600
25th Percentile
1130
50th Percentile
1230
75th Percentile
1320

ACT Scores

136
25th Percentile
21
50th Percentile
25
75th Percentile
28

Admissions factors

How Iowa weighs each part of your application.

→ Importance

Rigor of High School Record

Academic GPA

Standardized Test Scores

Application Essay

Recommendations

Extracurricular Activities

Character / Personal Qualities

Talent / Ability

First Generation

Level of Applicant's Interest

Class Rank

Volunteer Work

Work Experience

Geographical Residence

State Residency

Alumni Relation

Racial / Ethnic Status

Religious Affiliation

Cost of attendance

Estimated full-time annual cost from Iowa's Common Data Set. Only tuition changes with residency.

2024–25 CDSIowa's 2025-2026 Common Data Set hasn't published this section yet, so this figure is shown from the 2024-2025 edition instead.
$30,850
In-State
$52,938
Out-of-State
In-StateOut-of-State
Tuition & Fees
$11,622$33,710
Room & Board
$13,680$13,680
Other Expenses
$5,548$5,548
Total
$30,850$52,938

What families actually pay

$0–30k~$15k
$30–48k~$15k
$48–75k~$20k
$75–110k~$24k
$110k+~$26k

Average net price — what was left to pay after grant aid — for students receiving federal financial aid, covering in-state students only.

% of undergrads with Pell grants18.4%

Source: College Scorecard (2026)

Financial aid

Need-based aid statistics for full-time first-year students.

Receiving Aid
38%
Avg. Package
$14,098
Avg. Need Met
53%

Popular majors

Bachelor's degrees awarded in the past year by academic major.

Business & Marketing
Parks & Recreation
Health Professions
Social Sciences
Engineering
Psychology
Visual & Performing Arts
Biological & Life Sciences
Other
Business
26.5%
Rec & Sport
9.4%
Health
7.5%
Social Sci
6.9%
Engineering
5.6%
Psychology
5.1%
Arts
5%
Life Sci
4.4%
Other
29.6%

Student-faculty ratio

The number of students for every one faculty member, indicating the average level of access students have to instructional staff.

17:1

Student outcomes

First-years who return91%
Graduate within six years76%
Median earnings, 4 yrs after graduation~$70k
Median federal loan debt at graduation~$23k

Median yearly income of former students who received federal aid, across every major, measured four years after graduating (2017–18 and 2018–19 graduates, earnings measured 2022–2023). Debt covers federal loans of students who completed.

Source: College Scorecard (2026)

Programs

Iowa’s most popular programs and median pay after graduation. Income data from the US Department of Education’s College Scorecard.

  • Kinesiology & Exercise Science

    489 degrees (2023-24)

    ~$62kmedian pay, 4 yrs after graduation~$22k median debt
  • Finance

    360 degrees (2023-24)

    ~$88kmedian pay, 4 yrs after graduation~$23k median debt
  • Nursing

    232 degrees (2023-24)

    ~$79kmedian pay, 4 yrs after graduation~$18k median debt
  • Business Administration & Management

    174 degrees (2023-24)

    ~$68kmedian pay, 4 yrs after graduation~$21k median debt
  • Communication & Media Studies

    145 degrees (2023-24)

    ~$61kmedian pay, 4 yrs after graduation~$23k median debt
Show all 35 programs

Median pay data is measured from graduates who received federal student aid.

Source: College Scorecard (2026) · IPEDS (2023-24) · ABET

Campus life

On-campus housing and Greek life participation rates.

First-Years On Campus
92%
In Fraternities
18%
In Sororities
24%

Place

How the federal government classifies the area around the campus, and what a normal year of weather looks like there.

Setting
Small city
Location
Iowa City, IA

Average temperature

Monthly high and low, °F
2912J
3416F
4827M
6237A
7249M
8159J
8463J
8260A
7652S
6340O
4828N
3418D
Snow a year
28 in
Precipitation a year
39 in
Days at 90°F or above
24
Days below 32°F
130

Thirty-year averages, measured at the nearest weather station rather than on campus — they describe the area, not the campus.

Source: IPEDS (HD2024) · NOAA 1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, IOWA CITY, IA US station, 4.0 mi from campus

Enrollment by gender

43%
57%
Male
9,810
Female
13,226

Student diversity

Racial and ethnic breakdown of enrolled undergraduate students.

White74.2%
Other9.9%
Hispanic8.8%
Asian and Pacific Islander4.2%
Black2.7%
Native American<1%
Iowa StateAmes, IA

Acceptance rate

Overall acceptance rate, plus the in-state and out-of-state admit rates the school reports separately.

Iowa State CDSIn-state vs. out-of-state admit rates from Iowa State CDS (Fall 2025).
87.9%acceptance rate
Applied
24,625
Admitted
21,652
Enrolled
6,160

Admit rate by residency

% admitted
In-state92.1%
5,452 admitted of 5,921 applicants
Out-of-state91.1%
14,133 admitted of 15,521 applicants
International64.9%
2,067 admitted of 3,183 applicants

Early admissions

Iowa State does not offer an Early Decision or Early Action plan; all applicants apply through Regular Decision.

Early Decision
Not offered
Early Action
Not offered
Restrictive EA
Not offered

Standardized tests

Iowa State is currently test-optional — you may apply without submitting scores.

SAT Accepted?

ACT Accepted?

Test Optional?

SAT Scores

4001600
25th Percentile
1153
50th Percentile
1260
75th Percentile
1360

ACT Scores

136
25th Percentile
21
50th Percentile
25
75th Percentile
28

Admissions factors

How Iowa State weighs each part of your application.

→ Importance

Rigor of High School Record

Academic GPA

Standardized Test Scores

Application Essay

Recommendations

Extracurricular Activities

Character / Personal Qualities

Talent / Ability

First Generation

Level of Applicant's Interest

Class Rank

Volunteer Work

Work Experience

Geographical Residence

State Residency

Alumni Relation

Racial / Ethnic Status

Religious Affiliation

Cost of attendance

Estimated full-time annual cost from Iowa State's Common Data Set. Only tuition changes with residency.

$25,219
In-State
$44,267
Out-of-State
In-StateOut-of-State
Tuition & Fees
$11,091$30,139
Room & Board
$10,928$10,928
Other Expenses
$3,200$3,200
Total
$25,219$44,267

What families actually pay

$0–30k~$11k
$30–48k~$12k
$48–75k~$15k
$75–110k~$20k
$110k+~$22k

Average net price — what was left to pay after grant aid — for students receiving federal financial aid, covering in-state students only.

% of undergrads with Pell grants18.8%

Source: College Scorecard (2026)

Financial aid

Need-based aid statistics for full-time first-year students.

Receiving Aid
44%
Avg. Package
$16,025
Avg. Need Met
69%

Popular majors

Bachelor's degrees awarded in the past year by academic major.

Engineering
Business & Marketing
Agriculture
Biological & Life Sciences
Computer & Info Sciences
Visual & Performing Arts
Education
Other
Engineering
21%
Business
20%
Agriculture
10%
Life Sci
6%
Computing
6%
Arts
4%
Education
4%
Other
29%

Student-faculty ratio

The number of students for every one faculty member, indicating the average level of access students have to instructional staff.

19:1

Student outcomes

First-years who return89%
Graduate within six years77%
Median earnings, 4 yrs after graduation~$68k
Median federal loan debt at graduation~$23k

Median yearly income of former students who received federal aid, across every major, measured four years after graduating (2017–18 and 2018–19 graduates, earnings measured 2022–2023). Debt covers federal loans of students who completed.

Source: College Scorecard (2026)

Programs

Iowa State’s most popular programs and median pay after graduation. Income data from the US Department of Education’s College Scorecard.

Show all 35 programs

Median pay data is measured from graduates who received federal student aid.

Source: College Scorecard (2026) · IPEDS (2023-24) · ABET

Campus life

On-campus housing and Greek life participation rates.

First-Years On Campus
89%
In Fraternities
19%
In Sororities
20%

Place

How the federal government classifies the area around the campus, and what a normal year of weather looks like there.

Setting
Small city
Location
Ames, IA

Average temperature

Monthly high and low, °F
2912J
3416F
4828M
6239A
7351M
8161J
8464J
8262A
7754S
6441O
4829N
3418D
Snow a year
33 in
Precipitation a year
36 in
Days at 90°F or above
15
Days below 32°F
141

Thirty-year averages, measured at the nearest weather station rather than on campus — they describe the area, not the campus.

Source: IPEDS (HD2024) · NOAA 1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, AMES 8 WSW, IA US station, 6.5 mi from campus

Enrollment by gender

56%
44%
Male
14,541
Female
11,608

Student diversity

Racial and ethnic breakdown of enrolled undergraduate students.

White75.9%
Other9.3%
Hispanic7.7%
Asian and Pacific Islander4.3%
Black2.6%
Native American<1%