Iowa State University
Iowa State University at a Glance
Reviewed by James A. Barham, PhD, Vice President and Academic Editor. Influence ranks come from our InfluenceRanking™ methodology; other figures come from federal data, with the year shown under each section. Report an error
Iowa State University Featured Rankings
- #1 Accelerated Online Doctorate of Information Technology
- #2 Most Affordable Colleges in Iowa 2026
- #2 Best Research Universities in Iowa
- #2 Iowa's Best Online Colleges 2026
- #2 Best Public Colleges in Iowa 2026
- #2 Best Colleges in Iowa 2026
- #2 Best Grad Schools Iowa
- #2 Best Online MBAs Iowa
- #3 Most Influential US Universities by State
- #6 Online Bachelor’s in Liberal Arts and Humanities
- #13 Online Doctorate in Education
About Iowa State University
In brief
Iowa State University, in Ames, was founded in 1858. Its eight colleges and two schools offer 100 bachelor’s degree programs, 112 master’s degrees, and 83 doctorates. By our measure of academic influence, it ranks #115 in the United States and #352 in the world. It admitted 88.7% of applicants for fall 2024; admitted students had a median SAT score of 1240 and a median ACT score of 24.
Its most popular programs are engineering and business, and it is also known for journalism and mass communication, education, and veterinary medicine.
Where Iowa State’s influence is strongest
Iowa State’s influence is led by chemistry, economics, and engineering. Its strongest broad fields, by US rank in our data, are:
- Chemistry: #43 in the US (#173 in the world)
- Economics: #51
- Engineering: #55
- Computer science: #58
- Biology: #60
Within those fields, Iowa State is a national leader in several specialties:
- #2 in the US: consumer economics (only the University of Georgia ranks higher)
- #3 in the US: agriculture (behind Harvard and Cornell)
- #5: agricultural economics
By comparison, Iowa State sits further back in criminal justice (#190) and philosophy (#202).
How we measure influence: these ranks come from the citations and recognition earned by a school’s faculty and alumni in each discipline, not from surveys or admissions statistics. See our methodology.
Notable people
Iowa State is associated with four Nobel laureates: the chemist Dan Shechtman and the economists George Stigler, Leonid Hurwicz, and Theodore Schultz. Its faculty and alumni also include the computing pioneers John Vincent Atanasoff and Clifford Berry, the agronomist George Washington Carver, the poet Ted Kooser, the novelist Jane Smiley, the suffragist Carrie Chapman Catt, Vice President Henry A. Wallace, and Lee Teng-hui, former president of the Republic of China. Our full lists of Iowa State’s most influential alumni and faculty appear below.
Frequently asked questions
Is Iowa State hard to get into? No. It admitted 88.7% of applicants for fall 2024; the middle half of admitted students scored 560–670 on the SAT reading section and 560–690 on math.
What does Iowa State cost after financial aid? Tuition is $11,092 for Iowa residents and $30,140 for out-of-state students in 2025–26. The average net price for aided students with family incomes of $48,000–$75,000 was $14,013 in 2024–25; it ranged from about $11,957 for incomes below $30,000 to $22,905 for incomes above $110,000.
How do Iowa State graduates do? 76.7% of students who started in 2019 graduated within six years, and 88% of first-year students return for a second year. Ten years after starting college, former students had median earnings of $67,568.
What is Iowa State best known for academically? By our influence data: chemistry, economics, and engineering, plus consumer economics, where only the University of Georgia ranks higher in the US.
According to Wikipedia, Iowa State University of Science and Technology is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State became one of the nation's first designated land-grant institutions when the Iowa Legislature accepted the provisions of the 1862 Morrill Act on September 11, 1862, making Iowa the first state in the nation to do so. On July 4, 1959, the college was officially renamed Iowa State University of Science and Technology.
Iowa State University's Online Degrees
EdD in Education
Degree Concentrations
- P-12 systems-level leadership (inclusive of recommendation for licensure as a superintendent)
- Community college leadership
- Required Credits: 54
- Format: Fully online
BS in Early childcare education and programming
- Required Credits: 120
- Format: Fully online
Iowa State University Admissions, Retention, and Graduation Information
| Annual Applications | Acceptance | Retention Rate | Graduation Rate | Median SAT Score | Median ACT Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22,995 | 89% | 88% | 77% | 1240 | 24 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); acceptance rate for fall 2024; test scores for fall 2024; applications and enrollment for fall 2023; retention for students who started in fall 2023; graduation rate within six years for students who started in 2019.
How Much Does Iowa State University Cost To Attend?
| Tuition and fees (in-state) |
|---|
| $11,092 |
| Income | Average Net Cost |
|---|---|
| 0 - 30K | $11,957 |
| 30K - 48K | $12,869 |
| 48K - 75K | $14,013 |
| 75K - 110K | $19,173 |
| 110K+ | $22,905 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); tuition and fees for 2025–26; net price for 2024–25, for first-time, full-time students receiving financial aid.
How Much Do Iowa State University Graduates Make?
Ten years after starting college, former Iowa State University students who received federal financial aid earn a median of $67,568 a year, and 95% of those not still in school are working.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard; students who started college in 2011–12 or 2012–13, measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars.
Iowa State University's Demographics
Students enrolled at any time during the 2023–24 school year, including part-time and online students.
| Student Body | Under-Grads | Graduates |
|---|---|---|
| 32,133 | 26,641 | 5,492 |
Source: National Center for Education Statistics; 12-month enrollment for 2023–24.
Where is Iowa State University?
Iowa State University is located at 1750 Beardshear Hall, Ames, IA 50011-2103.
How Safe is Iowa State University?
Like every college that receives federal student aid, Iowa State University publishes an annual security report with its campus crime statistics and safety policies. See Iowa State University’s campus safety information.
Relative to its enrollment, Iowa State University has a violent crime rate of 0.05% and a property crime rate of 0.11%. Ames has a violent crime rate of 0.15% and a property (including theft) crime rate of 1.52%. Sources: campus: U.S. Department of Education Campus Safety and Security data, on-campus offenses in 2024 (violent: murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault; property: burglary, motor vehicle theft and arson, which excludes ordinary theft); city: FBI Crime Data Explorer, offenses reported to the city police in 2024.
What Is Iowa State University Known For?
Iowa State University is known for its academic work in the following disciplines:
- Chemistry
- Economics
- Engineering
- Computer Science
- Biology
- Mathematics
- Physics
- Earth Sciences
- Education
- History
- Business
- Political Science
- Sociology
- Communications
- Anthropology
- Psychology
- Literature
- Medical
- Criminal Justice
- Philosophy
- Religious Studies
- Nursing
Iowa State University's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered
Each rank compares how much Iowa State University's faculty and alumni have shaped a field with other schools, using Wikipedia, Wikidata and scholarly citation databases such as Crossref and Semantic Scholar. World and U.S. ranks reflect modern influence; the historical rank counts influence across all time. How we rank influence
Iowa State University ranks #43 in the U.S. and #173 worldwide for influence in Chemistry.
chemistry DegreesIowa State University ranks #51 in the U.S. and #192 worldwide for influence in Economics.
economics DegreesIowa State University ranks #55 in the U.S. and #196 worldwide for influence in Engineering.
engineering DegreesIowa State University ranks #58 in the U.S. and #165 worldwide for influence in Computer Science.
computer-science DegreesIowa State University ranks #60 in the U.S. and #163 worldwide for influence in Biology.
biology DegreesIowa State University ranks #79 in the U.S. and #295 worldwide for influence in Mathematics.
math DegreesIowa State University ranks #81 in the U.S. and #327 worldwide for influence in Physics.
physics DegreesIowa State University ranks #93 in the U.S. and #363 worldwide for influence in Earth Sciences.
earth-science DegreesIowa State University ranks #101 in the U.S. and #331 worldwide for influence in Education.
education DegreesIowa State University ranks #111 in the U.S. and #293 worldwide for influence in History.
history DegreesIowa State University ranks #112 in the U.S. and #316 worldwide for influence in Business.
business DegreesIowa State University ranks #118 in the U.S. and #443 worldwide for influence in Political Science.
political-science DegreesIowa State University ranks #122 in the U.S. and #411 worldwide for influence in Sociology.
sociology DegreesIowa State University ranks #146 in the U.S. and #492 worldwide for influence in Communications.
communications DegreesIowa State University ranks #146 in the U.S. and #429 worldwide for influence in Anthropology.
anthropology DegreesIowa State University ranks #154 in the U.S. and #359 worldwide for influence in Psychology.
psychology DegreesIowa State University ranks #156 in the U.S. and #444 worldwide for influence in Literature.
literature DegreesIowa State University ranks #167 in the U.S. and #536 worldwide for influence in Medical.
medicine DegreesIowa State University ranks #190 in the U.S. and #329 worldwide for influence in Criminal Justice.
criminal-justice DegreesIowa State University ranks #202 in the U.S. and #677 worldwide for influence in Philosophy.
philosophy DegreesIowa State University ranks #230 in the U.S. and #988 worldwide for influence in Religious Studies.
religious-studies-hub DegreesIowa State University ranks #364 in the U.S. and #979 worldwide for influence in Nursing.
nursing DegreesWho Are Iowa State University's Most Influential Alumni?
Iowa State University's most influential alumni include professors and professionals in the fields of Computer Science, Biology, and Chemistry. Here are some of Iowa State University's most famous alumni:
- George Washington Carver
- An African American botanist and inventor .
- Everett Rogers
- An American academic.
- Subra Suresh
- An Indian-American engineer.
- Carrie Chapman Catt
- An American social reformer, suffragist .
- Henry A. Wallace
- A Vice president of the United States from 1941 to 1945.
- Ezra Taft Benson
- A President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints .
- Clifford Berry
- An American computer scientist .
- Harlan Mills
- An American computer software engineer.
- Lee Teng-hui
- A President of Taiwan from 1988 to 2000.
- Allen Walker Read
- An American linguist.
- Luis Ernesto Derbez
- A Mexican economist.
- Donald Cressey
- An American sociologist .
Who Are Iowa State University's Most Influential Faculty?
Iowa State University's most influential faculty include professors in the fields of Computer Science, Biology, and Chemistry. Here are some of Iowa State University's most famous faculty:
- Janet E. Helms
- An American psychologist.
- Hadley Wickham
- A New Zealand statistician.
- Carolina Cruz-Neira
- An American computer scientist and educator.
- Benjamin Percy
- An American writer.
- Vijay Kumar Thakur
- A Researcher.
- Maria Strømme
- A Norwegian physicist.
- Cole Trapnell
- An Assistant Professor in the Department of Genome Sciences at the University of Washington.
- Heike Hofmann
- A German statistician.
- Mei Hong
- A Chinese-American chemist.
- Robert Dantzer
- A French neurobiologist.
- Anicia Peters
- A Namibian computer scientist.
- Mayly Sánchez
- A Venezuelan scientist.
