# Iowa State University (ISU)

Public college in Ames, IA. IPEDS ID 153603.
Source page: https://educationguide.com/colleges/iowa-state-university · Data: https://educationguide.com/data/colleges/iowa-state-university.json · Method: https://educationguide.com/how-we-score

## Key numbers
- Acceptance rate: 89% (Fall 2024, College Scorecard)
- Average net price after grants: $18,589 per year (AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25)
- Graduation rate (6 years): 75%; beats 90% of IA colleges and 86% nationwide
- Median earnings 10 years after starting: $63,386; beats 90% of IA colleges and 76% nationwide
- Median debt at graduation: $18,750

## Net price by family income (per year, after grants)
| Family income | Net price |
|---|---|
| 0-30k | $10,582 |
| 30-48k | $11,506 |
| 48-75k | $15,463 |
| 75-110k | $19,605 |
| 110k+ | $22,496 |

Average after grants for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, in-state. Negative values mean grants exceed cost.

## Cost to finish and years to pay back (EducationGuide calculation)
Graduates took 4.32 years on average (54% finished in 4 years; Fall 2017 entrants, IPEDS). Earnings gain = $63,386 (median earnings of former students 10 years after starting college (College Scorecard)) minus $36,661 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in IA (Census ACS 2020-2024).

| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | $10,582 | $45,714 | 1.7 years |
| 30-48k | $11,506 | $49,706 | 1.9 years |
| 48-75k | $15,463 | $66,800 | 2.5 years |
| 75-110k | $19,605 | $84,694 | 3.2 years |
| 110k+ | $22,496 | $97,183 | 3.6 years |

Method: https://educationguide.com/how-we-score#value

## Sticker price
- Cost of attendance: $24,018 in-state; about $42,112 out-of-state
- Tuition and fees: $10,787 in-state, $28,881 out-of-state
- Housing and meals: $9,726; books: $1,091

## Admissions
- SAT reading & writing: 560–670; SAT math: 560–690; ACT: 21–28 (25th–75th percentile, Fall 2024)
- Fall 2023: 22,995 applicants, 20,496 admitted, 5,859 enrolled; test scores considered but not required
- Fall 2024: acceptance 89%, ACT 21–28 (College Scorecard)
- Fall 2023: acceptance 89%, ACT 21–28 (IPEDS Admissions)

## Majors (93 bachelor's majors)
| Major | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Engineering | $79,182 | $105,753 | $24,337 |
| Computer Science | $78,517 | $104,211 | $24,663 |
| Construction Engineering | $77,845 | $100,676 | $20,500 |
| Electrical Engineering | $84,913 | $99,705 | $26,997 |
| Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical / Space Engineering | $75,036 | $94,089 | $26,572 |
| Business Economics | not reported | $93,379 | not reported |
| Industrial Engineering | $74,310 | $92,914 | $23,750 |
| Chemical Engineering | $76,184 | $92,773 | $20,188 |
| Agricultural Engineering | $72,376 | $88,576 | $21,500 |
| Management Information Systems | not reported | $87,413 | not reported |
| Mechanical Engineering | $72,900 | $85,938 | $23,500 |
| Civil Engineering | $72,502 | $85,427 | $25,250 |
| Materials Engineering | $65,831 | $83,416 | $23,125 |
| Computer and Information Sciences | $60,397 | $83,267 | $24,438 |
| Engineering-Related Fields | $62,416 | $82,548 | $25,236 |
| Agricultural Mechanization | $63,321 | $78,890 | $20,946 |
| Business Administration | $57,188 | $78,304 | $22,250 |
| Finance | $56,974 | $75,360 | $21,750 |
| Economics | $57,619 | $75,355 | $23,414 |
| Statistics | $53,132 | $72,581 | $23,625 |
| Accounting | $58,479 | $70,706 | $23,250 |
| Writing | not reported | $69,673 | not reported |
| Architecture | $54,957 | $69,310 | $31,000 |
| Agricultural Business | $53,967 | $67,529 | $16,972 |
| Chemistry | $43,870 | $66,486 | $23,250 |
| Marketing | $48,304 | $66,482 | $23,250 |
| Food Science and Technology | $60,351 | $65,943 | $26,254 |
| Geology / Earth Science | $50,150 | $65,204 | $26,250 |
| Biochemistry | $43,520 | $63,026 | $19,477 |
| Public Relations and Advertising | $42,530 | $62,965 | $24,750 |
| Family and Consumer Economics and Related Studies | not reported | $62,341 | $18,062 |
| Mathematics | $51,422 | $62,261 | $22,942 |
| Area Studies | not reported | $61,860 | not reported |
| Spanish / French / Romance Languages | $37,909 | $61,697 | $23,748 |
| Landscape Architecture | $53,355 | $61,364 | $29,750 |
| City / Urban, Community, and Regional Planning | $44,146 | $61,173 | $27,000 |
| Criminal Justice | $41,624 | $61,166 | $23,250 |
| Plant Sciences | $49,393 | $60,997 | $20,500 |
| Apparel and Textiles | $40,849 | $60,349 | $23,204 |
| Kinesiology / Exercise Science | $36,492 | $60,059 | $25,425 |
| Political Science | $30,715 | $57,752 | $23,250 |
| Communications | $40,497 | $57,110 | $19,425 |
| International Agriculture | $52,068 | $56,405 | $22,250 |
| Sociology | $40,602 | $55,714 | $21,935 |
| Hospitality Management | $36,743 | $55,491 | $20,998 |
| Genetics | $33,330 | $55,037 | $21,631 |
| Liberal Arts / General Studies | $36,532 | $54,889 | $28,623 |
| Dietetics | $33,958 | $54,391 | $21,000 |
| Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | $36,006 | $54,064 | $25,687 |
| Nutrition Science | not reported | $53,933 | $16,474 |
| Journalism | $39,347 | $53,633 | $23,250 |
| Biology | $32,528 | $53,447 | $24,614 |
| History | $41,294 | $52,934 | $26,007 |
| Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology | not reported | $52,786 | not reported |
| Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design | $37,565 | $52,671 | $27,000 |
| Forestry | $39,337 | $52,650 | $19,437 |
| Education (Subject Teaching) | $47,559 | $52,622 | $19,000 |
| Animal Sciences | $39,567 | $51,644 | $21,500 |
| Family and Consumer Sciences / Human Sciences | $43,783 | $51,531 | $23,250 |
| Environmental Science / Conservation | $37,890 | $51,387 | $22,227 |
| Microbiological Sciences and Immunology | $39,019 | $49,875 | $22,500 |
| English | $38,375 | $49,626 | $24,000 |
| Medical Illustration and Informatics | not reported | $49,493 | $22,059 |
| Psychology | $34,155 | $49,286 | $23,121 |
| Education (Elementary / Secondary) | $45,512 | $47,462 | $25,000 |
| Human Development and Family Studies | $36,364 | $46,253 | $24,958 |
| Allied Health (Imaging / Therapy / Tech) | not reported | $44,892 | $27,000 |
| Anthropology | $25,014 | $43,443 | $27,607 |
| Linguistics | $25,065 | $40,726 | $24,793 |
| Visual and Performing Arts | not reported | $39,403 | not reported |
| Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | $29,842 | $39,143 | $24,347 |
| Architectural Sciences and Technology | $57,928 | not reported | $31,000 |
| Ethnic / Gender Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Education | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Environmental Engineering | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| German | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Classics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Zoology / Animal Biology | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Intelligence, Command Control and Information Operations | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Computational Science | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Sustainability Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Philosophy | not reported | not reported | $21,906 |
| Religious Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Physics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Public Administration | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Dance | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Music | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Nursing | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Entrepreneurship | $46,374 | not reported | $21,500 |
| Human Resources | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| International Business | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Management Science / Analytics | not reported | not reported | not reported |

## Major to career
- Mechanical Engineering → Mechanical engineer: median wage $98,610 (Ames, IA), $97,700 (IA), $104,110 (U.S.)
- Marketing → Marketing specialist: median wage $61,100 (Ames, IA), $66,390 (IA), $78,760 (U.S.)

## Sources and years
- Net price: AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; cost of attendance: AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; tuition: AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25
- Graduation: Fall 2018 or AcadYr 2018-19 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; earnings: Treasury AY2009-10, AY2010-11 pooled cohort measured in CY2020, CY2021, inflation adjusted to 2022 dollars; debt: NSLDS FY2020, FY2021 pooled cohorts
- Major earnings (4 yr): Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars

Free to reuse with attribution: cite "EducationGuide.com" with a link to the page URL. Most figures are U.S. government data (public domain); loan default rates and athletics come from the Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By 1.0, attribution required) and founding years from Wikidata (CC0).