Iowa State University: A Parent's Guide to Admissions, Cost & Outcomes
Bloomington, Iowa · Public · Open access · CDS 2024-2025
Iowa State University is a public university in Bloomington, Iowa that admits about 80% of applicants, making it a open access school. The average family pays about $15,342 a year after financial aid, which matters more than the published sticker price. It is best known for Business/Commerce, General, Public Administration and Communication and Media Studies, its largest undergraduate programs by number of graduates. About 80% of students graduate within six years. Its most recent Clery Act report shows roughly 5.8 criminal offenses per 1,000 students.
Iowa State University is a public institution located in Bloomington, Iowa. For the most recent reporting cycle, Iowa State University admits the majority of qualified applicants, with an overall admission rate of 80%. Admitted students typically post an average SAT of 1308 and an ACT composite around 29. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $15,342 per year, which is the figure most families actually pay rather than the published sticker price. For parents weighing whether Iowa State University is realistic for their teenager, the most useful planning step is comparing your child's current GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against these admitted-student ranges — not the headline acceptance rate alone.
What GPA does my child need for Iowa State University?
Iowa State University has a broadly accessible admissions profile, and most students who complete a standard college-prep curriculum with a 3.0 GPA or higher are competitive for admission. Parents tracking their child's GPA toward this tier of school can use Solyo's free calculator to see weighted, unweighted, and college-recalculated numbers side by side.
What does Iowa State University weight in admissions?
Iowa State University reports the following factor importance in its Common Data Set (2024-2025). These are the criteria the admissions committee weighs when reviewing applications.
- • Rigor of secondary school record
- • Class rank
- • Academic GPA
- • Standardized test scores
- • Application essay
- • Recommendations
- • Interview
- • Extracurricular activities
- • Talent/ability
- • Character/personal qualities
- • First generation status
- • Geographical residence
- • State residency
- • Volunteer work
- • Work experience
- • Alumni/ae relation
- • Religious affiliation/commitment
- • Level of applicant's interest
SAT and ACT scores Iowa State University typically admits
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 580–710, with an EBRW midpoint near 630. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 27–32. A score at or above this school's 75th percentile materially improves your child's odds, particularly when paired with a rigorous course load.
| 25th percentile | 1180 |
| 50th percentile | 1290 |
| 75th percentile | 1390 |
| % submitting SAT | 42.2% |
| 25th percentile | 27 |
| 50th percentile | 30 |
| 75th percentile | 33 |
| % submitting ACT | 14.1% |
- • Test-optional: Standardized test scores are not required, but may be submitted and considered.
- • Policy detail: Considered if submitted
Where admitted students ranked in their high school class
Class rank distribution gives parents a clear sense of how academically dominant a typical admitted student was within their own high school cohort — often a more meaningful signal than absolute GPA.
| Top 10% of class | 28.9% |
| Top 25% of class | 62.3% |
| Top 50% of class | 93.1% |
| % submitting class rank | 29.6% |
How much does Iowa State University actually cost?
Published tuition is $11,790 for in-state students and $40,482 for out-of-state, before grants and scholarships. Room and board adds roughly $13,380 annually. After need-based and merit aid, the average family pays a net price of $15,342 per year — the number that actually matters for budgeting. Roughly 17% of students receive Pell Grants, a useful indicator of how much need-based aid the school distributes.
| In-state tuition | $10,622 |
| Out-of-state tuition | $40,369 |
| Room and board | $13,984 |
| Average net price (after aid) | $15,342 |
| Application fee | $65 (waivers available) |
Application deadlines and early decision data for Iowa State University
| Notification date | 1/15 |
| Reply deadline | May 1 or within 3 weeks if notified thereafter |
| Offers Early Action | Yes |
| EA deadline | 11/1 |
Will my child graduate from Iowa State University?
Retention and graduation rates are the most overlooked numbers in college planning, but they predict actual outcomes far better than acceptance rate. They tell you whether admitted students stay and finish on time.
Most popular majors at Iowa State University
The most popular undergraduate programs at Iowa State University, measured by the number of students who actually graduate each year, are Business/Commerce, General, Public Administration and Communication and Media Studies. Across all programs, Iowa State University confers roughly 4,571 bachelor's degrees a year. Graduates of its Business/Commerce, General program report a median income of about $105,759 five years after entering college. Major popularity is a practical signal of where a school concentrates its teaching strength and where your child will find the deepest course offerings and peer community.
| Major | Graduates / year | Median earnings (5 yrs out) |
|---|---|---|
| Business/Commerce, General | 2,132 | $105,759 |
| Public Administration | 448 | $74,845 |
| Communication and Media Studies | 436 | $63,211 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | 416 | $90,630 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | 391 | $61,846 |
| Research and Experimental Psychology | 333 | — |
| Biology, General | 226 | $65,677 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | 189 | $47,380 |
Is Iowa State University safe? Campus crime & safety
In its most recent Clery Act report (2024), Iowa State University disclosed 221 total criminal offenses across its campus and surrounding public property, about 5.8 per 1,000 students. That figure includes 25 violent offenses and 72 reported sexual assaults or VAWA offenses. Per-1,000-student rates matter more than raw counts when comparing schools, because larger universities mechanically report more incidents. Under the federal Clery Act, every college that receives federal aid must publish these numbers annually.
What is campus life like at Iowa State University?
About 30% of undergraduates at Iowa State University live in campus housing, so a meaningful share of students commute or live off campus. In Greek life, 22% of men join a fraternity and 20% of women join a sorority. Residential rate and Greek participation shape day-to-day social life and are worth weighing alongside academics and cost.
Other colleges in Iowa parents ask about
How parents track GPA toward selective schools like Iowa State University
Solyo helps parents track grades pulled directly from school emails, calculate GPA the same way colleges like Iowa State University recalculate it, and ask an AI college counselor specific questions about their teen's odds. The platform is built for parents — not students — and turns what's usually a fragmented planning process into a single dashboard.
Common questions parents ask about Iowa State University
What GPA do I need for Iowa State University?
Iowa State University has a broadly accessible admissions profile, and most students who complete a standard college-prep curriculum with a 3.0 GPA or higher are competitive for admission.
What SAT or ACT score does Iowa State University typically admit?
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 580–710, with an EBRW midpoint near 630. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 27–32.
How much does Iowa State University actually cost after financial aid?
The average net price at Iowa State University after grants and scholarships is $15,342 per year. That figure is more useful for budgeting than the published sticker price, because it reflects what families actually pay after aid is applied.
Is Iowa State University realistic for my child?
Compare your teen's current unweighted GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against the ranges above. If both numbers fall inside the school's middle-50, Iowa State University is a target school. If both fall below the 25th-percentile mark, treat it as a reach and balance the application list accordingly.
What is the acceptance rate at Iowa State University?
Iowa State University accepts about 80% of applicants out of roughly 67,647 who apply each year. It admits the majority of qualified applicants.
Is Iowa State University test-optional?
Yes. Iowa State University is test-optional, so SAT and ACT scores are not required, but strong scores can still be submitted and will be considered.
What is the graduation rate at Iowa State University?
About 80% of students at Iowa State University graduate within six years. 91% of freshmen return for sophomore year. Graduation rate predicts real outcomes better than acceptance rate.
What does Iowa State University look for in applicants?
Iowa State University rates course rigor, class rank and GPA as "very important" in its Common Data Set. These are the factors the admissions committee weighs most heavily when reviewing an application.
Is Iowa State University a public or private school, and where is it located?
Iowa State University is a public institution located in Bloomington, Iowa.
What are the most popular majors at Iowa State University?
The largest undergraduate majors at Iowa State University by annual graduates are Business/Commerce, General, Public Administration and Communication and Media Studies. The school awards about 4,571 bachelor's degrees a year in total. These figures come from federal IPEDS completion data.
Is Iowa State University safe? What is its campus crime rate?
Iowa State University reported 221 total criminal offenses in its most recent Clery Act disclosure (2024), roughly 5.8 per 1,000 students. Compare the per-1,000 rate rather than the raw total, since larger schools report more incidents.
What is campus life like at Iowa State University?
At Iowa State University, 30% of undergraduates live on campus, 22% of men are in fraternities, 20% of women are in sororities, according to its most recent Common Data Set.
Data sourced from the 2024-2025 Common Data Set submitted by Iowa State University, the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS, and Clery Act campus safety disclosures. Solyo extracts admissions data from official Common Data Set publications and refreshes it annually.