College Azimuth

Research brief & institution hub

Iowa State University

IALarge public institution · Overall rank #194 nationally

Data snapshot Updated

Azimuth ranks Iowa State University #194 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Who it’s a good fit for

Iowa State University is a public university in Ames, Iowa, with a degree mix led by Engineering and Business. Its strongest is mobility, which is among the highest we track.

Graduates out-earn what predicts for students like them. The model attributes part of that gap to the factors it measures, which adds, and part to what it cannot explain, which subtracts.

Return is well above average. Students who arrive with Pell Grants finish below the rate for the entering cohort as a whole.

The lowest income band pays well below the published cost, while the highest band pays closer to it, so the price case turns on income. The admission rate is above the median for comparable schools, and most graduates are estimated to go into work rather than on to further study.

A student drawn to the largest programs should know that the best-paid ones are in engineering, not business.

Iowa State University at a glance

Admissions and outcomes

Admission rate[1]
88.7%
Six-year completion[2]
75.3%
Four-year earnings[3]
$68,277

Cost and family borrowing

Average annual net price · $48–75K family income[6]
$15,463
Median student debt[4]
$22,869
Median Parent PLUS debt[7]
$25,950

Iowa State University rankings: how Azimuth assesses value[5]

Iowa State University is a public university in Ames, Iowa, enrolling 25,367 undergraduates. Its composite standing sits near the top of the ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions (87th percentile).

Iowa State University admits 88.7% of applicants, against a median of 78.1% for comparable institutions (same type and size). Of students who start full time, 87.6% return for a second year, against a peer median of 83.1%.

The six-year graduation rate is 75.3%, against a peer median of 65.0% for comparable institutions. An estimated 18.7% of entrants arrive as transfers or part-time students, so the six-year rate describes the first-time full-time cohort rather than the whole student body.

Mobility is the strongest of the four pillars and access is the weakest, so the pillars are spread across a wide range.

Azimuth ranks Iowa State University #194 among 1,467 nonprofit four-year institutions, with its strongest pillar, mobility, in the 92nd percentile. That pillar shows the scale at which graduates reach earnings that outpace their pre-college economic circumstances.

The return pillar sits in the 77th percentile, while affordability and access are closer to the median, in the 58th and 58th percentiles respectively. Access is the weakest pillar, though all four land above the midpoint of nonprofit four-year institutions.

18.8% of undergraduates at Iowa State University receive Pell Grants, the federal-aid share that Azimuth uses to gauge financial access. Among enrolled students who submitted test scores, the middle 50% of submitted SAT scores fell between 1,120 and 1,360.

For those who submitted ACT scores, the middle 50% ranged from 21 to 28. Azimuth ranks the university #622 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Pell recipients in the first-time full-time cohort complete at a rate of 67.5%, which sits 7.8 percentage points below the overall six-year graduation rate for that cohort. Azimuth ranks Iowa State University #125 for mobility among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $3,803 more than the model expects for similar students.

How value-added outcomes are assessed · How to interpret program rankings

Iowa State University rankings in context
GeographyRank
National#194

Azimuth overall value rankings within each geographic comparison group.

National pillar percentiles

Economic mobility
National percentile: 92
Access & reach
National percentile: 58
Affordability
National percentile: 58
Return on investment
National percentile: 77

Top-ranked majors

  1. Agricultural Mechanization#2
  2. Construction Engineering#2
  3. Plant Sciences#5

This school’s three highest-ranked programs nationally. Each rank compares bachelor’s programs in the same field; field sizes differ.

Explore major rankings

01 / Iowa State University briefing

Iowa State University cost & financial aid[6][7]

The published cost of attendance at Iowa State University is $24,018. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported in-state tuition of $9,530 and required fees of $1,561 for the 2026-27 academic year, with on-campus food and housing at $10,928.

Out-of-state students face a higher published tuition of $28,578, and 63.0% of full-time undergraduates pay more than the base in-state charge. After grants and scholarships, the average net price for aid recipients is $18,589, a reduction of $5,429 from the sticker price.

That average is $2,955 above the $15,634 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Azimuth ranks the university #598 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The published cost of attendance at Iowa State University is $24,018. Azimuth ranks the university #598 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

After grants and scholarships, the average net price for aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 is $10,582, for those earning $48,001 to $75,000 it is $15,463, and for those earning over $110,000 it is $22,496. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $11,914.

Aid covers about 23% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. The of $18,589 is $2,955 above the $15,634 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Borrowers who finish carry a median of $22,869 in federal student loans. That is $2,793 above the peer median of $20,076.

90.7% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $25,950 in Parent PLUS loans.

If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $260 a month.

Your family income

Choose a household income range to see estimated net price.

Reported average annual net price · $48–75K$15,463

After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ.

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Borrowing and repayment at Iowa State University

Borrowing is widespread at Iowa State University: 90.7% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Borrowers who finish owe a median federal debt of $22,869.

The peer median at comparable institutions (same type and size) is $20,076; the university sits $2,793 above. Parent PLUS loans cover a separate borrower population; the median for that group is $25,950.

In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that 53% of 4,058 bachelor's graduates who started as first-time students borrowed from any source, averaging $28,851 per borrower. Of those graduates, 52% held federal loans averaging $19,940. 14% of the same graduates held private loans averaging $33,322.

Graduates of Iowa State University earn about $3,803 more than the model expects for similar students, an outcome in the 68th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The median earnings four years after completion reach $68,277, which is above the $65,610 median for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $2,667.

That level places the university in the 73rd percentile nationally. Earnings scenarios derived from the university's program mix show a typical earnings level of $68,277, with a downside scenario of $49,577 and an upside scenario of $93,687.

Borrowers who complete a degree leave with a median federal debt of $22,869, which is above the $20,076 median for comparable institutions. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $260 a month if repaid over ten years.

Earnings that beat the model's expectation sit alongside debt that runs above the peer median.

Parent borrowers at Iowa State University took on a median of $25,950 in Parent PLUS loans, a separate federal borrowing population. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $260.

How Financial GPS measures payment burden · The four risk-and-reward zones

Financial GPS

What does repayment look like?

Institution median student debt
$22,869
Institution Parent PLUS debt
$25,950

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

Estimated student payment · monthly
$260/mo
Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
$330/mo

Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.

Payment assumptions

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.

Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS
Read the full cost & aid brief

02 / Iowa State University briefing

Iowa State University career outcomes & earnings[3][8][9]

Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $68,277, at the 73rd percentile nationally. That is $2,667 above the $65,610 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Azimuth places the university at the 77th percentile for return among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $3,803 more than the model expects for similar students.

That places the gap at the 68th percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures adds $14,181.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $10,378. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $4,326.

Federally aided completers of Iowa State University who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $68,277 four years after completion. That earnings level sits at the 73rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The underlying cohort includes 7,665 completers. Graduates earn about $3,803 more than the model expects for similar students.

That places the earnings gap at the 68th percentile. Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix range from $49,577 on the downside to $93,687 on the upside, with $68,277 as the typical outcome.

Earnings scenarios are estimates derived from the program mix, not observed groups. An estimated 26.7% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix.

Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $68,277. The peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size) is $65,610, so the university sits $2,667 above that mark.

Azimuth ranks Iowa State University #340 for return among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $3,803 more than the model expects for similar students.

That result lands in the 68th percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $14,181.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $10,378. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $4,326.

Engineering and business programs are prominent in the degree mix, alongside a sizable share of agriculture and natural resources fields. The earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, range from a downside of $49,577 to an upside of $93,687.

An estimated 26.7% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix.

The range between the downside and upside earnings scenarios is wide, from $49,577 to $93,687. These are scenarios estimated from the program mix, not observed groups of graduates.

At the upper end, Computer Engineering graduates earn $105,753 four years after completion, and Computer Science graduates earn $104,211. Construction Engineering, a smaller program, reports $100,676.

The published cost of attendance at Iowa State University is $24,018. After grants and scholarships, aid recipients in the lowest income band pay an average net price of $10,582, while those in the highest band pay $22,496.

The spread between the two ends is $11,914. Borrowers who finish leave with a median of $22,869 in federal student loans.

That is above the peer median of $20,076 by $2,793, and it corresponds to an estimated payment of $260 a month if repaid over ten years. Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $25,950 in Parent PLUS loans.

Graduates earn about $3,803 more than the model expects for similar students. The debt sits above the peer midpoint, so a student weighing the cost should look at both figures together.

What explains value-added earnings?
Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.
+$14,181
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
-$10,378
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
+$3,803

These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

Read the full outcomes brief

03 / Iowa State University briefing

Iowa State University acceptance rate & admissions[1][10][11]

Iowa State University admits most students who apply, with an admission rate of 88.7%. That figure sits above the median of 78.1% for comparable institutions (same type and size).

In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported 24,625 applicants, 21,652 admitted students, and 6,160 enrolled first-year students.

SAT: approximate enrolled-student range
Admission rate
88.7%
Approximate lower endpoint
1120
Reported average
1204
Approximate upper endpoint
1360

Enrolled students who submitted scores. This range is not an admission cutoff. The endpoints add section percentiles; they are not verified composite-score percentiles. A separate SAT-equivalent average is not plotted as a median. Source: College Scorecard; sum of section 25th/75th percentiles; enrolled score-submitters.

Read the full admissions brief

04 / Iowa State University briefing

What are the largest majors at Iowa State University?[12]

The five largest programs at Iowa State University show a clear split between higher-earning engineering fields and more moderate-earning business and agricultural programs. Computer Engineering, the highest-earning of the group, reports median earnings of $105,753 four years after completion, with 295 degrees awarded.

Azimuth ranks it #48 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field. Mechanical Engineering is nearly as large at 406 degrees awarded and posts median earnings of $85,938, ranking #163 nationally.

Business Administration and Management, the largest program at 418 degrees a year, earns $78,304 and holds a national rank of #69. At the more moderate end, Animal Sciences awards 241 degrees and reports median earnings of $51,644, though Azimuth ranks it #17 nationally within its field.

The contrast between the engineering programs and the business and agricultural fields is the main earnings story at the program level.

Iowa State University offers 56 bachelor's programs with an Azimuth national rank and published earnings for 67 fields. The program that awards the most degrees is Business Administration and Management, which awarded 418 degrees, ranks #69 nationally, and shows a median of $78,304 four years after completion.

Construction Engineering ranks #2 nationally, with 71 degrees awarded and completers earning $100,676 four years after completion. Agricultural Mechanization ranks #2 with 41 degrees awarded and a median of $78,890 four years after completion.

Computer Engineering leads on earnings at $105,753, with 295 degrees awarded and a national rank of #48.

The degree mix at Iowa State University is anchored by Engineering, which accounts for 22.7% of bachelor's degrees awarded, and Business at 19.4%. Agriculture & Natural Resources is a distant third at 8.8%.

Across all fields, 36.2% of degrees are in STEM. The university has 56 programs with an Azimuth national rank and 67 with published four-year earnings data.

The largest single program is Business Administration and Management, at 418 degrees awarded, followed closely by Mechanical Engineering at 406 and Marketing at 300. The strongest programs by national rank are concentrated in engineering and applied sciences, and several are among the best in Iowa.

Construction Engineering is the highest-ranked program, awarding 71 degrees a year with completers earning a median of $100,676 four years after completion. Agricultural Mechanization ranks #2 nationally and #1 in Iowa within its field.

It awards 41 degrees and its completers earn $78,890. The highest-earning program is Computer Engineering, at $105,753, from 295 degrees awarded.

Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics stands out for its return: a benchmark ratio of 1.12x against the national median for its field, with earnings of $61,697. The pattern is one of depth in engineering and agriculture, with strength that is both broad and deep rather than concentrated in a single department.

The five largest programs span business, multiple engineering disciplines, and animal sciences, and four of the five best-ranked programs are in engineering or applied fields. A student drawn to the highest-earning paths will find them in programs like Computer Engineering, Computer Science, and Construction Engineering, all of which clear six figures four years out.

The presence of a highly ranked Agricultural Mechanization program and a strong Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics program alongside the engineering core means the return story is not confined to one family. Computer Engineering is also the top-ranked program in Iowa within its field.

Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields
Business Administration, Management and Operations 418 degrees awarded
$78,304
Mechanical Engineering 406 degrees awarded
$85,938
Marketing 300 degrees awarded
$66,482
Computer Engineering 295 degrees awarded
$105,753
Animal Sciences 241 degrees awarded
$51,644
Finance and Financial Management Services 225 degrees awarded
$75,360

Fields selected by reported completions. Counts describe credentials awarded, not unique students or the earnings sample. Bars show median four-year earnings.

Read the full majors brief

05 / Iowa State University briefing

How does Iowa State University serve students from different backgrounds?

Mobility is the strongest pillar at Iowa State University. Azimuth lists the university at #125 for mobility among nonprofit four-year institutions.

This puts the mobility pillar in the 92nd percentile. The six-year graduation rate is 75.3%, and Pell recipients complete at 67.5%, below the overall rate by 7.8 percentage points.

Graduates earn about $3,803 more than the model expects for similar students — earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students. This outcome sits in the 68th percentile.

Iowa State University enrolls 25,367 undergraduates and admits 88.7% of applicants, a rate above the peer median of 78.1% for comparable public universities. Pell Grant recipients make up 18.8% of the undergraduate body, and an estimated 18.7% of students enter as transfers or part-time students.

Azimuth places the access pillar in the 58th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

06 / Iowa State University briefing

What colleges are similar to Iowa State University?[15]

Azimuth groups alternatives by admissions, location, cost and earnings, then orders candidates within each group. Peer earnings use the matched four-year cohort. How matching works.

A shortlist for different decisions

Choose a row to compare the figures with Iowa State University.

Admissions peerCentral College86.2% admitted
Comparison with Iowa State University
MeasureIowa State UniversityCentral College
Peer earnings · 4 years$68,277$55,693-$12,584 vs Iowa State University
Average annual net price$18,589$23,377+$4,788 vs Iowa State University · higher cost
Admission rate88.7%86.2%
Higher-admission alternativeUniversity of Wisconsin-Milwaukee100.0% admitted
Comparison with Iowa State University
MeasureIowa State UniversityUniversity of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Peer earnings · 4 years$68,277$62,480-$5,797 vs Iowa State University
Average annual net price$18,589$15,014-$3,575 vs Iowa State University · lower cost
Admission rate88.7%100.0%
Explore University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee →
Nearby alternativeDrake UniversityNearby option · IA
Comparison with Iowa State University
MeasureIowa State UniversityDrake University
Peer earnings · 4 years$68,277$65,232-$3,045 vs Iowa State University
Average annual net price$18,589$29,127+$10,538 vs Iowa State University · higher cost
Admission rate88.7%63.9%
Explore Drake University →
Higher-earnings alternativeCal Poly Maritime Academy$108,757 earnings
Comparison with Iowa State University
MeasureIowa State UniversityCal Poly Maritime Academy
Peer earnings · 4 years$68,277$108,757+$40,480 vs Iowa State University
Average annual net price$18,589$20,555+$1,966 vs Iowa State University · higher cost
Admission rate88.7%95.0%
Explore Cal Poly Maritime Academy →
Lower-cost alternativeUniversity of Florida$4,815 average net price
Comparison with Iowa State University
MeasureIowa State UniversityUniversity of Florida
Peer earnings · 4 years$68,277$77,321+$9,044 vs Iowa State University
Average annual net price$18,589$4,815-$13,774 vs Iowa State University · lower cost
Admission rate88.7%61.3%
Explore University of Florida →
Similar profileUniversity of Missouri-ColumbiaMatched across several measures
Comparison with Iowa State University
MeasureIowa State UniversityUniversity of Missouri-Columbia
Peer earnings · 4 years$68,277$69,651+$1,374 vs Iowa State University
Average annual net price$18,589$20,268+$1,679 vs Iowa State University · higher cost
Admission rate88.7%78.5%
Explore University of Missouri-Columbia →

Each school is the first-ranked match in its category, not a recommendation across every measure. The same college may lead more than one category. Figures use the matching snapshot; earnings reflect the matched four-year cohort. — means unavailable.

Read the full similar schools brief

Data scope & methodology

Structured payloads generated Governed hub narrative Governed spoke corpus

Four-year earnings describe cohorts of completers. Figures for other horizons describe different cohorts and are not joined into a career-growth projection.

Azimuth's overall rank and pillar percentiles come from the school profile. Absolute pillar ranks, city, enrollment and official-site links are shown only when structured data supplies them.

Detailed earnings, cost, admissions and program values come from the endpoint responsible for each measure. Missing values are not replaced with zero. Value-added estimates are model associations, not causal effects.

Figures are refreshed with each data release, at most a quarter apart. The underlying source dates can be earlier than the release.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.

Read the ranking methodology, data definitions and limitations · About College Azimuth

Read the analysis behind value-added earnings and the change to four-year graduate earnings. These articles are published on collegeazimuth.com.

Data notes & source fields

Scorecard field codes identify the underlying measure; Azimuth-derived values are labeled separately. Snapshot dates are not measurement years. Source populations and reporting periods differ across measures. Field definitions are in the U.S. Department of Education · College Scorecard documentation; notes with a different source link it below.

  1. Admission rate. Reported applicants admitted; not a transfer-specific or individual admission probability.

    Source fields: ADM_RATE

  2. Six-year completion. First-time, full-time students completing at the institution within 150% of normal time, typically six years for a bachelor’s degree.

    Source fields: C150_4

  3. Four-year institutional earnings. Median earnings of graduates in the reported cohort who are working and not enrolled, four years after completion.

    Source fields: MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

  4. Median federal student debt. Federal student-loan debt among completers in the reported borrowing cohort. Excludes Parent PLUS and is not total debt across all students.

    Source fields: GRAD_DEBT_MDN

  5. National, regional and state ranks; pillar percentiles; major ranks. Derived scores within the stated eligible comparison set, not raw Scorecard fields. Major ranks compare institutions within a field; their denominators differ.

    Source fields: Azimuth rankings

    College Azimuth · Ranking methodology

  6. Annual net price by family income. Average annual cost after grants and scholarships for the eligible first-time, full-time aid-recipient cohort. Public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. Includes living costs; these are averages, not medians or individual offers.

    Source fields: NPT4_PUB/PRIV; NPT41_PUB/PRIV through NPT45_PUB/PRIV

  7. Parent PLUS debt, payments and GPS illustration. Stored payments use Financial GPS loan and repayment assumptions. The adjustable spectrum applies the published framework to annual student payments divided by earnings minus an expense allowance; its initial allowance is 150% of the federal poverty guideline for one person, for the year the API serves. It is an illustration rather than a school rating. The parent table is the 10-year payment on the median Parent PLUS as a share of household income above 200% of the guideline for a household of three: under 6% Safe, 6–10% Caution, over 10% High pressure. Parent PLUS uses the completer median where available, otherwise the all-borrower median; these describe different borrowing populations.

    Source fields: PLUS_DEBT_ALL_COMP_MD; fallback PLUS_DEBT_ALL_MD; Azimuth Financial GPS calculations

    College Azimuth · Financial GPS methodology

  8. Downside and upside earnings; yellow band. The band spans the modeled lower and higher scenarios. It is not the P25–P75 interval for individual graduates. The median marker is the separately reported institutional median.

    Source fields: Azimuth modeled program-mix scenarios

    College Azimuth · Earnings scenario methodology

  9. Value added and its components. Observed-factor attribution plus the unexplained remainder equals total modeled value added. These are associations, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

    Source fields: Azimuth statistical model

    College Azimuth · Value-added methodology

  10. SAT score range and reported midpoint. Reported scores of enrolled score-submitters, not admission cutoffs. The midpoint field is not necessarily the middle of the displayed range.

    Source fields: SATVR25 + SATMT25; SATVR75 + SATMT75; SAT_AVG

  11. First-year retention. Retention of the reported full-time cohort at four-year institutions.

    Source fields: RET_FT4

  12. Program earnings, completion counts and major-mix dots. Included bachelor’s programs have at least five reported completions. Counts are aggregated credentials, not unique people or an earnings sample. Major-mix dots group those counts by field of study; excluded programs are not zero activity.

    Source fields: EARN_MDN_4YR; IPEDSCOUNT1; CIPCODE

    College Scorecard · Field-of-study technical documentation

  13. Pell recipients. Share of undergraduates receiving a Pell Grant in the reported academic year.

    Source fields: PCTPELL

  14. Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group. This is not an observed transfer-in rate. It includes part-time entrants and other entering-student attendance patterns.

    Source fields: 1 − PFTFTUG1_EF

  15. Peer earnings and signed differences. Differences are peer minus this school, from the same matching snapshot. A positive earnings difference does not mean the peer is better on every measure.

    Source fields: Azimuth peer model using MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

    College Azimuth · Comparison methodology

How to interpret program rankings