$63,386
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Iowa State University is a public 4-year college in Ames, Iowa with 25,367 undergraduates and 4,752 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $18,589 a year (tuition and fees $10,787 in-state, $28,881 out-of-state). It admits 89% of applicants and 75% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $63,386 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $22,869 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$18,589
US median $17,138
Tuition in-state
$10,787
Out-of-state $28,881
Admission rate
89%
US median 78%
Completion rate
75%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$22,869
About $242 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$63,386
Rank 616 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $18,589
- Tuition in-state
- $10,787
- Tuition out-of-state
- $28,881
- Cost of attendance
- $24,018
- Students with a need-based grant
- 19%
- Students with federal loans
- 43%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $10,582
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $11,506
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $15,463
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $19,605
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $22,496
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $7,736 in 2015-16 to $10,787 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- 89%
- Average SAT
- 1,204
- SAT reading, middle
- 595
- SAT math, middle
- 612
- ACT, middle
- 25
- Undergraduates
- 25,367
- Graduate students
- 4,752
- Part-time students
- 3.8%
- Women
- 45%
- Students per teacher
- 18
- Completion rate
- 75%
- Retention rate
- 88%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 321
- Endowment
- $1.6B
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 616 of 5,094 US colleges and 4 of 69 in Iowa (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | IA median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $18,589 | $17,730 | $12,792 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $10,787 | $20,270 | $8,626 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 89% | 80% | 83% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 75% | 65% | 46% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 88% | 74% | 76% | 75% |
| Median debt | $22,869 | $14,745 | $19,500 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $53,873 | $39,099 | $43,105 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $63,386 | $42,793 | $50,314 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US public 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 76% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 84% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
321 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mechanical EngineeringBachelor's | Bachelor's | 356 | $22,822 | $72,900 | $85,938 | $92,135 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 345 | $20,500 | $57,188 | $78,304 | $68,257 |
| MarketingBachelor's | Bachelor's | 331 | $21,500 | $48,304 | $66,482 | $69,303 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessBachelor's | Bachelor's | 250 | $23,204 | $36,492 | $60,059 | $54,562 |
| Psychology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 246 | $21,000 | $34,155 | $49,286 | $50,706 |
| Computer EngineeringBachelor's | Bachelor's | 243 | $23,750 | $79,182 | $105,753 | $109,015 |
| Animal SciencesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 235 | $20,500 | $39,567 | $51,644 | $49,634 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 231 | $22,529 | $45,512 | $47,462 | $47,382 |
| Design and Applied ArtsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 216 | $26,581 | $37,565 | $52,671 | $51,490 |
| Finance and Financial Management ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 212 | $19,625 | $56,974 | $75,360 | $83,343 |
| Agricultural Business and ManagementBachelor's | Bachelor's | 177 | $15,000 | $53,967 | $67,529 | $66,647 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 174 | $22,452 | $60,397 | $83,267 | $92,374 |
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 158 | $22,375 | $32,528 | $53,447 | $57,214 |
| Veterinary MedicineProfessional | Professional | 156 | $138,980 | $96,477 | $111,742 | $131,316 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralMaster's | Master's | 123 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Civil EngineeringBachelor's | Bachelor's | 123 | $24,477 | $72,502 | $85,427 | $86,517 |
| Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space EngineeringBachelor's | Bachelor's | 121 | $26,017 | $75,036 | $94,089 | $98,207 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 118 | $22,276 | $58,479 | $70,706 | $76,194 |
| Plant SciencesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 112 | $17,039 | $49,393 | $60,997 | $56,567 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications EngineeringBachelor's | Bachelor's | 112 | $25,020 | $84,913 | $99,705 | $100,647 |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 110 | $19,500 | $41,624 | $61,166 | $55,378 |
| Computer ScienceBachelor's | Bachelor's | 106 | $21,775 | $78,517 | $104,211 | $107,009 |
| Industrial EngineeringBachelor's | Bachelor's | 102 | $23,250 | $74,310 | $92,914 | $98,442 |
| Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population BiologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 102 | $21,500 | $29,842 | $39,143 | $48,842 |
| Chemical EngineeringBachelor's | Bachelor's | 94 | $20,136 | $76,184 | $92,773 | $98,158 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: Iowa on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in Iowa
- Homes: Homes for sale in Iowa
Questions and answers
How much does Iowa State University cost?
$18,589 a year is the average net price at Iowa State University after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $10,787 for in-state students and $28,881 for out-of-state students, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $24,018. Families earning under $30,000 pay $10,582 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Iowa State University?
89% of applicants are admitted to Iowa State University. The average SAT score of admitted students is 1,204 and the middle ACT score is 25. The median admission rate of colleges in Iowa is 80%.
How much do Iowa State University graduates earn?
$63,386 a year is the median pay of former Iowa State University students who work, 10 years after they started ($53,873 after 6 years). That ranks 616 of 5,094 US colleges and 4 of 69 in Iowa. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Industrial Engineering (Master's) at $114,122.
How much student debt do Iowa State University graduates have?
$22,869 is the median federal student loan debt of Iowa State University graduates, about $242 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 43% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Iowa State University?
75% of first-time, full-time students at Iowa State University finish within 6 years. 88% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of public 4-year colleges is 46%.
What are the most popular majors at Iowa State University?
Mechanical Engineering (356 bachelor's graduates), Business Administration, Management and Operations (345 bachelor's graduates), Marketing (331 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 321 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.