Acceptance Rate History
Iowa State University Acceptance Rate: 87.9% in 2025 (2013–2025 history)
IA · Current rate: 87.9%
One binding application, and it can only go to one school. The answer reads your whole list against what each school published.
What is Iowa State University's acceptance rate in 2025?
Iowa State University's acceptance rate in 2025 is 87.9%, down from 88.7% in 2024.
Common Data Set 2025-2026
What is Iowa State University's out-of-state acceptance rate?
- In-state: 92.1% (5,452 admitted of 5,921 applicants)
- Out-of-state: 91.1% (14,133 admitted of 15,521 applicants)
- International: 64.9% (2,067 admitted of 3,183 applicants)
Out-of-state applicants were admitted at about the same rate as in-state applicants. International applicants were admitted at a lower rate than in-state applicants.
Fall 2025 · Iowa State University Common Data Set (2025-26), section C1. Rates are our calculation from the counts the college reported.
Year-by-Year Data
| Year | Acceptance Rate | Applicants | Admitted |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 87.9% | 24,625 | 21,652 |
| 2024 | 88.7% | 23,095 | 20,475 |
| 2023 | 89.1% | 22,995 | 20,496 |
| 2022 | 90.2% | 21,919 | 19,776 |
| 2021 | 91.1% | 20,357 | 18,550 |
| 2020 | 88.4% | 20,223 | 17,882 |
| 2019 | 92.1% | 18,246 | 16,796 |
| 2018 | 90.6% | 18,855 | 17,082 |
| 2017 | 89.3% | 19,262 | 17,208 |
| 2016 | 87.5% | 19,433 | 17,002 |
| 2015 | 87.2% | 19,164 | 16,702 |
| 2014 | 86.9% | 18,399 | 15,990 |
| 2013 | 82.5% | 16,539 | 13,648 |
Source: IPEDS Admissions Survey (NCES) · College Scorecard
Cost
The same school, two different prices
Family income under $30k: $10,582/yr · Family income over $110k: $22,496/yr (AY 2023–24)
Average paid by students receiving federal aid, by family income (College Scorecard). In-state students only. International students are not eligible for U.S. federal aid, so they are not in this cohort and typically pay closer to the sticker price.
High-income families typically pay closer to sticker.
Aid for international students
Iowa State University awarded institutional aid to 566 international undergraduates, averaging $13,144 (2025-2026 Common Data Set).
These figures describe only the international students who actually received aid — not what a typical international admit can expect. International students outside this group pay the full sticker price.
Source: official Common Data Set filing
Admitted Student Profile
SAT Range · Middle 50% (25th–75th)
1153–1360
Common Data Set 2025-2026
Admitted students at Iowa State University scored between 1153 and 1360 on the SAT (middle 50%).
Source: College Scorecard · U.S. Dept of Education
What this school weighs — Iowa State University
Course rigor and GPA are not in this table. Nearly every school rates both at the top, so they tell you nothing about this one. These six are where schools differ.
| Class rank | Considered |
|---|---|
| Standardized test scores | Important |
| Application essay | Considered |
| Recommendations | Considered |
| Extracurricular activities | Considered |
| Character / personal qualities | Considered |
Iowa State University Common Data Set 2025–26, section C7
How to read these numbers
- The 2025 rate covers Iowa State University's whole applicant pool — early and regular applications counted together in one figure. It is not the rate of any single round.
- 1153–1360 is the middle half of admitted scores, not a cutoff: a quarter of admitted students scored below 1153, and a quarter scored above 1360.
- The table above holds 13 reported years, 2013 through 2025. Across them Iowa State University's rate ranged from 82.5% to 92.1%, so any single year is one point inside that range.
Each figure above describes a class a school already admitted in a completed cycle. It is a record of who was admitted, not a measurement of any one application.
Source: College Scorecard · IPEDS Admissions Survey (NCES) · U.S. Dept. of Education
Where do you stand?
School
Iowa State University
Iowa State University
SAT
Middle 50% of admitted students scored 1153–1360.
This is SAT only — one slice of an application, not the whole of it.
Your odds at every school on your list — $9.99 through Nov 15 →
Trend Analysis
Iowa State University's acceptance rate has increased from 82.5% in 2013 to 87.9% in 2025. The most notable shift occurred in 2014.
Analysis compiled from official data trends.
Similar Schools — Acceptance Rate History
Data sourced from IPEDS and College Scorecard. Does not represent endorsements or guarantee admission outcomes.