Acceptance Rate History

Iowa State University Acceptance Rate (2013–2025)

IA · Current rate: 87.9%

College Scorecard · IPEDSU.S. Dept. of Education

One binding application, and it can only go to one school. The call 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

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

Sticker pricePublished cost of attendance — tuition, fees, housing and food. (AY 2023–24)

$24,018/yr

What families actually payAvg. for families receiving federal aid (AY 2023–24)

$18,589/yrin-state figure

4-year totalSticker cost of attendance × 4 years. (AY 2023–24)

$96,072

Tuition (in-state)(AY 2024–25)

$10,787/yr

Tuition (out-of-state)(AY 2024–25)

$28,881/yr

Median earnings, 10 yrs after entryFormer students, federal earnings records. (measured 2020–21, entry cohort 2009–11)

$63,386/yr

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

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Admitted Student Profile

SAT Range · Middle 50% (25th–75th)

1120–1360

College Scorecard 2024

Admitted students at Iowa State University scored between 1120 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.

Common Data Set 2025–26
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.
1120–1360 is the middle half of admitted scores, not a cutoff: a quarter of admitted students scored below 1120, 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

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