Skip to content
Best College Rankings

Public · Small city campus · verified rankings · federal data

Iowa State University

Students comparing Iowa State University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

CompareOfficial site
Ames, Iowa25,367 undergraduatesMean consensus percentile 22Public universityResearch universityU.S. News ranked

The short answer

Iowa State University: U.S. News ranks it #117 on National Universities (2026); Forbes ranks it #146 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #289 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #119 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #114 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 4.5 stars; Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); QS ranks it #449 on World University Rankings (2026). It enrolls 25,367 undergraduates, admits 88.7% of applicants, and posts a 75.3% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $28,881; aid recipients pay $18,589 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $63,386.

The six numbers that matter most

Acceptance rate
88.7%

Above the dataset median of 76%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Average net price
$18,589

53% below the $39,689 published price

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardAverage for full-time first-time aid recipients, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median earnings, 10 yrs
$63,386

Above the dataset median of $54,053

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian earnings 10 years after entry, working and not enrolled, College Scorecard June 2026 release

6-year graduation rate
75.3%

Above the dataset median of 56%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent six-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median debt at graduation
$22,869

About the dataset median

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian federal loan debt of completers, College Scorecard June 2026 release

SAT middle 50%
1120–1360

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardSum of reported reading and math section percentiles for the most recent entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release. Section percentiles added together approximate, but do not exactly equal, the composite score range.

Where Iowa State ranks, and why the answers differ

Each publisher's position, the list it belongs to, and how many institutions it was drawn from.

SourceListRank
US News2026National Universities#117of 436National universities
Forbes2026America's Top Colleges#146of 500Top colleges (Forbes)
Washington Monthly2026Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars#289of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)
WSJ2026Best Colleges in the U.S.#119of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)
Niche2026Best Colleges (Overall)A#114of 2,605Overall (Niche)
Money2026Best Value Colleges4.5 starsListedBest value (Money)
Princeton Review2026Best Colleges (Overall)ListedOverall (Niche)
QS2026World University Rankings#449of 1,504World (QS)

Methodology sensitivity: Iowa State's position moves 25 percentile points depending on which published list you read. That is a wide spread, so which list you consult substantially changes the impression you get. How we compute this

Ranking positions are the editorial property of their publishers and are reproduced here with attribution for comparison and commentary. Follow each source link for its full list and methodology.

About Iowa State

Iowa State University is a public institution in Ames, Iowa. Federal data show 87.6% first-year retention and a 18:1 student-faculty ratio. Figures on this page come from College Scorecard and IPEDS; publisher rankings shown here are transcribed from named sources and checked in our dataset.

Strengths and honest considerations

Strengths

  • Cost and outcome metrics on this profile come directly from federal collections, not self-reported marketing sheets.
  • Net price $18,589 reflects what aid recipients actually paid in the most recent federal reporting year.

Considerations

  • This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
  • Compare $39,689 sticker cost against $18,589 net price before ruling a school in or out on price alone.
  • Publishers we have not loaded yet, or lists that omit this school, show as “not ranked by this source” — that is expected.

Who this school genuinely fits

Students comparing Iowa State University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

What it costs

Published price, then what families actually pay after grants and scholarships.

In-state tuition & fees
$10,787

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Out-of-state tuition & fees
$28,881

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Room & board
$10,808

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Published cost of attendance comes to roughly $39,689 a year, but the average family pays $18,589 — a 53% difference. 18.8% of undergraduates receive Pell grants, the federal marker of low family income.

Net price varies enormously by income band, so run Iowa State's net price calculator for your own household before drawing conclusions. Why net price is the only cost number that matters.

Programs and academics

Most popular majors

  1. 1Business
  2. 2Biology
  3. 3Psychology
  4. 4Computer Science
  5. 5Economics

Standout programs

    Student-faculty ratio
    18:1

    IPEDS / National Center for Education StatisticsIPEDS 2023 fall enrollment

    First-year retention
    87.6%

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent first-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Undergraduate enrollment
    25,367

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Iowa State: questions families ask

    Out-of-state tuition is $28,881 and on-campus room and board is $10,808, for a published total of $39,689 before aid. The average net price for first-time full-time students receiving aid is $18,589.

    The most recent federal admissions rate reported to the Department of Education is 88.7%. Test policy as reported in IPEDS: see the admissions section on this page for the institution's own category.

    Similar colleges

    Matched on institutional character, overlapping majors and comparable cross-source standing.

    Indiana University Bloomington

    Bloomington, INPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Indiana University Bloomington: U.S. News ranks it #73 on National Universities (2026); Forbes ranks it #94 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #91 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #185 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #101 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 4.5 stars; Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); QS ranks it #307 on World University Rankings (2026). It enrolls 37,806 undergraduates, admits 78.2% of applicants, and posts a 80.2% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $41,891; aid recipients pay $16,264 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $63,742.

    Acceptance rate
    78.2%
    Average net price
    $16,264
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $63,742
    6-yr graduation rate
    80.2%
    US News · National universities#73 of 436Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#94 of 500Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#91 of 1,504+5 more on profile

    37,806 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 17 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Stony Brook University

    Stony Brook, NYPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Stony Brook University: U.S. News ranks it #59 on National Universities (2026); Forbes ranks it #80 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #266 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #265 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #155 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 4.5 stars; Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); QS ranks it #454 on World University Rankings (2026). It enrolls 18,101 undergraduates, admits 49.0% of applicants, and posts a 75.6% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $32,741; aid recipients pay $18,784 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $74,502.

    Acceptance rate
    49.0%
    Average net price
    $18,784
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $74,502
    6-yr graduation rate
    75.6%
    US News · National universities#59 of 436Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#80 of 500Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#266 of 1,504+5 more on profile

    18,101 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 23 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    University of Delaware

    Newark, DEPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    University of Delaware: U.S. News ranks it #88 on National Universities (2026); Forbes ranks it #149 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #419 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #26 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #150 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 4 stars; Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026) — #14 Everyone Plays Intramural Sports; QS ranks it #555 on World University Rankings (2026). It enrolls 19,071 undergraduates, admits 70.6% of applicants, and posts a 80.5% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $41,400; aid recipients pay $17,799 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $72,950.

    Acceptance rate
    70.6%
    Average net price
    $17,799
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $72,950
    6-yr graduation rate
    80.5%
    US News · National universities#88 of 436Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#149 of 500Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#419 of 1,504+5 more on profile

    19,071 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 21 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Compare Iowa State against these