Iowa State University

Public, Four-years School Located in Ames, IA

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How much is the ISU tuition? For the academic year 2023-2024, ISU's tuition & fees is $10,497 for Iowa residents and $27,683 for out-of-state students.
With indirect costs not billed by school, such as room & boards and personal living expenses, the total cost of attendance for one academic year is $23,836 for Iowa residents and $41,022 for out-of-state students when a student lives on-campus.

ISU Tuition & Expenses

2022-2023 Rate
Iowa Residents Tuition & Fees$10,497
Out-of-State Tuition & Fees$27,683
Books & Supplies Costs$1,091
On-campus Room & Board$9,358
On-campus Expenses$2,890
Off-campus Room & Board$9,358
Off-campus Expenses$2,890
2023-2024 Estimates
Iowa Residents Tuition & Fees$11,437
Out-of-State Tuition & Fees$30,117

How Much Does it Cost to Go to ISU for 4 Years?

For the class of 2027, who entering colleges in 2023, the 4 years tuition & fees is $122,272 at ISU. The estimated tuition rate is based on the changes over last 5 years. With room & board, books, and other personal expenses, the estimated 4 years costs of attendance is $179,534. After receiving financial aid including grants, scholarships, and/or student loans, the 4 years COA is down to $137,746.
The following table computes the 4 years tuition and COA by class of year.
College YearTuition & FeesCOAAfter Financial Aid
Freshmen (2023-24)$28,792$41,816$31,976
Sophomore (2024-25)$29,945$43,795$33,561
Junior (2025-26)$31,144$45,872$35,228
Senior (2026-27)$32,391$48,052$36,982
4 Years Total$122,272$179,534$137,746
College YearTuition & FeesCOAAfter Financial Aid
Freshmen (2024-25)$29,945$43,795$33,561
Sophomore (2025-26)$31,144$45,872$35,228
Junior (2026-27)$32,391$48,052$36,982
Senior (2027-28)$33,689$50,342$38,829
4 Years Total$127,169$188,061$144,599
College YearTuition & FeesCOAAfter Financial Aid
Freshmen (2025-26)$31,144$45,872$35,228
Sophomore (2026-27)$32,391$48,052$36,982
Junior (2027-28)$33,689$50,342$38,829
Senior (2028-29)$35,038$52,747$40,772
4 Years Total$132,262$197,013$151,811
College YearTuition & FeesCOAAfter Financial Aid
Freshmen (2026-27)$32,391$48,052$36,982
Sophomore (2027-28)$33,689$50,342$38,829
Junior (2028-29)$35,038$52,747$40,772
Senior (2029-30)$36,441$55,272$42,818
4 Years Total$137,559$206,414$159,401
College YearTuition & FeesCOAAfter Financial Aid
Freshmen (2027-28)$33,689$50,342$38,829
Sophomore (2028-29)$35,038$52,747$40,772
Junior (2029-30)$36,441$55,272$42,818
Senior (2030-31)$37,901$57,925$44,972
4 Years Total$143,068$216,287$167,392

Average Tuition By School Type and Comparison

Compared to four-years schools nationwide, ISU' tuition is much higher than the average tuition of $12,960. Compared to public, four-years colleges in Iowa, its tuition is much higher than the average tuition of $11,211.
In-StateOut-of-State
Iowa State University$10,497$27,683
U.S. Four-years Colleges$18,672
Public Schools$7,199$12,960
Private Schools$20,937
Iowa Four-years Colleges$21,556
Public Schools$8,453$11,211
Private Schools$25,497

Compare Similar School's Tuition

The next table compares the tuition & fees between ISU and similar schools. The similar colleges are selected by school type & level (public, four-years), ranking, and comparison frequency by our users. The comparison is based on 2022-2023 tuition rate.
LocationIn-StateOut-of-State
Iowa State UniversityAmes, IA$10,497$27,683
University of IowaIowa City, IA$10,964$32,927

Financial Aid and COA

At Iowa State University, 20,513 students (79%) received grant or scholarship from the federal government, state or local government, the institution, and other sources. The average amount of grant/scholarship received is $9,461.
After receiving financial aid, the cost of attendance (COA) at ISU is $31,561 for students living on-campus and $31,561 for students living off-campus.
For beginning students (i.e. first-time freshmen), 4,756 students received any type of financial aid including grants/scholarship and student loans. The average amount of grant/scholarship for the first-time students is $11,043 and the average amount of student loans is $7,620.
The financial aid data is based on 2021-2022 statistics from IPEDS.
Iowa ResidentsOut-of-State
COA (on-campus)$23,836$41,022
COA (off-campus)$23,836$41,022
Tuition & Fees$10,497$27,683
Indirect Costs (on-campus)$13,339$13,339
Indirect Costs (off-campus)$13,339$13,339
COA (on-campus) after Receiving Aid$14,375$31,561
COA (off-campus) after Receiving Aid$14,375$31,561
Average Financial Aid$9,461$9,461
Type of AidNumber Receiving AidPercent Receiving AidAverage Amount of Aid Received
Grant or Scholarship20,51379%$9,461
Pell Grants4,94119%$4,826
Federal Student Loan12,02947%$6,070
Type of AidNumber Receiving AidPercent Receiving AidAverage Amount of Aid Received
Any Financial Aid4,75689%-
Grants or Scholarships4,24580%$11,043
Federal Grants2,28143%$4,556
Pell Grants1,02219%$4,784
Other Federal Grants2,26242%$2,433
State/Local Grants381%$4,376
Institutional Grants3,87373%$9,377
Student Loan Aid2,49847%$7,620
Federal Student Loans2,44846%$5,166
Other Student Loans54210%$11,787
Income LevelNumber of StudentsNumber of Students AwardedAverage Amount Aid Awarded
All level1,6501,333$6,438
0-30,000209209$14,400
30,001-48,000170170$12,702
48,001-75,000286285$9,830
75,001-110,000302282$4,670
110,001 or more683387$1,803

Admission Stats and Requirements to Apply

ISU's acceptance rate is 91.12%. A total of 20,357 applicants applied to and 18,550 students were accepted. Of the admitted students, 5,387 enrolled finally, and the yield (i.e. enrollment rate) is 29.04%.
To apply to ISU, 4 items are required - Secondary school GPA, Secondary school record, Completion of college-preparatory program and TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language). SAT and ACT scores are considered during the admissions process but are not required to be submitted.
TotalMenWomen
Applicants20,35710,394$9,963
Admitted18,5509,399$9,151
Enrolled5,3872,896$2,491
Acceptance Rate91.12%90.43%91.85%
Yield (Enrollment Rate)29.04%30.81%27.22%
Secondary school GPARequired
Secondary school rankConsidered But Not Required
Secondary school recordRequired
Completion of college-preparatory programRequired
RecommendationsNeither Required Nor Recommended
Formal demonstration of competenciesNeither Required Nor Recommended
Admission test scoresConsidered But Not Required
TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)Required
Other Test (Wonderlic, WISC-III, etc.)Neither Required Nor Recommended

SAT and ACT Scores

The SAT and ACT scores are considered but not required to apply to ISU. The average SAT score of the enrolled first-time students is 1,207 and the average ACT score (ACT composite) is 25.
Its SAT score is slightly higher than the national average score of 1,168. The ACT score is similar to the national average score of 24.
Average25th75th
SAT Total1,2071,0831,330
National Average1,168
Iowa Average1,131
SAT EBRW595540650
SAT Math612543680
ACT Composite252128
National Average24
Iowa Average23
ACT Math242028
ACT English242028

Student Population

Iowa State University has a total of 29,969 students including 25,241 undergraduate and 4,728 graduate students. By gender, there are 16,948 male students and 13,760 female students attending ISU. The school offers online degree programs and 1,013 students enrolled online exclusively (3.38% of all students).
TotalMaleFemale
Total30,708 16,94813,760
Undergraduate25,808 14,46711,341
Graduate4,900 2,4812,419

Directory & Academic Information

Directory Information
Address1750 Beardshear Hall, Ames, IA
Phone515-294-4111
WEBwww.iastate.edu
Degree & Programs
DegreeUndergraduate, Graduate
Program Offered379 Programs
Online Program Offered2 Online Programs
Graduate Program Offered207 Graduate Programs
Academic Stats
Acceptance Rate90.22%
Yield28.96%
Student Population29,969
Graduation Rate74%
Transfer-out Rate18%
Retention Rate86% (Full-time), 64% (Part-time)
Students to Faculty Ratio Rate18 to 1
Faculty & Staffs
Number of Faculties1,519 (Full-time), 278 (Part-time)
Number of Staffs6,221 (Full-time), 532 (Part-time)
Average Faculty Salary$106,378
Average Staff Salary$62,517