Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm (now Iowa State University) was officially established on March 22, 1858, by the legislature of the State of Iowa. Story County was selected as a site on June 21,1859, and the original farm of 648 acres was purchased for a cost of $5,379.
Iowa State's academic offerings are administered through eight colleges that offer 100 bachelor's degree programs, 112 master's degree programs and 83 at the Ph.D. level. Iowa State offers one professional degree program:veterinary medicine.
The colleges also provide opportunities for students to learn and grow through internships, learning communities, international study and association with outstanding faculty members.
Iowa State is home to:
Additionally, the Grants Hub has numerous resources available for researchers and staff, which are aggregated in this section of the website. These resources are accessible through the links on the right and include tips,FAQ lists,useful links,and templates. Reviewing these resources and contacting the Grants Hub can be helpful early steps when planning a proposal or managing an award.
In the Department of Residence, we understand how important living on-campus is to the student experience. Living on campus is so much more than a room! You’re part of a community, our staff is here to support you,it’s easy to get involved, and statistics show that on-campus students have a lot going for them.
Almost 95% of all new freshmen live on-campus and almost 50% of current residents decide to come back to on-campus housing for the next year.This is the greatest compliment our residents could give us! This is especially incredible when you consider that no one is required to live on-campus at ISU!
The Studio last week had a new, high-speed WiFi router installed in our ceiling. Now, the Studio's better for meetings and small-group work which relies on wireless network collaboration.
Student Health is a full-service health center staffed with physicians, advanced registered nurse practitioners, and trained healthcare professionals available to see you for your primary health care needs.
Student Health specializes in students. We understand the unique needs of students – things like offering more same-day and next-day appointments than traditional family practice clinics.
The Student Activities Office manages the recognition process and event authorization for more than 825 student organizations. Student Activities also provides arts and entertainment programming at the Memorial Union, including the Maintenance Shop (live music venue), Underground (bowling and billiards) and Workspace (arts and crafts center).
Iowa State fields 18 varsity squads in the Big 12 Conference, the nation's premier athletics league. A strong fan base helps the Cyclones continuously break attendance records and earn top honors in national online polls ranking the best "student spirit" (Hilton Coliseum) and "most dominant mascot on Earth" (Cy).
The Student Union Board, a student-run organization, hosts more than 300 events annually with more than 50,000 participants. This includes the popular Cyclone Cinema movie series. In 2015, Iowa State’s solar car organization — Team PrISUm — won a national racing title.
We pride ourselves on giving you a hands-on, practical education that will prepare you for a job right after graduation. The Aerospace Engineering program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET.
Studyportals ranking look at the scores of the most used ranking systems and present you with one number of how well this University performs.
By U.S. News & World Report
Dropped 20 places compared to 2026
Best Global Universities Rankings by U.S. News & World Report presents all the top universities from the U.S. and 60 other countries around the world. They measure the rate of students going to their second year of studies, as well as the rate of students who graduate. It also asks university representatives on the performance of universities, and evaluates university resources, teacher salaries, graduation rates, student academic achievements and satisfaction. After calculating and comparing these criteria, U.S. News ranks the top international universities accordingly.
| 2025 | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| 344 | 380 | 400 |
We don’t have enough recent ranking data to show a 3-year trend for this university.
By Times Higher Education
The university hasn’t moved up or down in the rankings over the past year.
World University Rankings is a vital resource that provides the definitive list of the world's best universities. They look at how often they're producing new ideas, what their reputation is around the world, and how much they're contributing to science and academic fields. After calculating and comparing these criteria, THE ranks the universities accordingly.
| 2025 | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| 401 | 401 | 401 |
We don’t have enough recent ranking data to show a 3-year trend for this university.
By TopUniversities
Dropped 91 places compared to 2026
QS World University Rankings is one of the top international rankings measuring the popularity and performance of universities all over the world. They measure university reputation based on the impressions of higher education experts, companies who hire graduates, and teaching quality. QS also considers the ratio of international teachers and students present at universities, as well as the times research papers were mentioned by researchers. After calculating and comparing these criteria, QS ranks the universities accordingly.
| 2025 | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| 470 | 449 | 540 |
We don’t have enough recent ranking data to show a 3-year trend for this university.
By Shanghai Jiao Tong University
This university doesn’t have a ranking for 2027 yet. Rankings are updated yearly, so check back later for the latest info.
ARWU World University rankings is the first world university ranking. It ranks the world's top 1000 colleges and universities based on objective indicator. They look at the number of award-winning (Fields Medals and Nobel Prize) scientists who are located there, how much of their research is cited and referenced around the world, and how much they've contributed to different academic fields. After calculating and comparing these criteria, ARWU ranks the universities accordingly.
| 2025 | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| 401 | 401 | - |
We don’t have enough recent ranking data to show a 3-year trend for this university.
Based on 8 reviews
The school is actively providing assistances to students (Ex: mental health services, academic support, etc.), and students should seek help if needed. There are variety of student activities and academic resources, be sure to utilize and participate them if possible. College is the best time of your life, try everything and find your purpose. Don't be afraid to ask for help and always remember you are not alone.
A very satisfying experience. I got to meet incredibly smart people from different countries of the world.
I like studying abroad. The experiences build you in different ways. The weather is different. People are different. You have to get used to a new culture. All while still maintaining yours. Iowa State is a nice university. People from all different backgrounds are kind and helpful. The weather in Iowa is crazy though, hot and cold on the same day.
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