Iowa State University is a public four-year institution in Ames, Iowa. The campus sits in a small city. Fall 2024 enrollment was 30,380, made up of 25,628 undergraduates and 4,752 graduate students. It is a land-grant institution. It holds the Carnegie R1 designation for very high research activity.
Iowa State University offers certificates, bachelor's degrees, master's degrees, doctoral degrees, and professional doctorates across 181 programs. Its largest programs by number of graduates are Mechanical Engineering, Finance, and Marketing. It awarded 7,032 degrees and certificates in 2024-25.
88% of full-time first-year students return for a second year. The student-to-faculty ratio is 18 to 1.
Mission
Iowa State University will create, share, and apply knowledge to make our students, Iowa, and the world better.
Key figures
30,380
Students enrolled
88%
First-year retention
7,032
Degrees and certificates awarded, 2024-25
181
Programs and majors
18:1
Student-to-faculty ratio
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Delivery modes
CampusOnlineHybrid
Program levels
CertificateBachelorMasterPhDProfessional
Programs and majors offered 181
Graduate counts are degrees and certificates awarded in each program between July 2024 and June 2025. Largest fields are listed first.
Retention is for students who started in fall 2023 and returned in fall 2024.
First-year retention, full-time students
88%
First-year retention, part-time students
82%
Student-to-faculty ratio
18:1
Degrees and certificates awarded
Awards conferred between July 1, 2024 and June 30, 2025.
Bachelor's degrees
5,502
Master's degrees
828
Doctoral degrees (research)
299
Professional doctorates
149
Postbaccalaureate certificates
181
Post-master's certificates
73
Enrollment
Students, fall 2024
30,380
Undergraduates, fall 2024
25,628
Graduate students, fall 2024
4,752
Full-time, fall 2024
91%
Students over the full 2024-25 year
32,301
Undergraduates, 2024-25
26,843
Graduate students, 2024-25
5,458
Full-time, 2024-25
91%
Size category
20,000 students or more
Student body
Share of all students enrolled during 2024-25. Small groups can round to zero and are not listed.
Women
46%
Men
54%
White
69%
Hispanic or Latino
6%
Black or African American
3%
Asian
4%
Two or more races
3%
International (U.S. nonresident)
10%
Race or ethnicity unknown
5%
Online and flexible learning
Distance education in 2024-25.
Programs with a fully online option
40
Online undergraduate programs
Yes
Online graduate programs
Yes
Students studying fully online
5%
Students taking some online courses
56%
Weekend or evening classes
Yes
Campus and services
Setting
Small city
Academic calendar
Semester
Carnegie classification
Doctoral Universities: Very High Research Activity
Research designation
Research 1: Very High Spending and Doctorate Production
Athletic association
NCAA
Athletic conference
Big Twelve Conference
President
Wendy Wintersteen
Services and opportunities
Study abroad, ROTC, Undergraduate research, Teacher certification, Academic and career counseling, Student employment services, Job placement for graduates, On-campus day care, Accepts AP credit
For veterans and service members
Yellow Ribbon Program, Credit for military training, Dedicated veterans contact, Student veteran organization