Points of Pride

Academics & the student experience

Most in-state students

More Iowa high school graduates and transfer students enroll at Iowa State than at any other higher education institution in Iowa.

Top 50 public universities

Iowa State is ranked as one of the top 50 public universities in the nation by U.S.News and World Report.

Top programs

Iowa State's programs in architecture, interior design and landscape architecture continue to be among the nation's best, according to a survey of practitioners by DesignIntelligence. See news release (2008).

Marketing program among the top

According to the Academy of Management Journal , Iowa State's marketing department is ranked fourth nationally for programs without a Ph.D. program.

Programs in top 25

Iowa State graduate programs ranked among the top 25 of each program at public universities by U.S. News and World Report include:

• Statistics 7th
• Inorganic chemistry 10th
• Analytical chemistry 12th
• Higher education administration13th
• Aerospace engineering 15th
• Industrial and manufacturing systems engineering 15th
• Counseling/personnel services 17th
• Materials science and engineering 20th
• Chemical and biological engineering 22nd
• Chemistry 22nd
• Mechanical engineering 22nd
• Civil, construction and environmental engineering 23rd
• Electrical and computer engineering 24th
• College of Engineering's overall graduate program 24th

Top accounting students

ISU accounting students' passing rate on each CPA exam section consistently rank them in the top five among universities across the nation in all four sections of the exam according to the Candidate Performance on Uniform CPA Examination.

Largest engineering program

Iowa State's undergraduate engineering program is one of the ten largest in the United States.

Longest continuously accredited journalism school

Iowa State's journalism program, now called the Greenlee School, is one of the nation's longest continuously accredited journalism schools in the nation.

Studying abroad

Iowa State ranks 37th among research universities in the number of students who study abroad.

Most business students

Iowa State has the largest undergraduate business enrollment of any college or university in Iowa.

Entrepreneurial spirit

Iowa State University and its Pappajohn Center for Entrepreneurship rank 4th among public universities nationally for students who want to be entrepreneurs, according to a survey by The Princeton Review and Entrepreneur magazine.

Committed to the community

Iowa State University is ranked 20th among public universities in the nation by Washington Monthly magazine for its commitment to community service; research and advanced degrees; and its success in graduating students from lower-income families.

Top-ranked learning communities

Iowa State's learning communities program is one of 25 in the nation recognized by U.S.News and World Report for helping students achieve academic success.

Learning outside the classroom

In the book, Involving Colleges, Iowa State is recognized for offering its students one of the best out-of-classroom learning and leadership experiences in America.

The best lectures

ISU's Lectures Program, recognized as one of the best in the nation, has received the International Platform Association's Drew Pearson Award for excellence in university lecture programming and by the National Association of Campus Activities.

Scholarships for every county

Iowa State's Christina Hixson Opportunity Awards program is the only scholarship program in Iowa that provides financial assistance to a student from every Iowa county.

A fit student body

Muscle & Fitness magazine ranks Iowa State's student body 3rd most fit student body in the nation.

Top attendance

Attendance at Cyclone women's basketball games ranks Iowa State among the top five schools nationally for women's basketball game attendance.

Top business faculty

Academy of Management Journal, ISU College of Business production operations management faculty recently ranked 5th in research productivity and 1st when compared with those institutions without a PhD program.

Education Leadership and Policy Studies ranks high

The College of Human Science's Education Leadership and Policy Studies masters program is ranked 7th and the doctoral program is ranked 6th according to members of NASPA

Business programs among top in country

Supply Chain Management Review, asked academic and practitioner respondents to identify and rank the Top 20 logistics and supply chain programs in North America from a list of 100 colleges and universities. Iowa State's College of Business program was ranked 7th by academic respondents and 14th by practitioner respondents with an overall weighted ranking of 12th.

Published business faculty

According to a recent article in the Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management, the College of Business faculty ranked second in the number of articles and tied for fourth in the number of published journal articles on selling and sales management in 16 top-ranked academic journals

Top learning communities

The 2005 U.S. News & World Report listed Iowa State University among 26 universities with the best learning communities

Strong interior design program

The College of Design interior design program tied for seventh with Auburn University, AL, and Syracuse University, NY. There are 144 accredited programs in interior design/interior architecture in the United States.

Outstanding internships

ISU is one of only 10 public universities recognized for outstanding "internships/co-ops" according to U.S. News & World Report.