Iowa State University is a public research university located in Ames, Iowa, United States. The University was established in 1858. The University has a student population of 33,391 and has a large number of staff and teachers as well for all the courses and programs. The University is recognized and is known for its land-grant research being a public university in Iowa.

Iowa State University has a total of 10 schools and colleges offering 100 majors in both graduate and undergraduate courses and programs. The schools and colleges of the University have been recognized individually based on different ranking agencies and terms.

Iowa State University Ranking Highlights

The University has been given the overall score of 58 out of 100 according to U.S. News and World Report.

  • The University is recognized at #173 according to the Center for World University Rankings (CWUR) 2019-20. It also lies in the 201-300 bracket of the institutional rankings done by the ARWU University rankings.
  • It is recognized to be at the 76th rank in the world according to the UniRank University rankings.
  • According to the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, the University lies in 401-500th in the world university rankings of 2021.
  • The University is ranked #541-550 in the world according to the QS World University Rankings. It is considered to be one of the top public universities in Iowa and has been continuously growing as per ranking terms.

The ranking criteria of the University are:-

Indicators Score
Academic reputation 19.1
Citations per faculty 44.8

Iowa State University QS University

It is ranked #131-140 in the U.S. UNI rankings according to the QS rankings. It also lies in the #301-500 bracket with an overall score of 15.8 to 27.5 in the Graduate Employability Ranking as well.

Iowa State University U.S. News and World Report Ranking

The University has been ranked on different indicators based on the global terms according to U.S. News and world reports like on the basis of outcomes, expert opinions, faculty resources, financial resources, student excellence, and alumni. The U.S. News and World Report is the major agency that shares the rankings on the basis of different parameters.

  • The University is ranked #118 in the national universities.
  • #231 in the best global universities
  • #81 in the best colleges for veterans
  • #95 in best value schools
  • #291 in top performers on social mobility
  • #54 in the top public schools

Iowa State University Times Higher Education Ranking

The University is ranked 264th in the U.S. College Rankings 2021.

Iowa State University Unirank Ranking

  • The University lies at 59th position in the country according to the agency.

Iowa State University CWRU Ranking

  • It is given the 67th position in the national rank according to the mentioned agency.
  • The University has an overall score of 79.4 as well.

Iowa State University National Rankings according to Niche

  • #44 of 131 best big colleges of America
  • 45th of the 676 top public universities of America
  • #148 of 1,619 best colleges in America
  • #158 of 1,572 best value colleges in America.

Iowa State University Subject-Wise Ranking by QS

Iowa State University offers more than 100 undergraduate and graduate programs. It has been ranked nationally and internationally in the imparting of these subjects to the students as well.

The subject-wise rankings according to the agency can be seen as:-

Subjects Ranking
Agriculture and forestry #16
Veterinary science #24
Statistics and operational research #101-150
Economics and econometrics #201-250
Education and training #201-250
Environmental studies #201-250
Engineering- chemical #201-250
Material sciences #251-300
Life sciences and medicine #296
Computer science and information systems #401-450
Engineering and technology #318
Business and management studies #451-500

Iowa State University Subject-Wise Ranking by U.S. News

The subject-wise ranking according to the agency can be seen as:-

  • #42 in the best undergraduate engineering programs
  • #2 in biological and agricultural programs
  • #37 in agricultural sciences
  • #56 in biotechnology and applied microbiology
  • #29 in plant and animal science
  • #177 in economics and business

Iowa State University Subject-Wise Ranking by Niche

  • #21 of 140 best colleges for agricultural sciences in America.
  • #46 of 157 best colleges for architecture in America.
  • #76 of 449 best colleges for engineering in America.
  • #79 of 405 best colleges for design in America.
  • It is ranked #96 of 789 best colleges for accounting and finance in America.
  • #122 of 1,192 best colleges for business in America

Iowa State University Other Subject-wise rankings

  • #1 in the agricultural and biosystems engineering program according to the U.S. news and world report.
  • The University’s full-time MBA is recognised highly. It is ranked #53 in the nation in 2020 according to the US news rankings data.
  • Landscape architecture, interior design and architecture courses of the University are ranked among the top 25 courses at 10th, 15, and the 22nd respectively by DesignIntelligence.
  • Bachelor of industrial design program is ranked 14th among the best 25 best drafting degrees according to the College Choice.
  • Top 26 in Kinesiology according to the National Academy of Kinesiology.
  • #2 in food product development contest hosted by the National Dairy Council.
  • The clothing and textile research journal has ranked the scholarly contributions to fashion marketing as number 1 in the nation.
  • The college of veterinary colleges is ranked number 14th in the nation among all the other veterinary colleges according to the US news and world report.

Iowa State University Miscellaneous Rankings

The University is ranked on various other parameters as well like for subjects or based on other categories on which the ranking is done by Niche and other organizations and agencies. The ranks include:-

Rankings Nationally

  • It is ranked #45 of 676 top public universities in America.
  • #69 of the 1,580 colleges with the best student life in America.
  • #114 of 1,587 top party schools in America
  • #120 of 896 best colleges for education in America
  • #125 of 817 best Greek Life colleges in America
  • #619 of 1,589 most diverse colleges in America

Rankings in Iowa

  • #1 of 27 best college campuses in Iowa
  • It is ranked #2 of 28 best value colleges in Iowa
  • #2 of 28 colleges with best student life in Iowa.
  • #2 of 15 best Greek Life colleges in Iowa..
  • #3 of 28 best colleges in Iowa.
  • It is ranked #12 of 27 most diverse colleges in Iowa.

Other rankings according to the CWUR rankings 2019-20

  • 325th in the quality of education
  • 203rd in the alumni employment
  • 137th in the quality of faculty
  • 192nd in research performance

The University was mentioned in the news and has climbed at the 54th position among the top public universities according to the U.S. News and World Report in 2021. It was also tied 118th in the overall national rankings.

Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities (APLU) recognised the University and gave the award for 2020 innovation and economic prosperity. The University was recognised for its innovation standards and similar entrepreneurial activities also.

Iowa State University vs Other Universities Comparison

Comparison between Iowa State University, Arizona State University and the West Virginia State University

Universities Iowa State University Arizona State University West Virginia State University
Rank in USA according to QS Rankings 131-140 91st 131-140
Status Public Public Public
Established in 1858 1885 1891
International students 2,500+ 9,000 -
Popular programs Engineering, business, management, marketing, agriculture, operations, biological and biomedical sciences, etc. MBA, management, business and economics, finance, supply chain management, etc. Liberal arts and humanities, business, criminal justice, elementary education, psychology studies, English, high school education, etc.
Employer reputation - 33.4 33.3
Citations per faculty 44.8 57.6 -
Faculty student rank (QS ranking) - 11.1 -

Also Compare Arizona State University vs Washington State University

The Iowa State University has been ranked and recognised highly and is also mentioned all over the news for being ranked so highly nationally. The University is known for its different courses and programs and also maintains a position at the highest level in the nation and the world as well.

The University offers career and internship opportunities as well and is also recognised and ranked for its design courses. the students can find a suitable environment for innovation and various other requirements in the University which can help them earn their living in future.