Engineering at Iowa State University
Engineering is the most common field at Iowa State University: 1,234 graduates in 2023, or 21.3% of everyone who completed a bachelor's degree there that year. Across all 2,440 reporting institutions the field accounts for 5.94% of bachelor's degrees; at Iowa State University it is 3.6x that, far more concentrated. 18% of those graduates were women.
Is engineering competitive at Iowa State University?
Colleges report one admission rate for the whole school; here is the bar you are actually measured against, and how the model treats this major.
Iowa State University admitted 20,496 of 22,995 applicants for fall 2023 (89%), and the middle 50% of admitted students scored 1120 to 1360 on the SAT. Colleges report admissions at the school level, not by major, so there is no published acceptance rate for engineering at Iowa State University. CollegeCalcAI's published model treats "Engineering" as more competitive than Iowa State University's overall rate (multiplier 0.92 on the effective admit rate), so an applicant declaring this field is scored against a slightly higher bar.
How to apply to Iowa State University for engineering
What readers look for from applicants who declare this field, at any selectivity.
- Physics and calculus, ideally both at the highest level offered
- Evidence of making things: robotics, engineering clubs, a build you can describe
- A clear reason for engineering in the essay, not just strong STEM grades
- Run your odds with the major set: your estimate at Iowa State University for engineering →
Field guide: how admissions works for this major across schools.
Where else to study engineering
Other colleges in Iowa and at a similar selectivity that award bachelor's degrees in this field.
Every college ranked by engineering graduates: colleges that graduate the most engineering majors → · Engineering colleges in Iowa →
More majors at Iowa State University
The other fields Iowa State University graduates the most students in, 2023.
Questions about engineering at Iowa State University
How many students major in engineering at Iowa State University?
1,234 students earned a bachelor's degree in engineering at Iowa State University in 2023, 21.3% of that year's 5,797 graduates (IPEDS completions, first majors).
Is engineering competitive at Iowa State University?
Iowa State University admitted 20,496 of 22,995 applicants for fall 2023 (89%), and the middle 50% of admitted students scored 1120 to 1360 on the SAT. Colleges report admissions at the school level, not by major, so there is no published acceptance rate for engineering at Iowa State University. CollegeCalcAI's published model treats "Engineering" as more competitive than Iowa State University's overall rate (multiplier 0.92 on the effective admit rate), so an applicant declaring this field is scored against a slightly higher bar.
What is the acceptance rate for engineering at Iowa State University?
There is no official major-level acceptance rate; Iowa State University reports one school-wide figure, 89%. Some programs (direct-admit nursing, engineering and business schools) select separately and can be more selective than the school overall. CollegeCalcAI's calculator applies its published per-major adjustment and shows your estimate for this school with the major set.
Is Iowa State University known for engineering?
By output, engineering is the most common field at Iowa State University and far more concentrated there than at the average U.S. college (21.3% of graduates versus 5.94% nationally).
Source: U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS 2023 Completions (bachelor's degrees, first majors, CIP 2-digit series). Admissions counts: IPEDS 2023. Built 2026-09-19. Estimates from CollegeCalcAI are not predictions or guarantees.