Key differences on Getting in

1
Iowa State's yield is 7 pts higher than U. Cincinnati's
Yield rate
2
Iowa State admits 88% vs. 88% at U. Cincinnati
Acceptance rate

Admissions

Getting in, fall 2024

Acceptance and yield, test score ranges, test policy, and what each college weighs.

The funnel

Acceptance rate

Iowa State88%Most selective

U. Cincinnati88%

Applicants

Iowa State24.6K

U. Cincinnati33.8KMost

Admitted

Iowa State21.7K

U. Cincinnati29.7KMost

Yield rate

Iowa State28%Highest

U. Cincinnati22%

Quad's selectivity

Iowa StateAccessible
U. CincinnatiAccessible

Men and women

Acceptance rate for men and women who applied, where a college reports admissions by sex.

Women admitted

Iowa State88%

U. Cincinnati86%

Men admitted

Iowa State89%

U. Cincinnati85%

Test scores

SAT total,

Iowa State

1153–1360

U. Cincinnati

1160–1340

Axis runs 1000–1600. The dark tick marks the national median midpoint.

ACT composite,

Iowa State

21–28

U. Cincinnati

24–30

Axis runs 17–36. The dark tick marks the national median midpoint.

Submitted SAT

Iowa State12%

U. Cincinnati9%

Submitted ACT

Iowa State45%

U. Cincinnati25%

Test policy

Iowa StateTest-optional
U. CincinnatiTest-optional

How they read a record

Iowa State
and GPA are both very important; tests are important; class rank is considered. 58% of first-years had a 3.75 or higher, so and rarely sets an applicant apart; the courses behind it carry more of the weight.
U. Cincinnati
GPA is very important; is important; class rank and tests are both considered. 46% of first-years had a 3.75 or higher.

What they look at

Factor	Iowa State	U. Cincinnati
High school GPA	Very important	Very important
High school record	Required	Required
Class rank	Considered	Considered
College-prep program	Required	Required
Recommendations	Considered	Considered
Essay	Considered	Considered
Legacy status	Not considered	Not considered
Work experience	Considered	Considered
Demonstration of competencies	Not considered	Not considered
English proficiency test	Required	Required
Other tests	Not considered	Not considered

All admissions numbers in the table

Sources:Iowa State University (Fall 2025), Fall 2025;IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;Iowa State University Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2027 applicants;Iowa State University Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;University of Cincinnati-Main Campus (Fall 2025), Fall 2025;University of Cincinnati-Main Campus Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2025;University of Cincinnati-Main Campus Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2027 applicants;University of Cincinnati-Main Campus Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2024About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why