Academics
Majors and faculty
The most popular major is Mechanical Engineering (6% of graduates). 18 students for every faculty member, more than at 83% of colleges. 84% of faculty are full-time. Spends $12,347 a year on instruction per student.
Most popular majors
5,502 bachelor's degrees, 2024–25 graduates
The top 5 programs account for 23% of graduates; 98 programs in 27 fields awarded at least one.
- Mechanical Engineering 14.19015.8% 319Graduates in this field earn $85,938 4 years out
- Finance, General 52.08014.8% 266Graduates in this field earn $75,360 4 years out
- Marketing/Marketing Management, General 52.14014.5% 245Graduates in this field earn $66,482 4 years out
- Exercise Science and Kinesiology 31.05053.8% 208Graduates in this field earn $60,059 4 years out
- Psychology, General 42.01013.8% 207Graduates in this field earn $49,286 4 years out
Fastest-growing field: Computer science, 0.7% → 5.8% of graduates since 2014–15 (318 graduates in 2024–25).
Source:IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2014–15 to 2024–25About the data(built 2026-10-12; CPI retrieved 2026-10-12)
Bachelor's degrees awarded July through June, by federal program name (), which can differ from what the college calls a major. A double major counts once, under the ; its other field is a . Earnings are College Scorecard's median for graduates of the program's broader field (), 4 years after completion; see Top-earning majors below.
Top-earning majors here
By earnings 4 years after completion
Computer Engineering$105,753 4 yrs out
1 year after completion: $79,182
4 years after completion$105,753National median: $109,015About typical4 years out, Pell: $92,198 · Non-Pell: $96,752(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)
Median federal debt: $23,750 · 538 graduates, two most recent years combined
Computer Science$104,211 4 yrs out
1 year after completion: $78,517
4 years after completion$104,211National median: $107,009About typical4 years out, Pell: $85,438 · Non-Pell: $96,652(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)
Median federal debt: $21,775 · 202 graduates, two most recent years combined
Construction Engineering$100,676 4 yrs out
1 year after completion: $77,845
4 years after completion$100,676National median: $97,303About typical4 years out, Pell: $85,924 · Non-Pell: $84,307(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)
Median federal debt: $19,609 · 129 graduates, two most recent years combined
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering$99,705 4 yrs out
1 year after completion: $84,913
4 years after completion$99,705National median: $100,647About typical4 years out, Pell: $95,372 · Non-Pell: $89,077(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)
Median federal debt: $25,020 · 216 graduates, two most recent years combined
Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering$94,089 4 yrs out
1 year after completion: $75,036
4 years after completion$94,089National median: $98,207Below typical4 years out, Pell: $76,965 · Non-Pell: $83,795(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)
Median federal debt: $26,017 · 279 graduates, two most recent years combined
Bachelor's programs only, among graduates who received federal financial aid and were working (not enrolled in school) in the measurement year.
The college also reports 19 to 1 in its Common Data Set (25,486 students, 1,354 faculty).
Not the average class size: faculty also teach graduate students and do research, and large lectures can sit alongside small seminars.
Class sizes
31%
of classes have fewer than 20 students; 25% have 50 or more
| Students | sections | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 2–9 | 272 | 8% |
| 10–19 | 736 | 22% |
| 20–29 | 907 | 28% |
| 30–39 | 312 | 9% |
| 40–49 | 232 | 7% |
| 50–99 | 544 | 17% |
| 100+ | 285 | 9% |
This counts class sections, not students: a lecture of 300 is one section, so a student is more likely to sit in a large class than the share of sections suggests. Labs and discussion sections are counted separately and left out here.
Programs & curriculum
- Accelerated program
- Cross-registration
- Distance learning
- Double major
- Dual enrollment
- English as a Second Language
- Domestic exchange program
- Honors program
- Independent study
- Internships
- Student-designed major
- Teacher certification
- Study abroad
- Undergraduate research
Requires coursework in English composition, a foreign language, humanities, math, a natural science, and social science.
$114,501
9-month equated, all ranks combined. Pay tracks local cost of living as much as a college's generosity.
Spending and endowment
Fiscal 2023–24. Compared only against other public colleges: public and private colleges report finances on different accounting forms that aren't comparable. Many public universities' endowments sit mostly in a separate foundation this survey doesn't count, so this likely understates what's actually available.
Sources:IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard Field of Study data, most recent release;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Salaries survey (SAL, instructional staff, all ranks), Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;IPEDS Finance survey, derived per-student figures, 2023–24;Iowa State University Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2025;Iowa State University Common Data Set 2025–26, 2025–26;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey (athletics, programs, services, religious affiliation), 2025–26About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)