If you're ready for a welcoming community with the perks of being in a big city then Ames, Iowa is the place for you! Iowa State University focuses on diversity, inclusion, and making sure its students go out into the world as problem solvers and future leaders. Thirty minutes north of Des Moines and home to the first electronic, digital computer, Iowa State has always been about progress. If this sounds like your kind of place, keep reading to find out the Iowa State acceptance rate and how to make yourself an ideal applicant for their university.

What is the Iowa State Acceptance Rate?

The Iowa State acceptance rate is 85%. Almost 37,000 students will start attending Iowa State in the fall. About 56.5% of these students are native to Iowa, but that doesn’t mean this college isn’t diverse. Every state in America is represented along with 121 additional countries. One in four of the students at Iowa State are either a minority or an international student. Pretty cool right? Here’s what else we know about their latest students in the latest:

•    Their average GPA is a 3.55
•    The average SAT score on the 1600 scale is 1210
•    Their average SAT score on the 2400 scale is 1717

Now that you’re better acquainted with the students that fall into those accepted to Iowa State, how do you feel about applying? You can see from the statistics available that Iowa State is not an overly competitive school, meaning your chances of acceptance are very high. When you compare their average GPA and SAT scores to your current GPA and SAT score, how do you feel about your chances of being accepted?

How to Boost Your Chances of Getting into Iowa State

After taking that honest look at your scores and GPA compared to Iowa State’s scores and GPA, most of you probably feel very good about your chances of being accepted. I want to remind you that college admissions is getting more and more competitive every year and even though Iowa State is a fairly competitive school, I want to make sure you do everything you can to make your acceptance as likely as possible. With that in mind, let me offer some of the suggestions I share with my students when they’re preparing to apply to college.

Find a College Consultant

I talk about finding a college consultant a lot and that’s because they work. Basically, a college consultant is like your personal admissions advisor for all the colleges you’re looking at applying to. They assess all the information you’ll be sending in your application packet, identify weak spots that can be improved on, and find colleges you can comfortably be accepted into. They’re there through the whole process to guide you and help take some of the stress off you and your family.

Hit the Books

With an average 3.55 GPA from incoming Iowa State freshman, you will need to earn A’s and B’s in your classes to achieve and maintain this GPA. But don’t be afraid to go higher. I always recommend working with a tutor while taking four years of English, science, math, and social studies, and take three sequential years of the same foreign language. You should also take as many AP and IB classes as you can to show their admissions committee that you’re ready for college-level coursework. And most high schools will give your GPA a boost for performing well in these classes.

Rock the ACT or SAT

Some students perform better on the ACT than the SAT; others do better on the SAT than the ACT. To find out which test you do better on, take the Pre-ACT and PSAT. You can use these scores to determine which test to focus on. Don’t flip flop or try to ace both. I tell my students to find a coach with a high score on your test and work with them to prepare for test day. Don’t worry if you don’t get the scores you wanted on your first try. It’s totally normal and acceptable for students to submit between four and six test scores to schools while they’re applying.

Flaunt Your Passions

Please do not leave yourself vulnerable to anxiety and depression by doing nothing, but homework and studying for your entire high school career. I know it’s tempting to do, because you want to be proud of the information you send to schools like Iowa State. But you need to give your brain a break and do something fun! Join school clubs, get a part-time job, play a varsity sport, or volunteer in your community; just make sure it’s something you’re passionate about and makes a positive impact on the world around you. This will give Iowa State the opportunity to see what makes you tick and makes your college application look better than before.

With the Iowa State acceptance rate being 85% and having such a strong background in innovation and diversity, it’s easy to see why so many are eager to apply. The warm, community feeling makes it an ideal location for you if this is your first time living away from home. And, because you’re close to Des Moines, you won’t miss out on the big city life. If you follow my advice by getting a college consultant, getting good grades and working with a tutor, partnering with a coach to get an amazing standardized test score, and flaunt your passions; your application is sure to get noticed by Iowa State.

What do you think about Iowa State? Were you surprised to know about the first electronic, digital computer? Leave a comment and let us know!