Admission criteria are established by both the Graduate College and by the graduate program.
Iowa State University’s Graduate College has made the use of a pre-application available to graduate departments. Some departments have chosen to require or optionally use this pre-application. The pre-application is free, does not require letters of recommendation or most other documents, and consists of only a subset of the primary application questions, enough information for departments to make a recommendation on the applicant based on academics.
Starting an application or pre-application is the same no matter which method the department(s) use. Applicants who apply using the pre-application, should hear something from their department within a few weeks. If approved to move on to phase 2, applicants will then be asked to provide the remaining application requirements, documentation, letters of recommendation, and pay the application fee.
Deadlines are set by and vary by graduate programs. Deadlines represent the endpoint in the application process (i.e ., the final completion of your file) rather than the beginning of that process. All materials with the exception of examination results should be received by the program deadline for timely consideration . Graduate programs vary in their willingness to c onsider late applications.
The US Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 ( FERPA ) gives e nrolled students the right to view the contents of their application files. It is common practice to ask applicants for admission to sign a voluntary waiver of the right to see their letters of recommendation.
It is not uncommon for recommenders to refu se to write a letter of recommendation unless they have assurance that their letter will be kept confidential. So if you indicate you do not waive your right, we encourage you to contact your recommenders and see if they will still write a letter of recom mendation, because o nce you make your selection and submit your application, you may not change your response to that question .
Occasionally, a recommender will indicate they have not received our e mail notif ication with the link to the LOR form. In that event, please check that you entered their e mail address accurately on the application. If not, you may edit the information on the application and send a reminder to the new address. If it was entered correc tly, the e mail may have been intercepted by the recommender’s SPAM filter. Please ask them to check their SPAM folder for the message. As a last resort, they could provide you with an alternative e mail address, or submit the PDF LOR provided on our websi te (instructions below).
Iowa State’s online application system allows you to track when your online LORs are submitted, as well as change recommenders, edit email addresses, and send reminders to your recommenders.
To do so, go to Graduate Apply , and click on “Apply” (as if you are going to fill in another application). The Log In page will appear where you can reenter your User Name and Password to sign in. Click “Manage Documents” and you will be able to see and track the status of any online LOR. The following options are offered:
If a recommender does not wish to submit a LOR online, or has difficulty doing so, please follow these instructions:
It is always our pleasure to assist students in their application process ; however , we do ask that students read all instructions carefully before contacting us, as answers to your questions may have already been addressed. You can also check out our Graduate FAQ.
In order to better serve you, please also note below which office should be contacted regarding application iss ues:
Express mail requests
Office of Admissions
100 Enrollment Services Center
2433 Union Drive
Iowa State University
Ames, IA 50011-2042
USA
Tel: 1 515 294-5836
Fax: 1 515 294-2592
Admission criteria are established by both the Graduate College and by the graduate program.
The nonrefundable application f ee for domestic students (US citizens, US permanent residents, refugees, asylees, DACA or undocumented) is $60.
If you wish to apply to multiple programs, you will incur multiple nonrefundable application fee charges (e.g., $ 120 for two domestic applications, $180 for three domestic applications). You will not need to submit multiple copies of your supporting application materials, as those will be made available to all programs to which you apply. Please note, however, that the programs will be informed that you are applying to multiple programs.
The only fee waivers offered are to McNair Scholars . U.S. military veterans and those currently serving will have their application fee deferred until they enroll.
If variations of your name will appear on examination score reports or academic records, please provide those variations in the space provided. If you have only one name, please enter it in the last name or surname field
Please list your most recent university first, including the one you are currently attending.
On the application, you are asked to provide your cumulative GPA at the undergraduate level (and graduate if appropriate). You should use the grading system used at your institution, and provide the maximum attainable score as well. For example, for U.S. schools, one would write “3.0/4.0.” Students graded on percentage systems might write 80/100%. Examples of other systems include: 2nd Class Upper/1st Division; 7/10; 13/20, etc.
The Statement of Purpose is part of the actual application form. There is a strict limit of 500 words, so we encourage you to be succinct. Once submitted, no changes can be made, so please proofread your statement (as well as all other entries) carefully before submitting your application. You can either add your statement of purpose in the field provided on the application form, or upload it as a PDF. Please choose one option, not both.
Iowa State University prefers that you use the online letter of recommendation process. By including your recommenders’ names and email addresses on the application form, they will be sent an email with a link to our online Letter of Recommendation form after you submit your application. Emails to your recommenders will not be sent until you pay the application fee and submit your application. More details are provided in the Letter of Recommendation section of these instructions.
If you were previously enrolled at Iowa State as a degree-seeking graduate in the last five years, you do not need to apply again. Contact your major professor to select courses and obtain registration information. If you were last enrolled as a degree-seeking graduate longer than five years ago, you should submit the Reinstatement to Active Status form and gain the written approval of a graduate program and the Graduate College.
For the purpose of applying to Iowa State, English may be considered your primary language if you have been raised in an environment where English is the only official language of your locality and nation, and English is the language used in your home. If your primary language is not English, you must meet the university’s English proficiency requirement in one of the following ways:
All examinations should be taken at least six weeks prior to the graduate program’s application deadline to ensure timely receipt and processing of results. Test results must be sent directly from the testing agency to our institution to be considered official.
Please upload copies of any examination results you have at the time you apply as they may help the university locate your official test scores when your application is processed.
Most programs do not enforce strict cut-off scores. Rather, they review an applicant’s complete application package and credentials before making a decision. Official GRE results are sent electronically by the Educational Testing Service. Our School Code is 6306. No Department Codes are required.
The GMAT is accepted or required of applicants to business-related programs. Please check the Program Requirements page to determine if your program of choice requires it.
We allow students to upload official copies of academic records for the purposes of application review . O nly if you are offered admission to Iowa State will you be required to submit official academic records . See more information about this i n the Uploading Doc uments section .
Academic records are called different names in different countries. In the US, we call them official “transcripts.” Records bearing the original stamp or seal of the school official responsible for issuing such records (the registrar, principal, controller of exams, etc.) are considered “official.” Records certified by lecturers, professors, or any other school officials who do not hold primary responsibility for maintaining the academic records of the institution are not official. Academic records printed from a school’s website are also not accepted.
Academic records should be in the official language of the country in which they were earned. If that is not English, an English language tr anslation should be uploaded in addition to the official foreign language academic record. We will accept literal (not interpretative) English translations from any qualified translator.
If you were previously enrolled at I owa State, you do not need to request your Iowa State transcripts; the Office of Admissions will obtain them directly.
In order to save you the time, effort, and expense of mai ling supplemental application materials such as academic records, departmental forms, and resumes, we allow you to upload your supplemental materials at the time that you apply. Uploaded materials will be used to make the admissions decision. Only if you are offered admission to Iowa State will you be required to submit official academic records.
Documents may be uploaded at the same time that you submit your online application, or at a later date if necessary. The following are required:
A list of the unofficial documents attached to your application can be found in this section of the Online A pplication System. You can also upload new documents that you did not have available when you submitted your application. Just remember that documents must be in PDF format and each document must not exceed 3 MB.
We un derstand that not all applicants have the ability to prepare scanned legible documents for upload to the online application system. Your application will receive full consideration as long as your official transcripts are in the Office of Admissions by the appropriate deadline.
Important Note: Iowa State reserves the right to rescind any offer of admission if any discrepancies are found between your uploaded and official academic records and test scores, if altered or forged records are submitted, and if any essay, personal statement, or other supplemental materials include plagiarized information. If this information is discovered after matriculation at the institution, disciplinary action may be taken up to and including dismissal from the university .
Upon receipt of the online application, all required academic records (transcripts), and satisfactory examination results, the Office of Admissions reviews your file for completeness, and makes it available to the graduate progr am(s) to which you have applied. During our peak review season, this can take up to 3 weeks. If you have not uploaded the required academic records, your file will be marked “Incomplete” and an e mail will be sent to you informing you that a required academic record is missing.
If your academic records have been received, the graduate program will then review the rest of your file to determine if all the additional materials they require have been uploaded. Each graduate program has its own processes for file review. Some may notify you when an item is missing; others will not contact you as they consider it the applicant’s responsibility to meet their published requirements.
If the file is complete, it is made available to the program’s admissions committee for review. Some graduate programs do their review on a rolling basis, and others wait until February or March and review all applicants at the same time. Please contact the graduate program directly for information on when their decisions are usually made.
The graduate program makes its admission recommendation to the Graduate College for the Dean’s approval and the n a final review in the Office of Admissions. Until the Graduate Dean has approved the admission recommendation, and the Office of Admissions has conducted their final review, the program’s decision is unofficial. Once approved by the Dean, the Office of Admissions receives the electronic file for their final review. After the Office of Admissions conducts the final review, formal action is taken.
Some departments notify the applicant of their recommendation to the Graduate College; others prefer to wait until the Graduate College has approved the decision and formal notification can be sent by the Office of Admissions.
Students in the United States w ill receive their admission documents by U.S. mail.
You should contact the admitting department by email, your intent to enroll. The contact information for the department is in the Program Requirements.
If you are approved by the Graduate Dean for admission to the university, you will be instructed to send hard copies of your official final academi c records and degree statements. Documents you uploaded at time of application are not considered official.
Office of Admissions
100 Enrollment Services C enter
2433 Union Drive
Iowa State University
Ames, IA 50011- 2011
In some cases, Graduate Admissions is abl e to accept official electronic transcripts sent directly by your institution. If you wish to provide electronic transcripts, have your institution’s Registrar send transcripts/credentials directly to etranscr ipt@iastate.edu through a secure, approved, document -transfer service. Not all institutions offer secure document transfer.
Electronic documents sent as PDF attachments will not be accepted as official.
All materials submitted in support of your application of admission become the property of Iowa State University and will not be returned in original or copy.
Admission criteria are established by both the Graduate College and by the graduate program.
Our graduate application form is only available online. The $100 application fee for international students is nonrefundable. If you prefer not to pay the application fee by credit card, you may comp lete and print the online application, and attach your personal check. All checks should be in US dollars and made payable to Iowa State University.
If you wish to apply to multiple programs, you will incur multiple nonrefundable applica tion fee charges (e.g., $ 2 0 0 for two programs; $ 30 0 for three programs). You will not need to submit multiple copies of your supporting application materials, as those will be made available to all programs to which you apply.
The only fee w aivers offered are to Vietnam Educational Foundation (VEF) finalists (not semi - finalists). This is accomplished by checking “yes” to the question on the international graduate application asking if you are a VEF Finalist.
Your family name (last name or surna me) should be entered first. It is important that you use the same spelling a nd order of your name that appears on your passport. If vari ati ons of your name (i.e., maiden name, etc.) will appear on examination score reports or academic records, please provide those variations in the space provided. If you have only one name, please enter it in the last name or surname field.
U.S. Cit izenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) require that international students requesting a student visa provide a residential address outside the United States. We recommend you avoid using PO Box addresses whenever possible as express mail carriers will n ot deliver to PO boxes.
Please list your most recent university first, including the one you are currently attending. Note for Indian applicants: Please list the university that will award your degree, NOT the affiliated or constitue nt college in which you are enrolled.
On the application, you are asked to provide your cumulative GPA at the undergraduate level (and graduate if appropriate). You should use the grading system used at your institution, and prov ide the maximum attainable score as well. For example, for U.S. schools, one would write “3.0/4.0.” Students graded on percentage systems might write 80/100%. Examples of other systems include: 2 nd Class Upper/1 st Division; 7/10; 13/20, etc.
The Statement of Purpose is part of the actual application form. There is a strict limit of 500 words , so we encourage you to be succinct. You can either add your statement of purpose in the field provided on the application form, or upload it as a PDF. Please choose one option, not both. Once submitted, no changes can be made, so please proofread your statement (as well as all other entries) carefully before submitting your application.
Iowa St ate University prefers that you use the online letter of recommendation process. By including your recommenders’ names and e mail addresses on the application form, they will be sent an email with a link to our online Letter of Recommendation form after yo u submit your application . Emails to your recommenders will not be sent until you pay the application fee and submit your application. More details are provided in the Letter of Recommendation section of these instructions.
All examinations should be taken at least six weeks prior to the graduate program’s application deadline to ensure timely receipt and processing of results. Test results must be sent directly from the testing agency to our institution to be considered official.
Please upload copies of any examination results you have as they may help the university locate your official test scores when your application is processed.
Nonnative English speakers must meet the university’s English proficiency requirement in one of the following ways:
Official TOEFL exam results must be sent directly from the Educational Testing Service to Iowa State electronically. Our school code is 6306. Official IELTS and PTE results should be sent directly by the testing agencies to the Office of Admissions, Iowa State University, 100 Enrollment Services Center, 2433 Union Drive, Ames, IA 50011-2011.
Most programs do not enforce strict cut-off scores. Rather, they review an applicant’s complete application package and credentials before making a decision. Official GRE results are sent electronically by the Educational Testing Service. Our school code is 6306. No Department Codes are required, but if you have selected one, it will not impact the delivery of your results.
The GMAT is accepted or required of applicants to business-related programs. Please check the Program Requirements page to determine if your program of choice requires it.
Academic records are called different names in different countries. In the US, we call them official “transcripts.” In India, the acceptable documents are referred to as “annual marksheets;” in S panish - language countries, they may be called certificado de studios; in France, relevé de notes . Records bearing the original stamp or seal of the school official responsible for issuing such records (the registrar, principal, controller of exams, etc.) a re considered “official.” Records certified by lecturers, professors, or any other school officials who do not hold primary responsibility for maintaining the academic records of the institution are not official. Academic records printed from a school’s we bsite are also not accepted.
We require semester or annual marksheets . College - issued transcripts will only be accepted from autonomous colleges. Consolidated mark sheets are not accepted unless all attempts, retakes, and failures are included. When uploading marksheets to your application account, select “Tran scripts” not “Exams . ”
Academic records should be in the official language of the country in which they were earned. If that is not English, an English language translation should be uploaded in addition to the official foreign language academic record. We will accept literal (not interpretative) English translations from any qualified translator.
If you were previously enr olled at Iowa State, you do not need to request your Iowa State transcripts; the Office of Admissions will obtain them directly.
This form is required for the purpose of issuing the visa eligibility form (Form I-20). No Form I-20 will be issued until we receive documentation that you have sufficient financial resources to cover your annual expenses.
The Financial Statement should be uploaded to your application account, not sent by email. While your application will be reviewed without this form, the lack of financial documentation will cause a delay in the issuance of your documents. If you choose to wait until you receive our admission decision before submitting financial information, you will be sent an email detailing what documents are required prior to the issuance of your official admission documents, including your letter and I-20.
Consult the Estimated Annual Expenses for the amount of money a typical student spends i n the current academic year at Iowa State. U.S. consular officers typically require that an amount equal to one full year of support be readily available, such as in a bank, and that you have a documented source of support for the following years. For conf identiality purposes, we strongly urge you to cross out the bank account number on any bank documents prior to uploading. If your government or another agency is sponsoring you, the letter of award should include the dollar amount of the scholarship, the number of years it will be provided, and the degree for which the support is given.
Graduate assistantships are awarded on the basis of academic and/or professional excellence. Recipients receive tuition reduction and a stipend (s alary) to work approximately 10 or 20 hours pe r wee k on assigned professional responsibilities, such as teaching or research. Assistantships do not always cover the full cost of attendance; in those cases, the applicant must cover the remaining costs. We ask that you indicate the maximum amount of funds you can provide for your own support annually on the Financial Statement.
In order to save you the time, effort, and expense of mailing supplemental application materials such as academ ic records, departmental forms, and financial documentation, Iowa State encourages you to upload your supplemental materials at the time that you complete your online application for admission.
Uploaded materials will be used to make the admissions decis ion. Only if you are offered admission to Iowa State will you be required to submit official academic records and financial documents. Do not send any hard copy academic records until you have been offered admission and have decided to matriculate .
Once you have submitted your application, a list of the unofficial documents attached to your application can be found in this section of the Online Application Syste m. You can also upload new documents at any time. A link is provided to the Program Requirements page of the program(s) to which you are applying so that you can ensure you submit all required supplemental documents.
We un derstand that not all applicants have the ability to prepare scanned legible documents for upload to the online application system. Your application will receive full consideration as long as your official transcripts are in the Office of Admissions by the appropriate deadline.
Iowa State reserves the right to rescind any offer of admission if any discrepancies are found between your uploaded and official academic records and test scores, if altered or forged records are submitted, and if any essay, personal statement, or other supplemental materials include plagiarized information. If this information is discovered after matriculation at the institution, disciplinary action may be taken up to and including dismissal from the university .
Upon receipt of the online application, all required academic records (transcripts), and satisfactory examination results, the Office of Admissions logs in your materials and make them available to the gradu ate program(s) to which you have applied. If you have not uploaded the required academic records, your file will be marked “Incomplete” and an automated e mail will be sent to you informing you that a required academic record is missing.
Each graduate program has its own processes f or file review. Some may notify you when an item is missing; others consider it the applicant’s responsibility to meet their published requirements, and will not contact you .
Some graduate programs do their review on a rolling basis, and others wait until February or March to begin their review. Please contact the graduate program directly for information on when their decisions are usually made.
The graduate program makes its admission recommendation to the Graduate College for the Dean’s approval and the n a final review in the Office of Admissions. Until the Graduate Dean has approved the admission recommendation, and the Office of Admissions has conducted their final review, the program’s decision is unofficial. Once approved by the Dean, the Office of Admissions receives the electronic file for their final review. After the Office of Admissions conducts the final review, formal action is taken.
Some departments notify the applicant of their r ecommendation to the Graduate College; others prefer to wait until the Graduate College has approved the decision and formal notification can be sent by the Office of Admissions.
If you are approved by the Graduate Dean for admis sion to the university, the Office of Admissions reviews the following:
The official admission letter (and I-20 Form) will be emailed to international students living abroad. International students living in the U.S. will receive the official admission letter by U.S. Mail.