The best investment you'll ever make

We know a college education is an investment, and more than 85 percent of students receive some form of financial aid.

Whether it’s gaining an understanding of scholarships and grants or identifying which federal loan is best for you, the Office of Student Financial Aid has several options to suit your needs.

Cost of attendance

The estimated annual cost of attendance for new students includes Iowa State's tuition and fees, room and meals, as well as an estimate for books and supplies. Total costs of attending Iowa State University may vary based on students' lifestyles, majors, academic colleges, and academic progress.

The cost of attendance is an estimate of the costs of being enrolled for one year at Iowa State University. Students are assigned a financial aid budget based on their estimated cost of attendance, which is used to determine the maximum amount of financial aid needed. To help with understanding your cost of attendance, planning tools are available. Some of these tools can help you create budgets and lay out costs specific to your enrollment situation.

International student costs

Immigration regulations require international students to verify the availability of financial resources to pay for all their educational, living and other expenses (and those of any dependents) for the duration of their studies prior to the issuance of the Form I-20 or Form DS-2019 to obtain a visa to enter the United States.