Visit the directory of graduate programs, which will provide you with the appropriate departmental contact information.

The only fee waivers offered are to McNair Scholars. U.S. military veterans will have their application fee deferred until they enroll. Otherwise, application vouchers/waivers only come from the program to which you are applying. Please find your desired program and contact the staff listed on the program page.

To receive the fee waiver as a McNair Scholar, check the McNair box on the application and forward an official document from your McNair director/staff confirming your participation to grad_college@iastate.edu.

Students should upload copies of exam results to their application for the university to use when matching official scores to the student’s file. 

Official scores should be supplied by the examination source.

Please reference the application instructions for more information. 

GRE scores and TOEFL Scores should be sent by ETS directly to Iowa State University. Our institution code is 6306.

IELTS results should be sent by mail to:

Graduate Admissions
100 Enrollment Services Center
2433 Union Drive
Ames, IA  50011-2042

Duolingo scores should be sent electronically, directly from Duolingo, to Iowa State.

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:

  1. Earn a bachelor’s or higher degree from a country where English is the only official language.
  2. Submit official results from one of the following exams. The minimum requirements of both the Graduate College and the graduate program to which you are applying must be met. The minimum scores accepted by the Graduate College are:
  • Internet Based TOEFL (iBT) 79 
    • Official TOEFL exam results must be sent directly from the Educational Testing Service to Iowa State electronically. Our School Code is 6306
  • IELTS 6.5
    • The IELTS testing agency should send electronically, or mail official results to the Office of Admissions, Iowa State University, 100 Enrollment Services Center, Ames, IA 50011-2011.
  • Pearson Test of English (PTE) 53
  • DuoLingo English Test 105 (approved through spring 2025 semester)
    • Have results sent electronically directly to Iowa State University-All Graduate programs

Iowa State's Institution Code is 6306. We do not use department codes, as all GRE scores are delivered to admissions electronically and made available to the departments.

You should not submit a new application. Information about reentering Iowa State or changing your curriculum can be found on the Office of the Registrar’s website.

Log into your application account. When your current application appears, click on the three stacked dots. You have the option to “Apply to additional program.” Complete the information regarding the additional program, and submit the application and fee.

Log back into your Admissions MyAccount. Choose Manage Documents. You can update or upload new documents. You cannot remove any previously loaded documents.

Simply return to your application, and the status of your application is available on the Activity Page.

Some programs review applications in a two-step application process. During the first step, or pre-application, applicants do not submit recommendation letters or pay an application fee. If after preliminary review, you have been chosen to move forward in the application process, the graduate program you applied to will inform you by email. Recommendations are included in the second step of the application process. It is at this step you would pay the application fee.

For programs that do not use the two part application process, recommendations and the application fee are included in the full graduate application process.

The emails are not sent to recommenders until the application is submitted and the fee paid. If they have still not received the email, you can resend the email by managing your Letters of Recommendation. Double check to be sure the email address you listed for them is correct. They should check their spam/junk mail if they have not received the email. 

Log back into your application account. In the manage documents section, you can delete and add recommenders, update email addresses, and resend emails to recommenders. There are more instructions on how to manage your Letters of Recommendation (LOR) in the application instructions.

List of graduate programs, certificates, and minors

We are sorry, but this cannot be changed in the online system.

You can write a separate email to the graduate program to which you have applied (and copy your recommenders) telling them that you have changed your mind and now waive your right. Do not send LOR by email to the Office of Admissions. They should all be added to your file with the online system.

Graduate students do not accept their offer through AccessPlus or pay an acceptance fee. 

Graduate students should inform the department offering them admission their intent to enroll at Iowa State University by email. 

If your status is showing incomplete due to missing official academic records, you will also find the information below included with your official admission letter and related documents.

  • Now that you have been offered admission to Iowa State University, if you have not already done so, you are required to provide official copies of your final academic records and degree statements. Documents you uploaded at time of application are not considered official.
  • As we review applications and make admission decisions using unofficial documents, we require the official academic documents to be sent in a timely manner. If you have completed your studies, we ask that you send official documents within four weeks.
  • If you do not supply all the required documents by the 10th day of the entry term, you will be placed on a registration hold, barring you from registering for any classes until the required documents are submitted.
  • If you have completed your studies, and for some reason you cannot meet this deadline, you will need to contact admissions.
  • In special circumstances, we may give students permission to bring the official academic documents with them to campus and present them upon arrival. You will need permission from Admissions for this option.

Not 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.
  • PDF attachments to emails that do not require the receiver to enter a security code to access the documents are not official.
  • Documents a student uploads to their application or are attached to an email are not official.

US Transcripts

Official records bear the original stamp or seal of the school registrar. Transcripts must be sent directly to the ISU Office of Admissions from the University Registrar. Degree statements are not required from US institutions as degrees awarded will be recorded on all US transcripts.

International Academic Records

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 Spanish language countries, they may be called certificado de studios; in France, relevé de notes.

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 sent in addition to the official foreign language academic record. We will accept literal (not interpretative) English translations from any qualified translator.

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.

For international transcripts, students have the option to submit evaluations from World Education Services (WES) or Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE) for fall 2024 and beyond. You may upload or send your evaluation from either of these services. The evaluation must be a course-by-course evaluation and you must also include copies of your transcripts.

Transcripts from Mainland China

Student is required to submit certified transcripts and degree statement in both the English and Chinese languages. In some cases, one transcript will display both languages, and this acceptable.

Records from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan

We require official certified mark sheets/transcripts along with certified copies of all degrees received. An English translation should be included if the credentials are not in English.

India

Marksheets vs. transcripts. Generally, if the grades recorded are a 10 or 100 point scale, or letter grades, we will accept a transcript. Generally, if the grades are marks, we require annual mark sheets.

We require semester or annual mark sheets certified by the university, not consolidated mark sheets. College-issued transcripts will only be accepted from autonomous colleges. Consolidated mark sheets are not accepted unless all attempts, retakes, and failures are included. Degree Statements must be issued and certified by the granting university, not the college.

Transcripts from Iran

We require translated transcripts and degree statements from Iran. The translated transcript and degree statement must either have an official original stamp from the university, or must be translated by a translator to the Judiciary and after officially translated, must be presented to the Ministry of Justice and receive the Judiciary stamp and seals.

Bologna Complaint Countries

We require the official Diploma Supplement, which includes coursework, grades and degree verification.

Electronic Transcripts

In some cases, Graduate Admissions is able 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 etranscript@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. Many US institutions have the ability to send official electronic transcripts. Most international institutions do not have this ability. In most cases, international documents cannot be sent electronically. Most international records must be sent as paper copies.

Paper Documents

Mail paper copies to:
Office of Admissions
100 Enrollment Services Center 
2433 Union Drive 
Iowa State University 
Ames, IA 50011-2042

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.

Learn about housing options from the Department of Residence.

Contact your graduate department for information regarding class registration.