America's first land-grant university, pioneering practical education and groundbreaking research since 1858.
Iowa State offers comprehensive academic programs through eight colleges: Agriculture and Life Sciences, Business, Design, Engineering, Health and Human Sciences, Liberal Arts & Sciences, Veterinary Medicine, and the Graduate College. The university provides more than 100 undergraduate majors and minors, 120+ master's degree programs, and 80+ doctoral programs, plus a professional degree in Veterinary Medicine. Students benefit from hands-on learning opportunities, undergraduate research, study abroad options, and innovation initiatives including the Pappajohn Center for Entrepreneurship. The curriculum balances liberal arts education with practical, technology-focused instruction rooted in the land-grant mission.
The 1,813-acre campus features over 160 buildings, including the iconic Campanile (110 feet tall, built 1897–1898) and the central lawn—a 20-acre landscape recognized as a medallion site by the American Society of Landscape Architects. Notable facilities include Reiman Gardens (14 acres of horticultural displays), Lake LaVerne (home to swans since 1935), and five university museums including the Brunnier Art Museum and Christian Petersen Art Museum. Students participate in 800+ organizations, learning communities (95% of first-year students involved), residence halls, fraternities and sororities, and the historic VEISHEA festival. The university emphasizes a supportive community with strong traditions and social engagement.
Iowa State is a leading research institution affiliated with Ames National Laboratory—the only U.S. Department of Energy research laboratory physically located on a university campus. The university played a pivotal role in the Manhattan Project, producing one-third of the uranium metal used in the world's first controlled nuclear chain reaction. Iowa State is the birthplace of the Atanasoff–Berry Computer (1937–1942), recognized by federal court in 1973 as the first electronic digital computer. The university maintains research institutes in biorenewables, plant sciences, and other fields, supporting cutting-edge discovery and student-led research initiatives.
Established March 22, 1858, Iowa State was among the first land-grant institutions after Iowa accepted the Morrill Act in 1862. The university pioneered coeducation (first class in 1868 included 2 women), established the nation's first state veterinary college (1879), and was the first land-grant university to offer domestic economy for college credit (1872). George Washington Carver joined the faculty in 1891, becoming the university's first African American faculty member. The Cyclones nickname originated from an 1895 football victory; Cy the Cardinal mascot debuted in 1954. Traditions include campaniling (kissing under the campanile at midnight) and the 100-year-old Homecoming celebration.