Demand for a degree at Iowa State University has reached unprecedented levels among Iowans and students all over the world. Iowa State's total enrollment for fall 2015 has climbed to 36,001 making this the seventh year of record enrollment and ninth consecutive year of growth for the state's largest university.
 

Land Grant Mission

In the last decade, enrollment has increased 40% (25,741 in 2005). As Iowa's only land-grant institution, Iowa State prides itself on providing accessible, high quality education. Sixty percent of the student body is comprised of Iowa students from all 99 counties. Total undergraduate Iowa student enrollment has reached a new record level of 19,285, while total Iowa student enrollment has also reached a record high of 21,064. Students also come from every U.S. state and 118 countries.
 

Strong Freshman Classes 

Iowa State's freshman class of 6,231 students includes 3,586 Iowans (both records). Iowa State continues its long history of being the number one choice of Iowa high school graduates and Iowa community college transfer students. Iowa State's first-year, full-time student retention rate is 87.4%, well above the national average (78%).
 

Inclusive & Diverse 

Iowa State remains attractive to students from outside of Iowa with another record enrollment of nonresident and international undergraduates (11,749). Iowa State's enrollment also set records for U.S. multicultural students (4,325). More than one in five Iowa State students is either a U.S. multicultural student or an international student.
 

Supportive Culture 

To support the growth of the student body, Iowa State hired 123 new tenured or tenure-track faculty members and leased space for an additional 495 students to live in university housing. The number of students choosing to live with the Department of Residence has increased nearly 60% since 2005 (12,733). More than 70% of first-year students participate in learning communities at Iowa State.
 

High Demand Graduates 

Iowa State offers the programs that are driving the economy; demand for degrees in agriculture, biosciences, business, and engineering accounts for the majority of Iowa State's record growth. Nearly 95% of Iowa State graduates are either employed or pursuing further education within six months of graduation.
 

Alumni Continue Their Adventure in Iowa 

The ISU Alumni Association also reached a milestone: a total of 100,223 alumni now reside in the state. A greater number of Iowa State graduates live in Iowa than graduates from any other institution.
 

Read more from Iowa State's recent news release.
 

President Steven Leath will review university achievements and share his priorities for this academic year at his annual address this evening at 7:00 p.m. in the Great Hall of the Memorial Union. Live video streaming of the event will also be available.