Iowa State University (ISU) Transfers: 2024 Requirements, Dates, GPAs & More

This is the complete guide for transferring to ISU. We suggest you read until the end - you can also use the below calculator to estimate your likelihood of being able to transfer to ISU.

What are your chances at ISU?

Your SAT Score
on a 4.0 scale

This free college chances tool calculates your acceptance chances at ISU or any other U.S. college

Please note all chances are estimates based on test score and GPA averages.

*or select a school above for a specific calculation

Need chances at another college?

I get it - transferring colleges can be confusing, time-consuming and overwhelming. You are not alone. In fact, more than 700,000 students transfer colleges every year.

At ISU, 20.0% of the entire student body are transfer students, so you won’t be alone.

To read about regular admission requirements for Iowa State University (ISU), click here

What are the transfer requirements for ISU?

ISU requires a number of completed documents for consideration. The table below summarizes the most important pieces of information:

Admission Item Required?
High School Transcript Required of Some
College Transcript Required of All
Essay or Personal Statement Not Required
Interview Not Required
Standardized Test Scores Required of Some
Statement of Good Standing from Prior Institution Required of All

In addition to the above requirements, ISU also requires a minimum number of credits completed to apply to be a transfer student.

ISU requires a minimum of 24 credits.

What are Iowa State University (ISU)’s Transfer Deadlines?

Many universities accept transfer applications during each semester. For this reason, we break down ISU transfer deadline by fall, winter, spring and summer.

Closing Date Reported Deadline
Fall Transfer Deadline rolling
Winter Transfer Deadline rolling
Spring Transfer Deadline rolling
Summer Transfer Deadline rolling

Waiting until the last minute to finalize your application could result in a silly mistake.

We recommend you complete your application at least 1 week before the required deadline.

In fact, take a full 2 day break from looking at anything related to your application and then come back to look for errors. I bet you’ll find a few 😉

When are decision dates for Iowa State University (ISU) transfer applicants?

If you applied to transfer to ISU on or before the reported deadlines then you should have your decision date by the notification dates in the below table.

Deadline Notification Dates
Fall Transfer Deadline
Winter Transfer Deadline
Spring Transfer Deadline
Summer Transfer Deadline

Note this data is current as of 2019 and to the best of our knowledge this hasn’t changed.

What is Iowa State University (ISU)’s transfer acceptance rate?

In 2019, ISU received 3198 transfer applicants.

The school accepted 2578 students. Therefore, the transfer acceptance rate for ISU is 80.61%.

This indicates how hard it is to transfer into ISU. You can use the free calculator below to predict your chances of getting accepted.

What are your chances at ISU?

Your SAT Score
on a 4.0 scale

This free college chances tool calculates your acceptance chances at ISU or any other U.S. college

Please note all chances are estimates based on test score and GPA averages.

*or select a school above for a specific calculation

Need chances at another college?

Additionally, of the 2578 accepted transfer students, 1542 students enrolled - that means the yield was 59.81%.

ISU accepts 81 out of every 100 transfer applicants.

How can you afford ISU

ISU costs an average of $N/A. The below vendors all offer private student loans for ISU students to help cover the cost... We have partnered with Edvisors to provide these vendors and keep the offer up-to-date.

What are the Iowa State University (ISU) transfer GPA requirements?

ISU requires a minimum college GPA of 2.0 - this is on a 4.33 point scale.

In addition, ISU requires a minimum high school GPA of 2.0.

Will you enjoy transferring to ISU?

There are a lot of reasons to transfer to ISU. Maybe your plan has always been to attend community college, and then move to a four year college to save money while completing your degree.

Maybe you had a bad experience at your first school - don’t worry this is more common than you think.

Or perhaps you’re drawn to Ames...

Regardless of your reason for transferring, you’re already enrolled at another college or university so you know that the most important element in your college experience is the people and community

Finding success at ISU is dependent on feeling comfortable - will you be able to find a place to find home and grow?

These are the questions that numbers and data cannot answer, but CampusReel can.

If you’re considering transferring to ISU then I highly recommend that you watch the school’s videos on CampusReel. These are real students with real stories.

Final Verdict: How to transfer into ISU

Let’s wrap up everything we’ve learned. If you still have questions about transferring, check out the ISU website for more info.
ISU accepts 80.61% transfer applicants, which is competitive.

To have a shot at transferring into ISU, you should have a current GPA of at least 3.64 - ideally you’re GPA will be around 3.79. In addition, you will need to submit standardized test scores.

The below tables show the SAT and ACT breakdown of ISU students.

25th Percentile 75th Percentile Average
SAT Math 520 660 590
SAT Reading 460 610 535
2018 Total SAT Score 980 1270 1125
25th Percentile 75th Percentile Average
ACT Math 22 28 25
ACT Reading 21 28 24
2018 Total ACT Score 43 56 49

Iowa State University (ISU)’s average SAT score is 1125. To be a competitive applicant for Iowa State University (ISU) your SAT score should come close to the average - for the ACT you should be aiming for the equivalent.

What are your chances at ISU?

Your SAT Score
on a 4.0 scale

This free college chances tool calculates your acceptance chances at ISU or any other U.S. college

Please note all chances are estimates based on test score and GPA averages.

*or select a school above for a specific calculation

Need chances at another college?

If you’re considering transferring to ISU, you may also want to consider the schools:

Transferring to University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Will you get accepted?

Predict now!