Iowa State University

Dwarfing the small rural town of Ames in which it resides less than 30 minutes away from the state capital of Des Moines, Iowa State University is a major public land-grant and space-grant research institution. Classified as a research university with very high research activity by the Carnegie Foundation, ISU is a group member of the prestigious American Association of Universities and the Universities Research Association. As a large university with over 33,200 students enrolled annually, Iowa State is well-known for having the largest art collection of any school in the nation with over 600 works of art.

First established in 1858, Iowa State University became the nation's first designated land-grant institution when the Iowa Legislature accepted the provisions of the Morrill Act. Focused on providing practical higher education to give general training for the career of a farmer with coursework in mechanical, civil, electrical, and mining engineering, the school was named the Iowa State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts until 1959. As the school matured into becoming Iowa State University, it grew to encompass nine colleges with some of the world's leading research programs in the biological and physical sciences.

With an exemplary reputation for academic excellence, Iowa State is currently ranked as the 101st best college and 47th top public school in the entire nation by the U.S. News and World Report. Fully accredited by the North Central Association (NCA), ISU offers over 100 bachelor's degrees, 112 master's degrees, 83 doctoral degrees, and one professional degree in veterinary medicine. Ranked as the 94th in the nation in research development by the National Science Foundation, ISU is best known for its degree programs in agriculture, engineering, and science. However, the Greenlee School of Journalism is also highly regarded for being among the leading accredited journalism and mass communication programs in the United States.

Supported by Iowa State's famous Memorial Union, the university offers over 800 registered student organizations on campus, including 50 chapters of the active Greek community. With the trademark cardinal and gold colors, the Iowa State Cyclones are a member of the Big 12 Conference for competition in NCAA Division I with 16 high-achieving varsity teams in 12 sports. Some of the most notable former Cyclones are astronaut Clayton Anderson, inventor George Washington Carver, suffragist Carrie Chapman Catt, NFL player Sage Rosenfels, and Olympic gold medalist Nawal El Moutawakel.