Iowa State University

Iowa State is a public land-grant research university at Ames, established 1858 and among the first land-grant institutions in the United States, with over 30,000 students including more than 25,000 undergraduates. It operates rolling admissions — 'we evaluate applications when we receive them, and not after a deadline date' — and recommends applying six to eight weeks ahead to allow for the I-20 and visa. Its published financial requirement is unusually concrete: applicants must upload 'a bank statement showing a minimum balance of USD 49,300 (or local currency equivalent)'. Two automatic-or-applied scholarship routes exist and CANNOT be combined: the International Excellence Award at USD 10,000-12,000 a year, automatic but requiring SAT or ACT scores, and the International Merit Scholarship at USD 4,000 or USD 10,000, requiring a OneApp application but no test. Departmental awards can be combined with either.