About the College

The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences is one of the world’s leading institutions of agriculture, with more than 160 years of leadership in science, education and extension. The college educates future leaders, conducts mission-oriented research and shares new knowledge for the betterment of Iowa and the world. The college is one of eight colleges at Iowa State University, which is one of the most influential land grant universities in the nation.

The Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station is the research division of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences that helps Iowa remain a world leader in food production and address societal issues linked to agriculture: economic development, life sciences, the environment, public policy, families and communities. The college is a leader in moving into a new era of discovery about living organisms and life processes. Responding quickly to emerging needs, providing leadership to solve critical challenges and partnering to achieve goals are trademarks of the college.

• CALS ranks in the top five for the number of faculty with federal research grants and in the top six nationally, out of 60 agricultural colleges, for the total number of federal grants (Academic Analytics, 2022).
• CALS ranks third out of 60 agricultural colleges nationwide for the number of faculty with awards (Academic Analytics, 2022). 
• Over the last five years, Experiment Station scientists successfully brought in more than $300 million in external funding to address critical needs and expand scientific frontiers.

The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences offers 26 undergraduate majors and 35 graduate programs in addition to hands-on opportunities for students to hone skills in leadership, communications and cultural competency, within and across disciplines. 

• The college hosts the nation’s largest career fair and employers compete for our graduates: placement has been 97 percent or higher for 24 consecutive years.
• Approximately $4 million in scholarships are offered to students annually through the college and its departments.
• The college has the second highest four-year retention rate on campus and leads campus in four-year graduation rates.
• Iowa State’s agricultural and biosystems engineering undergraduate program is ranked fifth nationwide and its graduate program ranked second nationwide, according to U.S. News & World Report.
• Students studying biology at Iowa State will find themselves at the No. 3 ranked biology program in the state of Iowa, according to Niche.
• CALS students interested in entrepreneurship can become involved in the Start Something College of Agriculture and Life Sciences program. Iowa State recently was ranked No. 11 for undergraduate entrepreneurship programs, according to Princeton Review’s 2023 annual survey of undergraduate schools for entrepreneurship studies.

Extension to Agriculture and Natural Resources (ANR) serves Iowans daily, delivering science-based information and education vital to farmers, businesses, communities and consumers. ANR also listens to understand needs, emerging issues and help plan for the future. ANR is the largest unit in ISU Extension and Outreach, involving 40 faculty and staff in 9 departments and 41 field specialists across Iowa. The ANR Extension network of campus-based state specialists and field specialists include: agricultural engineering, commercial horticulture, farm management, field agronomists, beef specialists, swine specialists and dairy specialists.