Prospective participants

The Admissions Partnership Program (APP) is a partnership between all Iowa community colleges and Iowa State University. APP is designed to provide an advantage to current and future students from those colleges who are planning to earn a bachelor's degree at Iowa State. Program participants plan for a successful transfer to Iowa State University through advising activities, social and cultural opportunities, and satisfying academic requirements.

An Iowa State admissions representative will be on your campus on a regular basis. When you have questions, please contact a transfer admissions counselor at 515-294-5836 or by email at app@iastate.edu.

  • Students must be enrolled at or accepted to an Iowa community college taking coursework leading to transfer.
  • Students who have attempted community college coursework must have a cumulative community college academic GPA of 2.0 or better (this includes PSEO courses, or college credit taken while in high school).
  • Career technical, military, and developmental/remedial credit does not count towards your academic GPA.
  • Students enrolled in the Intensive English Program are not eligible.
  • Students who have taken courses at Iowa State prior to high school graduation or during the summer immediately following graduation from high school are eligible for APP.
  • Students must be high school graduate or have a high school equivalent (GED) 
  • Current or former Iowa State University students including students enrolled in off-campus programs will need to contact app@iastate.edu to discuss eligibility.

In order to participate in APP students must have a 2.00 cumulative academic GPA. If your academic GPA is below a 2.00, please contact a transfer admissions counselor to discuss ways to raise your GPA to the 2.0 requirement. You may contact us at 515-294-5836 or by email at app@iastate.edu.

Career technical, developmental/remedial, or military credits do not count towards your academic GPA.

No, the APP program does not involve concurrent enrollment. Participants interested in potentially enrolling in a Cross Enrollment program or Consortium agreement are encouraged to discuss with their community college advisor.

  1. Enroll at a participating community college taking coursework leading to transfer.
  2. Following your admission to the community college, meet with a participating community college advisor/counselor to discuss whether APP is a good fit for you.
  3. Complete the APP application online. 
  4. Have your transcripts sent to Iowa State from all institutions where you have previously attempted college level coursework, including coursework you may have taken while still enrolled in high school. Send transcripts to 100 Enrollment Services Center, Ames, IA 50011.

Students will not be fully admitted into APP until they meet admissions requirements. Students have to be enrolled at an Iowa community college to meet admissions requirements for APP.

Students who plan to enter an Iowa community college after high school graduation and would like to participate in APP may apply before registering at the community college. However, they will not be fully admitted until they have registered for community college courses and have completed high school.

  • Mentoring and guidance from both institutions from the time a student is accepted into the APP. A student in the APP will have an academic advisor/counselor at his or her community college and an academic advisor Iowa State University.
  • Opportunities to access services and resources at Iowa State University while still enrolled at their community college. Participants will have an opportunity to access career exploration and other resources, and to attend athletic and cultural events at student prices.
  • Opportunities to participate in early orientation and registration prior to transfer.
  • Guaranteed acceptance into a bachelor's degree program at Iowa State University as long as all college and program requirements are met at the time of transfer.

APP participants are asked to complete the Iowa State University application no later than one semester prior to their intended entry (excluding summer).  

An application fee of $40 is required at the time the application is completed. This fee will increase to $55 for the Fall 2024 entry term. At that time, students will be admitted to Iowa State University provided requirements for admission are met.

No. Students participating in APP are held to the same admissions standards as other students seeking admission.

Participants must meet Iowa State admissions requirements. To be admitted to a degree program, students must also meet program requirements.

Students who choose to transfer to Iowa State University before completing 24 hours of transferable semester credits must have earned a 2.25 and must meet Iowa State University's first-year admission requirements.

Participants must meet Iowa State admissions requirements. To be admitted to a degree program, students must also meet program requirements.

Students who choose to transfer to Iowa State University before completing 24 hours of transferable semester credits must have earned a 2.25 and must meet Iowa State University's first-year admission requirements.

The following majors within the College of Design require completion of the one-year pre-professional Design Core Program: architecture, graphic design, industrial design, integrated studio arts, interior design, and landscape architecture.

Students interested in these majors are encouraged to contact Jennifer Anderson at janders@iastate.edu or call 515-294-0816 to learn more about the Design Core Program and how it impacts the Admission Partnership Program.

Yes. Students who are not sure what they want to study can receive guidance from and take advantage of career exploration opportunities at both institutions. Open option students will work with an advisor in Iowa State's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Students participating in APP will be provided with a plan of study leading to a bachelor's degree. Students who change their major, attend part-time, join APP late in their community college experience, or do not enroll in coursework as advised may extend their time to graduation.

Applicants will receive written notification of their acceptance as soon as Iowa State has processed application materials and made a decision regarding eligibility for APP.

We can connect you with all the right people! Just reach out to let us know what information you need.

Email app@iastate.edu or call 515-294-8469.

Not necessarily. Participation in the Admissions Partnership Program does not qualify you for residency at Iowa State University. The guidelines for classifying students as residents or nonresidents differ based on the educational institution. Residency requirements at the community college are not the same as residency requirements at the Iowa Regents Universities. Thus a student may be classified as a resident at a community college, yet still not meet the residency requirements at Iowa State University. 

For information regarding residency classification at Iowa State University, visit the Registrar's website or contact the Iowa State University Office of the Registrar, at 515-294-1840.

Students can pay their university bill (U-Bill) by sending payment to the Treasurer's Office, 1220 Beardshear Hall, Ames, IA 50011 or by paying online through AccessPlus.

To gain access to AccessPlus, students may use the information provided to them in their APP offer letter. The APP offer letter will include the student's Iowa State ID number and a temporary password necessary to log into AccessPlus. 

No. As an Admissions Partnership Program student you are not eligible for financial aid at Iowa State University. You are only eligible for financial aid through your community college.

You will become eligible for financial aid consideration at Iowa State when you transfer to Iowa State University. 

Current participants

Their community college staff will notify the Office of Admissions at Iowa State University when a participant is no longer enrolled in community college coursework. The Iowa State Office of Admissions will drop the student from the program and notify all campus service providers at Iowa State University.

Yes, when APP participants are ready to begin the transfer admission process, they are required to apply for admission by filling out the Iowa State transfer application.

An application fee of $40 is required at the time the application is completed. This fee will be increasing to $55 for the Fall 2024 entry term.

Shortly after an APP participant's transfer coursework has been evaluated by the Iowa State Office of Admissions, the student will be contacted by a college representative and assigned an academic advisor at Iowa State. Advisors can be contacted over the phone, through email, or in person.

To get your ISU student identification card, you must visit 0530 Beardshear Hall on the Iowa State campus in person, Monday through Friday between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.

Please make sure you know your Iowa State ID number and have a photo ID with you.

You may sign up for your ISU email account in person at 192 Parks Library, Monday through Friday between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m or online by following the Solution Center's instructions 

(Note: if you sign up online you will first need to create your Net-ID).

APP participants are not required to have an ISU student identification card and email address, however, participants are strongly encouraged to do so.

Student identification cards allow students to take advantage of many of the benefits APP offers. Since email is the primary mode of communication between academic advisors and students, establishing an Iowa State email address is recommended.

Yes! You can utilize recreation services and facilities, be a part of an Iowa State student organization, and ride CyRide fare-free if you choose to pay an optional student activity fee each semester.

To use these services, please:

  1. Obtain an Iowa State Student ID card
  2. Contact Tuition & Fee Assessment at 515-294-1889 or visit the Enrollment Services Center so that the activity fee can be assessed to your University Bill (U-Bill)
  3. Once your student activity fee appears on your U-Bill, payment can then be sent to the Treasurer's Office, 1220 Beardshear or paid online through AccessPlus

In order to obtain athletic tickets, you are required to pay the student activity fee each semester. To take advantage of this option, you must first request that the activity fee can be assessed to your Iowa State University Bill (U-Bill) by completing the online form.

Once the student activity fee is assessed, you are then able to enter the student athletic ticket lottery system.

To find out more information about the student athletic ticket lottery system for APP students, please contact app@iastate.edu by the end of June.

Students experiencing any difficulties are asked to contact a transfer admissions counselor at 515-294-5836 or by email at app@iastate.edu.

If at any time a student decides to discontinue involvement in APP, please notify a transfer admissions counselor at 515-294-5836 or by email or app@iastate.edu.

Yes. While your community college financial aid might not be available until after your student activity fee is due, you are responsible to make the payment. 

If you would like to learn more about payment options, please visit the Accounts Receivable website or by calling their office at 515-294-4111.

If you have questions or difficulty paying, please contact app@iastate.edu.

No. Student employees must be enrolled for at least one credit at the institution. Once you transfer to Iowa State and are taking classes, you may seek student employment opportunities.