Comparison tool
Rankings across 8 publishers plus admissions, cost, debt and outcome data for Iowa State University, Indiana University Bloomington, Stony Brook University. Every figure is sourced and dated.
| Metric | Iowa StateAmes, IA | IndianaBloomington, IN | Stony BrookStony Brook, NY |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acceptance rate | 88.7% | 78.2% | 49.0% |
| SAT middle 50% | 1120–1360 | 1170–1400 | 1330–1500 |
| Average net price | $18,58918.8% on Pell grants | $16,26416.8% on Pell grants | $18,78439.4% on Pell grants |
| Published tuition & fees | $10,787 in-state · $28,881 outMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release | $12,144 in-state · $41,891 outMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release | $10,931 in-state · $32,741 outMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release |
| 6-year graduation rate | 75.3% | 80.2% | 75.6% |
| First-year retention | 87.6% | 91.1% | 89.8% |
| Undergraduates on Pell grants | 18.8% | 16.8% | 39.4% |
| Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry | $63,386 | $63,742 | $74,502 |
| Median federal debt at graduation | $22,869 | $19,509 | $18,228 |
| Student-faculty ratio | 18:1 | 18:1 | 19:1 |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 25,367 | 37,806 | 18,101 |
| Consensus percentile | 22Lower is better | 17Lower is better | 23Lower is better |
| Methodology sensitivity | 25 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points | 33 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points | 47 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points |
Highlighted cells mark the most favourable value in that row where a direction is meaningful. No highlight appears for metrics like enrollment or SAT range, where “better” depends entirely on what you want.
“Not ranked by this source” means that publisher’s list does not include the school — not missing data and not a poor rank.
| Source | Iowa State | Indiana | Stony Brook |
|---|---|---|---|
| US News | #117 of 436National universitiesNational Universities · 2026 | #73 of 436National universitiesNational Universities · 2026 | #59 of 436National universitiesNational Universities · 2026 |
| Forbes | #146 of 500Top colleges (Forbes)America's Top Colleges · 2026 | #94 of 500Top colleges (Forbes)America's Top Colleges · 2026 | #80 of 500Top colleges (Forbes)America's Top Colleges · 2026 |
| Washington Monthly | #289 of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars · 2026 | #91 of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars · 2026 | #266 of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars · 2026 |
| WSJ | #119 of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)Best Colleges in the U.S. · 2026 | #185 of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)Best Colleges in the U.S. · 2026 | #265 of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)Best Colleges in the U.S. · 2026 |
| Niche | #114 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 | #101 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 | #155 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 |
| Money | Listed | Listed | Listed |
| Princeton Review | Listed | Listed | Listed |
| QS | #449 of 1,504World (QS)World University Rankings · 2026 | #307 of 1,504World (QS)World University Rankings · 2026 | #454 of 1,504World (QS)World University Rankings · 2026 |
Students comparing Iowa State University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.
This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
Full profileStudents comparing Indiana University Bloomington on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.
This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
Full profileStudents comparing Stony Brook University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.
This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
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