AMES, Iowa – Iowa State’s enrollment prediction was spot-on. The university’s fall 2015 enrollment of 36,001 is the largest in school history, an increase of nearly 3.7 percent (1,269 students) over the previous record of 34,732 in fall 2014.

It’s the seventh year of record enrollment and the ninth consecutive year of growth at Iowa State. In the last decade, overall enrollment at Iowa State has grown 40 percent. The student body represents every Iowa county, every U.S. state and 118 countries.

More Iowa undergraduates are attending Iowa State than ever before: 19,285 students, or 64.2 percent of ISU’s undergraduate student body, are Iowans. Overall, 21,064 Iowans attend ISU, also a record.

“Our enrollment is demand-driven,” said President Steven Leath. “We’re proud to continue to educate more Iowa students than any other institution in the world. Students are choosing Iowa State because of our renowned faculty, our supportive culture and because we offer the programs that are driving our economy. Our enrollment strategy has remained the same, and that is our steadfast commitment to our land-grant mission.”

Nearly 95 percent of Iowa State graduates are either employed or pursuing further education within six months of graduation.

Iowa State’s freshman class of 6,231 students includes 3,586 Iowans (both records).

Iowa State’s first-year, full-time student retention rate jumped a full point to 87.4 percent, well above the national average and just under ISU’s record of 87.7 percent set in fall 2011. The average ACT score for new freshmen also has increased the last two years, to 25.09 in fall 2015.

By the numbers

Iowa State’s student numbers set records in the following categories this fall: