Ever tried to look up what a professor or a dean at a public university actually pulls in? It’s a bit of a rabbit hole. If you’re curious about Iowa State University salaries, you’re basically looking at a massive, open ledger. Because ISU is a public land-grant institution, every dime paid to employees is public record. But honestly, the raw data can be super confusing. You see a number like $735,000 for the president and then $15 an hour for a student worker and wonder how the middle actually fills out.
Most people think "university pay" and immediately picture either a wealthy tenured professor in a mahogany office or a struggling grad student living on ramen. The reality in Ames is way more nuanced.
The Big Picture: Who's Making the Most?
Let’s get the heavy hitters out of the way first. At the top of the food chain, you’ve got administration and high-profile coaching staff. President Wendy Wintersteen’s base salary was recently bumped to $735,000 effective July 1, 2025. That’s a lot of money, sure, but in the world of Power Five (or Four, these days) university presidents, it’s actually somewhat standard.
Then you have the coaches. While football coach Matt Campbell and basketball's T.J. Otzelberger are often the highest-paid individuals on campus, their contracts are a mix of base salary and private foundation money. It’s a different beast than your average department chair.
Faculty Reality Check
For the people actually standing in front of a lecture hall, the numbers vary wildly by department. If you’re a Full Professor in the College of Business or Engineering, you’re likely clearing $160,000 to $170,000. But if you’re in the Liberal Arts or Humanities, that average might dip closer to $130,000 or $140,000 for the same rank.
Here is a rough breakdown of where faculty ranks usually land as of the 2024-2025 academic cycle:
- Full Professors: Often range from $136,000 to $172,000.
- Associate Professors: These folks usually see between $96,000 and $114,000.
- Assistant Professors: The "new" tenure-track hires typically start around $93,000 to $101,000.
It’s worth noting that ISU faculty often earn about 91% to 96% of what their peers at other "Very High Research" (VHR) universities make. They’re slightly behind the national curve, which has been a point of contention in faculty senate meetings for years.
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The Professional and Scientific (P&S) Grind
The "P&S" staff is the backbone of the school. These are your academic advisors, IT specialists, lab managers, and HR folks. Unlike faculty, who are often on 9-month contracts, these are 12-month employees.
Iowa State recently shifted its pay structure. Effective July 1, 2025, the P&S salary grades range from Grade 802 (starting around $29,223) to Grade 816 (which can top out near $260,000 for high-level directors).
Most mid-level professional staff—like a Senior Academic Advisor—land in the $56,000 to $65,000 range. It’s a solid living in Ames, where the cost of living isn't exactly Manhattan levels, but it’s not peanuts either.
What's Happening with Merit and Student Pay?
Merit employees—think custodial staff, maintenance, and clerical workers—have their pay set by contracts between the State of Iowa and AFSCME. They just got a 2.0% across-the-board increase in July 2025, with another 1.0% possible on their review dates in 2026.
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If you’re a student looking for a side hustle, the Iowa State University salaries for part-time work are pretty transparent.
- On-campus student jobs: Average about $13.43/hour.
- Off-campus jobs in Ames: Usually pay better, averaging around $15.16/hour.
- Graduate Assistants: This is where it gets interesting. A half-time TA or RA (Research Assistant) for the 2025-2026 year is looking at a minimum stipend of about $2,450 per month, plus a tuition scholarship.
The January Shift
One weird thing ISU does that you won't see everywhere is the timing of raises. Most universities do raises in July with the new fiscal year. Iowa State moved performance-based raises for faculty and P&S staff to January 1.
Why? Basically, it gives the university more time to see how much money they actually got from the state legislature and how many students enrolled (tuition dollars) before they commit to raises. For 2025, the standard "satisfactory performance" raise was capped between 1% and 3%. If you were a rockstar, you could hit 4%.
Actionable Insights for Your Career
If you’re looking at these numbers because you want to work at ISU, or you’re already there and wondering if you’re underpaid, here’s the move:
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- Check the Fact Book: The ISU Institutional Research office publishes a "Fact Book" every year. It has the most granular data on average salaries by department. Use it for leverage.
- Understand the Grade: If you’re P&S, find your "Grade" (e.g., PS807). If you’re at the "Minimum" for your grade but have five years of experience, it’s time to have a conversation with your manager.
- Account for Benefits: Don’t just look at the gross pay. ISU’s TIAA retirement contribution is historically one of the best in the state (often 10% employer match if you put in 5%). That’s "hidden" salary.
- Look at Peer Data: Since ISU tracks its pay against other Land Grant schools (like Purdue or NC State), you can find those reports online to see if your specific field is lagging.
Salaries here aren't just numbers; they're a reflection of state priorities and university health. While the top-end figures grab the headlines, the real story is in the thousands of mid-tier employees keeping the lights on and the research moving.
To get the most accurate, up-to-the-minute data for a specific individual, you can head over to the Iowa News Items State Salary Database or the Board of Regents' public records portal. Just remember that these figures usually reflect the previous fiscal year's total "gross" pay, which might include summer session pay or bonuses that aren't part of their base contract.