During the application process, you will be asked to select courses you want to take while at Iowa State. At Iowa State, you can take classes from across all the colleges. Most classes at Iowa State are 3 credits for one class (some classes may be less). Undergraduate students can take between 12-18 credits (exceptions can be made for students to take more than 18 credits, contact your exchange program coordinator). You must take at least 12 credits though (typically 4 classes in one semester).

 

• Only students who already have a bachelor’s degree may take graduate level courses (level 500 and up) except for very few exceptions.
• Only students on specific School of Veterinary Medicine exchanges may take classes in that area 
• College of Design: Some programs in the College of Design (including Architecture, Graphic Design, and Industrial Design) have limited spots in their 200 and 300 level courses for exchange students. If you want to take classes in these areas, you should have multiple alternative courses. Additionally, students coming into Design need to be prepared to submit a portfolio.

The Schedule of Classes is the best way to find courses at Iowa State. If you are looking ahead for a future semester not yet on the schedule, look at a past year for the same semester to see what courses may be offered (for example, looking at Fall 2023 for Fall 2024).

When selecting courses you want to take, you need to pay attention to:  

• The times of the classes. You can’t take classes that are at the same time of the day and on the same day of the week.
• That you meet the pre-requisites. You will not be able to take a courses if your past courses at your home institution do not match the pre-requisites at ISU. If there are questions about your previous coursework, you will be contacted during the application process.
• Some classes will have a section online or will be entirely online classes. The schedule of classes typically says “Course delivery is WWW”. You can take online classes but must take at least 12 credits worth of in-person classes while at Iowa State.
• Some courses have additional fees, which are listed out on the schedule of classes. These fees are not included in your exchange and will be added to your U-Bill if you take the course.

During the application phase, you will indicate which classes you want to take at Iowa State University. You will be assigned a Student Services Officer/Academic Advisor based on the college where most of your classes are. This person will communicate with you about your courses (whether they are available, or the section is full or if there are questions on your prior academic experience). They will help you register for courses before your arrival or when you arrive on campus (the timing can depend on which college you are in). This person will also be able to help you make changes to your schedule when you're here at Iowa State. Closer to the start of the semester, you can see your class schedule in AccessPlus

 

Schedule of Classes

Use to look up when classes will be offered. This can also be used to see which classes are typically offered in the fall and which are typically offered in the spring.

Class Cat­a­log Listing

Use this to see all classes available at Iowa State. This can be good for getting course descriptions but does not have information on when classes are offered or if they have been offered recently.

Aca­d­e­mic Calendar

Use this see the start and end dates of the semester. Note that the orientation will start prior to the start of the academic year, so the start of each semester should not be used for arrival plans.