Accreditation Information
Iowa State’s undergraduate Bachelor of Science in Community and Regional Planning (BSCRP) and graduate Master of Community and Regional Planning (MCRP) degree programs are nationally accredited by the Planning Accreditation Board.
Both the BSCRP and MCRP programs were reaccredited for a five-year term effective January 1, 2025, through December 31, 2029. The next accreditation review will be during the 2028-2029 academic year.
Why does accreditation matter?
Accreditation evaluates and recognizes an educational institution’s performance and quality. Graduation from an accredited program establishes that you have met the educational standards of the professional planning organizations.
Public information
All accredited schools of planning are expected to provide information to the public on the performance of the planning program and its students. The information below is from the Department of Community and Regional Planning files and meets this expectation.
All accredited schools of planning are expected to provide information to the public on the performance of the planning program and its students. The information below is from the Department of Community and Regional Planning files and meets this expectation.
Bachelor of Science in Community and Regional Planning (BSCRP) (PDF)
Students that secure internships and want to earn credit can register for CRP 3300 or CRP 5300: Practicum. These courses may be taken for 1 to 3 semester credits and is repeatable. At the end of the internship, the student’s supervisor is required to complete and submit an evaluation form to the CRP Department internship coordinator. Supervisors evaluate the interns on a number of indicators based upon the student’s performance including their writing ability, speaking ability, understanding of planning concepts, ability to analyze problems, and effectiveness in carrying out assignments. For each of these indicators, the intern is rated on a scale of 4 (Excellent = 4; Good = 3; Fair = 2; Poor = 1). We use the overall mean score for these indicators as a measure of overall student achievement in the program. Note that some students who complete planning internships decide not to register for the course and so their supervisors are not required to complete an evaluation form.
| Semester | Bachelors Program | Masters Program | ||
| Overall mean score | Overall mean score | |||
| 2014–2015 (spring, summer & fall) | 3.5 | 3.5 | ||
| 2015–2016 | 3.7 | 3.7 | ||
| 2016–2017 | 3.9 | 3.8 | ||
| 2017–2018 | 3.6 | 3.8 | ||
| 2018–2019 | 3.8 | 4.0 | ||
| 2019–2020 | 3.5 | 3.5 | ||
| 2020–2021 | 3.8 | 3.9 | ||
| 2021–2022 | 3.6 | 3.9 | ||
| 2022–2023 | 3.7 | 3.9 | ||
| 2023-2024 | 3.7 | 3.5 | ||
Information concerning the cost of attending ISU is available from the Office of Student Financial Aid. These costs consist of tuition and fees, books and supplies, room and board, transportation, and any additional costs for a program in which the student is enrolled or expresses an interest.
For detailed information, visit the Office of Student Financial Aid webpage.
Tuition and Fees
Undergraduate
| 2024-2025 Academic Year | Tuition & Fees |
| In State Residents, per full-time academic year | $12,917 |
| Out of State Residents, per full-time academic year | $31,075 |
Undergraduate tuition 2024-2025
Graduate Program
| 2024-2025 Academic Year | Tuition & Fees |
| In State Residents, per full-time academic year | $15,155 |
| Out-of-state | $32,767 |
Graduation data and retention rates for ISU full-time, degree-seeking, undergraduate students are available in the ISU Fact Book. ISU retention, graduation, and transfer out data are also available in the ISU College Portrait.
Bachelors program retention and graduation rates
| Academic Year | Entering Cohort | Retention Rate | Graduated within 6 years | Graduation Rate |
| 2009 – 2010 | 30 | 77% | 22 | 73% |
| 2010 – 2011 | 24 | 83% | 20 | 83% |
| 2011 – 2012 | 35 | 83% | 27 | 77% |
| 2012 – 2013 | 28 | 75% | 21 | 75% |
| 2013 – 2014 | 29 | 90% | 23 | 79% |
| 2014 – 2015 | 30 | 77% | 20 | 67% |
| 2015 – 2016 | 30 | 97% | 26 | 83% |
| 2016 – 2017 | 22 | 82% | 27 | 77% |
| 2017 – 2018 | 42 | 83% | 32 | 91% |
| 2018 – 2019 | 26 | 85% | 22 | 86% |
| 2019 – 2020 | 25 | 87% | n/a | n/a |
| 2020 – 2021 | 20 | 85% | n/a | n/a |
| 2021 – 2022 | 23 | 71% | n/a | n/a |
| 2022 – 2023 | 12 | 100% | n/a | n/a |
| 2023-2024 | 25 | 96% | n/a | n/a |
Number of Degrees Awarded:
2014 – 2015 Academic year: 24
2015 – 2016 Academic year: 16
2016 – 2017 Academic year: 15
2017 – 2018 Academic year: 33
2018 – 2019 Academic year: 23
2019 – 2020 Academic year: 20
2020 – 2021 Academic year: 21
2021 – 2022 Academic year: 27
2022 – 2023 Academic year: 27
2023 – 2024 Academic year: 23
Masters program retention and graduation rates
| Academic Year | Number enrolled | Retention Rate | Graduated with 4 years | Graduation Rate |
| 2010 – 2011 | 11 | 100% | 10 | 91% |
| 2011 – 2012 | 6 | 100% | 5 | 89% |
| 2012 – 2013 | 10 | 80% | 8 | 80% |
| 2013 – 2014 | 15 | 100% | 12 | 80% |
| 2014 – 2015 | 15 | 87% | 13 | 87% |
| 2015 – 2016 | 14 | 100% | 12 | 87% |
| 2016 – 2017 | 10 | 80% | 5 | 62% |
| 2017 – 2018 | 17 | 88% | 10 | 71.5% |
| 2018 – 2019 | 8 | 100% | 7 | 88% |
| 2019 – 2020 | 6 | 100% | 6 | 84% |
| 2020 – 2021 | 12 | 100% | 12 | 100% |
| 2021 – 2022 | 7 | 100% | n/a | n/a |
| 2022 – 2023 | 10 | 90% | n/a | n/a |
| 2023-2024 | 21 | 100% | n/a | n/a |
Number of Degrees Awarded:
2014 – 2015 Academic year: 12
2015 – 2016 Academic year: 9
2016 – 2017 Academic year: 17
2017 – 2018 Academic year: 21
2018 – 2019 Academic year: 5
2019 – 2020 Academic year: 14
2020 – 2021 Academic year: 15
2021 – 2022 Academic year: 7
2022 – 2023 Academic year: 13
2023 – 2024 Academic year: 10
To become a certified planner, members of the American Planning Association (APA) must meet certain education and experience requirements and pass the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) Exam. The ACIP pass rate is the percentage of test takers who pass the examination within 5 years of graduating from a master’s program, and/or within 7 years of graduating from a bachelor’s program. The APA keeps historical AICP pass rate data for all planning schools, which can be found at https://www.planning.org/certification/passrates/.
Bachelors Program
| Professional Certification | Percent | |||
| Percentage of bachelor’s graduates taking the AICP exam within 5 years who passed, graduating class of 2018 (for accredited undergrad) | N/A | |||
| Percentage of Bachelor’s graduates taking the AICP exam within 5 years who pass, Graduating class of 2017 | 50%* | |||
| Percentage of Bachelor’s graduates taking the AICP exam within 5 years who pass, Graduating class of 2016 | 50%* | |||
| Percentage of Bachelor’s graduates taking the AICP exam within 7 years who pass, Graduating class of 2014 | 50% | |||
| Percentage of Bachelor’s graduates taking the AICP exam within 7 years who pass, Graduating class of 2013 | 80% | |||
| Percentage of Bachelor’s graduates taking the AICP exam within 7 years who pass, Graduating class of 2012 | 77.8% | |||
| Percentage of Bachelor’s graduates taking the AICP exam within 7 years who pass, Graduating class of 2011 | 60% | |||
| Percentage of Bachelor’s graduates taking the AICP exam within 7 years who pass, Graduating class of 2010 | 87.5% | |||
| Percentage of Bachelor’s graduates taking the AICP exam within 7 years who pass, Graduating class of 2009 | 100% | |||
- *New definition
Masters Program
| Professional Certification | Percent | |||
| Percentage of master’s graduates taking the AICP exam within 3 years who pass, graduating class of 2020 | 100%* | |||
| Percentage of Master’s graduates taking the AICP exam within 3 years who pass, Graduating class of 2019 | 100%* | |||
| Percentage of Master’s graduates taking the AICP exam within 3 years who pass, Graduating class of 2018 | 100%* | |||
| Percentage of Master’s graduates taking the AICP exam within 5 years who pass, Graduating class of 2016 | 50% | |||
| Percentage of Master’s graduates taking the AICP exam within 5 years who pass, Graduating class of 2015 | 67% | |||
| Percentage of Master’s graduates taking the AICP exam within 5 years who pass, Graduating class of 2014 | 100% | |||
| Percentage of Master’s graduates taking the AICP exam within 5 years who pass, Graduating class of 2013 | 100% | |||
| Percentage of Master’s graduates taking the AICP exam within 5 years who pass, Graduating class of 2012 | 100% | |||
| Percentage of Master’s graduates taking the AICP exam within 5 years who pass, Graduating class of 2011 | 100% | |||
- *New definition
The Employment Rate measures the percentage of graduates who obtain planning positions or elect to pursue an advanced degree within one year of graduation. The College of Design surveys graduates of the program one year after graduation.
| Bachelors Program | Masters Program | ||
| 2012 (calendar year) | |||
|
68% | 100% | |
|
28% | 0% | |
| 2013 (calendar year) | |||
|
82% | 100% | |
|
12% | 0% | |
| 2014 (calendar year) | |||
|
65% | 82% | |
|
20% | 9% | |
| 2015 (calendar year) | |||
|
59.1% | 75% | |
|
13.6% | 25% | |
| 2016 (calendar year) | |||
|
80% | 85% | |
|
13% | 7% | |
| 2017 (calendar year) | |||
|
79% | 92% | |
|
11% | 8% | |
| 2018 (calendar year) | |||
|
65% | 57% | |
|
16% | 43% | |
| 2019 (calendar year) | |||
|
67% | 50% | |
|
41% | 50% | |
| 2020 (calendar year) | |||
|
61.3% | 72.7% | |
|
16.1% | 18.2% | |
| 2021 (calendar year) | |||
|
66.7% | 100% | |
|
28.6% | 0 | |
|
4.8% | 0 | |
|
5 | 0 | |
| 2022 (calendar year) | |||
|
80.8% | 66.7% | |
|
7.7% | 33.33% | |
|
11.5% | 0 | |
|
1 | 1 | |
| 2023 (calendar year) | |||
|
87% | 90% | |
|
8.7% | 10% | |
|
13% | 0% | |
|
1 | 1 | |