Ever tried digging through state records to see what your old professor or the head football coach makes? It’s a rabbit hole. Honestly, looking at Iowa State University salaries 2024 is like trying to read a map of Ames while someone’s shaking it. There’s a lot of data, but it’s spread across budget reports, Board of Regents spreadsheets, and student outcome trackers.
If you’re a student wondering if that Engineering degree is worth the debt, or a staff member hoping for a raise that actually beats inflation, the numbers tell a pretty specific story. It isn't just about the million-dollar coaching contracts. It’s about the shift in how the university pays its regular employees and what new grads are actually seeing in their first paychecks.
The Big Earners: Coaches and Administration
Let’s get the obvious stuff out of the way first. People love to talk about the highest-paid employees. At a place like Iowa State, those spots are almost always reserved for the faces you see on TV on Saturdays.
For the 2024 fiscal year, Matt Campbell, the head football coach, remains at the top of the mountain. His salary has hovered around the $3 million mark (specifically cited at approximately $2,943,000 in recent filings). Close behind him is T.J. Otzelberger, the men's basketball coach, who saw his compensation rise to about **$2.3 million** as the team’s success bolstered his market value.
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Then you have the administration. President Wendy Wintersteen is the highest-paid non-athlete-related official. By June 2024, her salary reached $710,000 per year. That came after a $60,000 bump from the Iowa Board of Regents. While that sounds like a massive number to most of us, it’s actually a response to the "market." The Regents argue that to keep top leadership from being poached by other Big 12 schools or private industry, they have to keep the pay competitive.
Breaking Down Faculty and Staff Pay
But what about the people who actually grade your papers or keep the Wi-Fi running in Parks Library? That’s where things get more "real world."
Iowa State uses something called a compa-ratio to figure out if they’re paying people fairly. Basically, they look at the "market median" for a job—what other schools or companies pay for the same role—and set that as 1.00 (or 100%). If you’re at 0.96, you’re making 96% of the market average.
In 2024, the average compa-ratio for Professional and Scientific (P&S) staff at ISU dropped to 0.96. Back in 2020, it was 0.99.
Why the drop? It’s a weird paradox. The university is raising the pay grades to keep up with the market, but the actual salaries aren't always moving as fast. This means many employees are technically falling further behind the "midpoint" of their pay grade, even if they got a small raise.
Recent Raise Policies (2024-2025)
For the current cycle, here is how the university handled increases:
- Satisfactory Performance: Most faculty and staff were eligible for a 1.0% to 3.0% increase.
- Extraordinary Performance: High achievers could get up to 4.0%, or even more with special approval.
- Merit Employees: Those covered by the AFSCME contract generally saw a 2.0% across-the-board increase in July 2024.
Honestly, when you compare a 2% or 3% raise to the cost of eggs and rent in Ames lately, you can see why the Professional & Scientific Council is often pushing for more.
What New Grads Are Actually Making
If you're a student, the "Iowa State University salaries 2024" conversation is more about your future income. The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) and the College of Engineering release some of the best data on this.
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Engineering remains the heavyweight champion for starting pay. For the 2024-2025 period, the average starting salary for an ISU Engineering grad (Bachelor's) is roughly $79,093. If you’re a student worker right now, you’re likely seeing an average of $13.43 per hour for on-campus jobs, though that can swing wildly from $8.00 to $20.00 depending on if you’re washing lab glassware or doing high-level IT support.
Starting Salaries by Major (2024 CALS Data)
- Agricultural Business: Average around $60,690.
- Industrial Technology: High averages near $70,771.
- Animal Science: Typically starts around $54,535.
- Environmental Science: A bit lower, averaging $46,467.
These aren't just guesses. These come from the 2023-2024 annual job board reports and career services surveys. It’s clear that "STEM" still pays the bills, but even traditional "Ag" roles are seeing a significant lift as technology integrates into farming.
The Budget Reality: Why Pay Isn't Higher
You might wonder why a university with a billion-dollar budget can't just give everyone a 10% raise to match inflation. It’s complicated.
Iowa State’s General Fund budget for 2024 ended with a surplus, but the university is heavily dependent on two things: State Appropriations and Tuition. For the 2024 fiscal year, the Iowa Legislature kept general university appropriations flat—meaning $0 in new money from the state.
To cover the gap, the Board of Regents approved a 3.5% tuition increase for resident undergraduates. When the state doesn't chip in more, the burden falls on students, and the "salary pool" for professors and staff stays tight. It’s a balancing act that usually leaves nobody perfectly happy.
Navigating the 2024 Salary Landscape
If you're looking for specific names and numbers, the Iowa Department of Management publishes a searchable database of every state employee. It’s public record. You can see the gross pay for everyone from the janitorial staff to the Dean of Students.
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Some things to keep in mind when looking at that data:
- Gross vs. Base: The number you see often includes "extra" pay like summer research grants for professors or overtime for merit staff.
- Total Compensation: This doesn't show the value of the IPERS pension or the health insurance, which is actually pretty good at ISU compared to the private sector.
- Fiscal Year Timing: ISU operates on a July 1 to June 30 fiscal year. So "2024" data usually covers the end of the 23-24 school year and the start of 24-25.
Actionable Next Steps
If you are a current employee or looking to become one, don't just look at the base number.
- Check the Compa-Ratio: If you’re applying for a P&S job, ask for the pay grade midpoint. If they offer you something below 0.90, know that you’re technically being paid below "market competitive" for that role.
- Negotiate Advancement: If you're a faculty member, remember that promotions come with set increments. Moving to Associate Professor usually adds $7,500 to your base, while Full Professor adds $10,000.
- Use the Career Power: Students should be hitting the CALS or Engineering Career Services offices. They have the most granular data on which companies are paying the $80k+ starting salaries right now.
The "Iowa State University salaries 2024" story is really one of a university trying to stay elite while the state tightens its belt. It’s a great place to work for the benefits and stability, but the days of "easy" 5% raises seem to be in the rearview mirror for now.
To get the most accurate, real-time data for a specific department, your best bet is to visit the ISU Institutional Research "Fact Book" or the Open Iowa state transparency portal. Both are updated annually and provide the hard evidence behind the trends we’re seeing today.