Finance and aerospace engineering leap-frogged to the No. 2 and No. 3 spots in this spring’s peek at the most in-demand majors among Iowa State undergraduates. Mechanical engineering maintained the top spot among all undergraduates as well as male-identifying students — as it has for at least a decade. In fact, this spring, 13% of male undergraduates are working toward degrees in mechanical engineering.
Animal science continues in its long-term top spot among female-identifying undergraduates, though not at the same concentration as the male subset: about 7% of female students are in that major. Of note among female students, two College of Design programs, architecture (No. 8) and interior design (No. 10) climbed into the top 10 majors for the first time.
The data, collected on the 10th day of the semester, was shared with Inside by the staff in the office of institutional research.
In addition to finance, several other business degrees advanced on the top 10 majors list. Marketing rose to No. 6 among all undergraduates and No. 5 among female-identifying students. Accounting landed in the No. 9 spot among all undergraduates and No. 7 among female-identifying students. Student enrollment across the Ivy College of Business has been more accurate since fall 2023, when the college eliminated its “pre-business” placeholder for lower-level students, who now may declare a major as incoming freshmen.
Big picture
The 10 most popular undergraduate majors this spring capture 38% of the 24,352 undergraduates studying at Iowa State. Among male-identifying undergraduates, 48% are pursuing one of that group’s 10 most popular majors. Six of the 10 are an engineering field. As they have in the past, female-identifying students show a broader distribution of interest. Among them, 39% are in their top 10 majors, nearly mirroring the overall percentage.
Among this spring’s 24,352 undergraduate students, 55% (13,510) identify as male and 45% (10,842) identify as female.
Spring semester 2026: Top 10 undergraduate majors*
| Place | All undergraduates | Identify as female | Identify as male |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mechanical engineering 1,984 | Animal science 764 | Mechanical engineering 1,745 |
| 2 | Finance 1,191 | Psychology 548 | Finance 987 |
| 3 | Aerospace engineering 968 | Kinesiology and health 524 | Aerospace engineering 807 |
| 4 | Kinesiology and health 925 | Elementary education 508 | Computer science 506 |
| 5 | Animal science 921 | Marketing 490 | Civil engineering 447 |
| 6 | Marketing 884 | Biology 454 | Electrical engineering 444 |
| 7 | Psychology 720 | Accounting 253 | Software engineering 418 |
| 8 | Computer science 610 | Architecture 244 | Kinesiology and health 401 |
| 9 | Accounting 591 | Mechanical engineering 239 | Marketing 394 |
| 10 | Civil engineering 557 | Interior design 230 | Computer engineering 345 |
| Total | 9,351 | 4,254 | 6,494 |
*Student’s first major
Shifts over time
Ten years ago, in spring 2017, 32% of Iowa State’s 28,334 undergraduates landed in one of the 10 most popular majors. Not included in that count were 1,750 in the Ivy college’s pre-business designation for first-year students. Among female-identifying students, 38% were captured in their top 10 majors; among male undergraduates, that percentage rose to 40%.
Engineering disciplines captured the first seven spots among male students. Among female-identifying students, the top four majors were the same, just in a slightly jumbled order.
Spring semester: 2017 Top 10 undergraduate majors*
| Place | All undergraduates | Identify as female | Identify as male |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mechanical engineering 2,054 | Animal science 740 | Mechanical engineering 1,844 |
| 2 | Kinesiology 1,119 | Elementary education 671 | Aerospace engineering 681 |
| 3 | Animal science 938 | Kinesiology 631 | Computer engineering 635 |
| 4 | Elementary education 768 | Psychology 541 | Civil engineering 523 |
| 5 | Aerospace engineering 761 | Apparel, merch. and design 431 | Chemical engineering 511 |
| 6 | Chemical engineering 718 | Biology 429 | Electrical engineering 509 |
| 7 | Psychology 709 | Human dev./family studies 347 | Software engineering 508 |
| 8 | Computer engineering 693 | Event management 343 | Kinesiology and health 488 |
| 9 | Civil engineering 665 | Marketing 299 | Finance 393 |
| 10 | Marketing 581 | Animal ecology 231 | Industrial engineering 368 |
| Total | 9,006 | 4,663 | 6,460 |
| Not in count: | Pre-business designation 1,750 | Pre-business designation 502 | Pre-business designation 1,248 |
*Student’s first major
