First professional · Ames, Iowa

Is Veterinary Medicine at Iowa State University worth it?

High confidence High confidence: 100+ graduates behind the earnings figures.

The verdict · all families, in-state, half paid with loans

Pays back in time: graduates typically recover the cost in about 5.3 years.

Earnings 1 year after graduating: $107,597; Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Earnings 4 years after graduating: $120,024; Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Typical federal debt at graduation: $150,771; NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
Typical borrowing (no graduate net price is published): $160k (likely $160k – $160k); AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
Earnings bump, year 4: $56k a year vs bachelor's graduates 4 years out in IA; 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
Payback: 5.3 years (likely 4.6–6.2); Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
10-year net return: $17k (likely −$75k – $100k); Today's dollars
20-year net return: $690k (likely $482k – $895k); Today's dollars

Scorecard reports no net price for graduate programs; cost is based on what graduates typically borrowed.