Iowa State University·Ames, IA·Updated Monthly
By the FMP Data Team · Reviewed July 1, 2026
The Social West Ames® leads our July 2026 ranking of the 6 Best Overall student apartments near Iowa State with a 5.0/5 FMP Score, followed by CORE Apartments and The Point at Ames. Across the 6 properties reviewed, students keep coming back to amenities & shared spaces and management & maintenance: the overall signals that move a property up this ranking. Browse all off-campus housing near Iowa State University for every option.
Sorted by FMP Score from verified Iowa State reviews, high to low. Scores reflect current Iowa State reviews only.
why it ranked: The top overall pick near Iowa State, at 5.0/5 from verified reviews. Called to inquire about renting at this location. Kyla was very pleasant and helpful! She answered all my questions about this place and all the amenities provided!
| 1 | The Social West Ames® | 5.0/5 | 5 | – | $399/mo |
| 2 | CORE Apartments | 4.6/5 | 5 | – | $1175/mo |
| 3 | The Point at Ames | 3.8/5 | 5 | – | $600/mo |
| 4 | The Landing Ames | 3.2/5 | 5 | – | $445/mo |
| 5 | BlockONE | 2.8/5 | 5 | – | $799/mo |
| 6 | The Social Reserve | 5.0/5 | 4 | – | $459/mo |
Walk times are door-to-door to Iowa State campus. Rent is per person, per month.
FMP Score, high to low. That’s the whole ranking. It’s our overall measure of a property, combining verified review scores with signals reviews miss, like how current the listing is kept and how responsive management is. Ties go to the property with more verified reviews.
Every property near Iowa State can appear, but it takes a minimum number of verified reviews before we score and rank it. Properties under that bar sit below every ranked property and move up automatically as reviews come in.
The FMP Score blends the social, management, and quality scores from verified reviews with signals that a place is actively and well run, like how up to date its listing is kept and how consistently management responds to residents. It’s built to surface genuinely well-run properties, not just the highest raw review average.
We ran every verified overall review for Iowa State-area apartments through theme analysis. These are the themes students bring up most when a place feels well-rounded, by share of the reviews that mention them.
Based on AI analysis of verified Iowa State overall reviews, refreshed monthly. Percentages show the share of reviews that mention each theme; most reviews mention more than one. See our complete Iowa State review data →
each fmp ranking re-ranks the same properties by a different lens (management and quality among them) and keeps its own list, refreshed monthly.
The most active social scenes: shared spaces, resident events, and roommate matching, scored from verified reviews.
see the ranking →The most responsive, reliable landlords: maintenance turnaround, lease transparency, and deposit fairness.
see the ranking →The best unit and building quality: condition, upkeep, and amenities, scored from verified reviews.
see the ranking →The Social West Ames® leads our July 2026 ranking of the 6 Best Overall student apartments near Iowa State with a 5.0/5 FMP Score, followed by CORE Apartments and The Point at Ames.
This list is ranked by one number: each property's overall score from verified reviews. Students rate a property's overall 1 to 5, and we average those scores, counting recent reviews more heavily than older ones. No self-reported data from landlords.
The best overall apartments score highly across everything students rate (social scene, management, and unit quality), not just one. This ranking uses each property's overall rating from verified reviews.
Monthly. We re-pull verified reviews and re-score every property at the start of each month, so the order reflects the most recent 24 months of student feedback. The “updated” date at the top of the page shows the latest refresh.
There's a minimum number of verified reviews to rank by score, and we don't publish the exact bar so it can't be gamed. Properties under it still appear, below every qualified property and ordered by review count, so a 5.0 from one review never outranks a 4.5 from thirty. Once a property collects enough reviews, it moves into the scored ranking automatically.
It's fully independent. There's no pay-to-rank. Position is set by verified reviews alone. Property managers can't buy placement, remove reviews, or influence the score.
If your property is on this ranking, you've earned an FMP Award. Reach out and we'll set you up with the official badge for your website, social, and print, free. It's how renters know your ranking is real.
student apartments near Iowa State
why it ranked: A podium finish for overall near Iowa State, 4.6/5 from verified reviews. Living at CORE Apartments has honestly made my college experience so much better. As a student, having a place that feels safe, comfortable, and stress free is really important, and CORE…
why it ranked: A podium finish for overall near Iowa State, 3.8/5 from verified reviews. Julian worked on my apartment and he did amazing. Super nice guy and worked really fast! Maintenance is always super quick when we put requests in!
why it ranked: Holds a 3.2/5 overall score from verified Iowa State reviews. Very helpful, time conscious and quick response to questions.
why it ranked: Holds a 2.8/5 overall score from verified Iowa State reviews. Don't believe the BlockOne website when the say "you can pick your roommate". Unless you sign up on the same day, they might tell…
why it ranked: Holds a 5.0/5 overall score from verified Iowa State reviews. Ryker did an amazing job leading me through the application process and also did a great job showing me around. Definitely a…
