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University or college · Private nonprofit

Drake University

Des Moines, IA410 online only

Drake University is a private nonprofit university in Des Moines, IA, with about 4,094 students on campus.

Visit www.drake.edu ↗Directions
Students on campus
4,094
plus 410 studying only online
Admission rate
64%
lower than at 72% of 4-year colleges
Net price a year
$29,127
higher than at 82% of 4-year colleges
Graduation rate
74%
higher than at 84% of 4-year colleges
Earnings, 10 yrs later
$71,901
higher than at 93% of U.S. colleges
In brief

Drake University, in brief

Lower-income families pay more here than at most colleges

Families earning under $30,000 still pay about $25,824 a year after grants. The average family on aid pays $29,127, more than at 82% of 4-year colleges. What it costs ↓

A graduation gap for lower-income students

61% of students with Pell grants finish, against 74% overall, a gap of 13 points. 22% of undergraduates get Pell grants. Outcomes ↓

What you study here makes a big difference to pay

Among Drake University’s biggest bachelor’s programs, management sciences and quantitative methods graduates earn a median $97,132 four years out. Psychology graduates earn $47,706. Majors ↓

This summary is written from the data on this page. Figures are from the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard.

★ What stands out · What it costs

The sticker price, and what families really pay

Sticker price: $64,835 a year

Before any grants

Tuition & fees $52,130Room & board $12,452Books & supplies $510

After grants, the average family on aid pays $29,127.

Your family’s price

Average net price after grants, by family income

$25,171

About $100,684 over 4 years · 61% off the sticker price

Under $30k$30–48k$48–75k$75–110kOver $110k
Getting in

How hard is it to get into Drake University?

64%

of applicants admitted

About 13 of every 20 applicants get in.

Test scores of admitted students

SAT reading
580–680
SAT math
530–670
ACT
24–29

The middle 50%: a quarter scored below the range and a quarter above it. Average SAT: 1292.

Outcomes

Do students finish, and does it pay off?

Graduate
74%
within 6 years · Pell students 61%
Come back for year two
84%
full-time first-year students
Earnings, 10 years later
$71,901
median, students on federal aid
Typical debt
$23,000
about $244 a month over 10 years

Debt vs. the paycheck

The typical loan payment as a share of a typical graduate’s monthly pay six years after starting

5%
0%10%: a common comfort line25%

$244 a month against about $4,853 a month in pay.

Paying back loans

Federal student loans, this college

84%

of borrowers paid down at least some of their loan within three years, more than at 97% of U.S. colleges.

Almost none defaulted within three years (payments on federal loans were paused from 2020 to 2023, so recent default rates are near zero everywhere).

Earnings by family background

Median earnings 10 years after starting, by family income at enrollment

Lower incomeunder $30k
$62k
Middle income$30–75k
$67k
Higher incomeover $75k
$77k
Majors

What students study, and what it pays

Share of degrees by field

Business 22%Communication 10%Biology 8%Health professions 8%Social sciences 8%Education 6%Everything else 39%

Bachelor’s programs with the most graduates

And their graduates’ median earnings four years later (one year where that’s all that’s reported).

Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication63 graduates a year · typical debt $21,500
$63k4 yrs out
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods51 graduates a year · typical debt $23,979
$97k4 yrs out
Marketing49 graduates a year · typical debt $19,000
$71k4 yrs out
Data Analytics48 graduates a year
—not reported
Psychology, General41 graduates a year · typical debt $20,248
$48k4 yrs out
Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General41 graduates a year
—not reported
Non-Professional Legal Studies38 graduates a year
—not reported
Journalism37 graduates a year
$63k4 yrs out
Who goes there

The students

2,543 degree-seeking undergraduates.

By race and ethnicity

White 68%Hispanic 9%Black 8%Asian 5%Two or more 5%International 4%

Women and men

Women 61%Men 39%
11 : 1
students per teacher
22%
get Pell grants (lower income)
44%
take federal loans
3%
undergrads 25 or older
2%
study part time
The town around it

Living in Des Moines

6% of Des Moines’s 212,086 residents are enrolled in college. What the town is like, from TownRatings’ Des Moines pages.

Des Moines →
$1,090/momedian rent · 12% above the state$208Ktypical home valueDSafety Grade13° / 85°January low / July high · 37" of snowCHealth GradeAll colleges in and near Des MoinesCompare prices, admissions and outcomes
Nearby

Other colleges within 30 miles

Straight-line distances from Drake University; colleges with 100 or more students on campus.

Mercy College of Health SciencesUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Des Moines
1.4 mi668 students
Grand View UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Des Moines
2.9 mi1,522 students
Des Moines Area Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Ankeny
7.6 mi18,993 students
Des Moines University-Osteopathic Medical CenterUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · West Des Moines
9.5 mi1,412 students
Faith Baptist Bible College and Theological SeminaryUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Ankeny
9.5 mi396 students
Simpson CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Indianola
16.9 mi1,102 students
Iowa State UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Ames
29.4 mi29,194 students

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Sources: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (institution and field-of-study files) and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023); town figures from the Census American Community Survey and NOAA climate normals. Graduation rates count first-time, full-time students; earnings and debt are for students who received federal aid. Distances are straight-line. Colleges are described, not graded (how TownRatings describes colleges). Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.