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University or college · Private nonprofit

Clarke University

Dubuque, IA75 online only

Clarke University is a private nonprofit university in Dubuque, IA, with about 950 students on campus.

Visit www.clarke.edu ↗Directions
Students on campus
950
plus 75 studying only online
Admission rate
72%
lower than at 60% of 4-year colleges
Net price a year
$24,479
higher than at 70% of 4-year colleges
Graduation rate
56%
higher than at 53% of 4-year colleges
Earnings, 10 yrs later
$55,396
higher than at 79% of U.S. colleges
In brief

The short version on Clarke University

Little price break for lower-income families

Families earning under $30,000 pay about $23,405 a year after grants, only $1,379 less than the $24,784 paid by families over $110,000. What it costs ↓

Lower-income students graduate as often as everyone else

56% of students with Pell grants finish, level with the 56% rate overall. At most colleges they trail by several points. 37% of undergraduates here get Pell grants. Outcomes ↓

What you study here makes a big difference to pay

Among Clarke University’s biggest bachelor’s programs, business administration graduates earn a median $75,920 four years out. Sports graduates earn $42,853. 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: $55,782 a year

Before any grants

Tuition & fees $40,910Room & board $11,734Books & supplies $1,514Other costs $1,624

After grants, the average family on aid pays $24,479.

Your family’s price

Average net price after grants, by family income

$22,645

About $90,580 over 4 years · 59% off the sticker price

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

How hard is it to get into Clarke University?

72%

of applicants admitted

About 14 of every 20 applicants get in.

Test scores of admitted students

SAT reading
430–570
SAT math
470–590
ACT
16–24

The middle 50%: a quarter scored below the range and a quarter above it. Average SAT: 1054.

Outcomes

Do students finish, and does it pay off?

Graduate
56%
within 6 years · Pell students 56%
Come back for year two
67%
full-time first-year students
Earnings, 10 years later
$55,396
median, students on federal aid
Typical debt
$26,717
about $283 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

6.9%
0%10%: a common comfort line25%

$283 a month against about $4,096 a month in pay.

Paying back loans

Federal student loans, this college

75%

of borrowers paid down at least some of their loan within three years, more than at 91% 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
$53k
Middle income$30–75k
$58k
Higher incomeover $75k
$57k
Majors

What students study, and what it pays

Share of degrees by field

Business 20%Education 19%Health professions 15%Parks, recreation & fitness 11%Psychology 8%Biology 6%Everything else 21%

Bachelor’s programs with the most graduates

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

Business Administration, Management and Operations32 graduates a year · typical debt $27,000
$76k4 yrs out
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness24 graduates a year · typical debt $25,000
$43k4 yrs out
Psychology, General22 graduates a year · typical debt $26,000
$54k4 yrs out
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing19 graduates a year · typical debt $26,990
$74k4 yrs out
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods15 graduates a year · typical debt $27,000
$48k4 yrs out
Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General7 graduates a year
—not reported
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities6 graduates a year
—not reported
Biology, General6 graduates a year
—not reported
Who goes there

The students

742 degree-seeking undergraduates.

By race and ethnicity

White 52%Hispanic 12%Black 13%Asian 2%Two or more 4%International 11%

Women and men

Women 46%Men 54%
9 : 1
students per teacher
37%
get Pell grants (lower income)
74%
take federal loans
7%
undergrads 25 or older
2%
study part time
The town around it

Living in Dubuque

8% of Dubuque’s 59,148 residents are enrolled in college. What the town is like, from TownRatings’ Dubuque pages.

Dubuque →
DubuqueDubuque, IA
$948/momedian rent · about the state median$248Ktypical home valueCSafety Grade12° / 83°January low / July high · 36" of snowB+Health GradeAll colleges in and near DubuqueCompare prices, admissions and outcomes
Nearby

Other colleges within 30 miles

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

Loras CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Dubuque
0.7 mi1,185 students
Emmaus Bible CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Dubuque
0.8 mi178 students
University of DubuqueUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Dubuque
0.9 mi1,736 students
Wartburg Theological SeminaryUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Dubuque
1.6 mi161 students
University of Wisconsin-PlattevilleUniversity or college · Public · Platteville
18.6 mi5,671 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.