Drake University

What the IPEDS & College Scorecard Data Shows for Drake University

Drake University operates as a private nonprofit institution located in Des Moines, Iowa (city: midsize), with a total reported enrollment of 2,543 students of which 2,813 are undergraduates. Institution-level records in the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) classify each school by Carnegie category, ownership sector, and urban/rural locale, which is how this profile’s peer group and cost cohort are determined. Drake University is categorized as “17” under the Carnegie classification system, a meaningful signal when comparing like-to-like institutions.

Selectivity and financial signals give context to what applicants can expect. The reported admission rate is 63.8%, drawn from the most recent IPEDS Fall enrollment survey, with an average SAT of 1,292 and an ACT midpoint of 28. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $29,127, with published in-state tuition of $52,130 and a Pell grant recipient share of 21.7%. Median federal student debt at graduation is $23,000, drawn from the U.S. Treasury-matched College Scorecard file.

Outcomes reveal whether the investment pays back. The 4-year completion rate is 75.7%, and the first-year retention rate is 84.1%. Graduates earn a median of $71,901 ten years after enrolling, compared with $58,233 six years post-enrollment. Within three years of entering repayment, 132800.0% of borrowers are making progress on their federal loans, and 79.3% of graduates earn above the high-school threshold. Treating these numbers as a single snapshot alongside the cost cohort is the standard approach for evaluating ROI under the College Scorecard methodology.