10-yr median earnings
$71,901
Federal aid recipients only
Private Nonprofit · Des Moines, Iowa
Drake University
Drake University is a private nonprofit institution in Des Moines, Iowa. as a private nonprofit, published Scorecard outcomes cover federal-aid recipients at this campus — endowment and sticker price sit outside those cohort fields.
- $71,901
- 10-yr median earnings
- 63.8%
- Acceptance rate
- $29,127
- Avg net price / yr
- 75.7%
- 150%-time completion
The verdict
Drake University pairs top-10% former-student earnings with a moderately open admit.
According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
- Top 7%
- former-student earnings, US
- 63.8%
- acceptance rate
- 75.7%
- 150%-time completion
- +23%
- earnings, 6→10 yrs
City: Midsize
Carnegie: Doctoral/Prof
Institution data retrieved July 2026; field-of-study data retrieved March 2026.
How to read this Drake University profile
Figures above come from IPEDS institution records published through the College Scorecard (retrieved July 2026 for institution fields; March 2026 for field-of-study). Peer groups and cost cohorts follow IPEDS ownership sector, Carnegie class ("Doctoral/Professional Universities"), and locale, not an editorial shortlist.
Average net price subtracts grant and scholarship aid from cost of attendance for full-time, first-time undergraduate Title IV recipients. It is a defined cohort average, not a personalized price; income-band fields add context but do not replace the school's current net-price calculator.
Earnings use Treasury-linked records for federally aided former students who were working and not enrolled in the measurement year (completers and noncompleters). IPEDS completion and retention use separate first-time, full-time cohorts, so those denominators are not the earnings cohort. Read cost, completion, and earnings as distinct historical measures, not a causal verdict or individual forecast.
College Value Score
C+
College Value Score
62/100
Drake University
A 6-metric composite of earnings, cost, and completion outcomes benchmarked against every reporting US college, not a ranking of teaching quality, campus life, or fit for any individual student. See the full methodology.
Earnings A+
$71,901
10-year median former-student earnings
Net Price F
$29,127
Average annual cost after grants and aid
Completion Rate B+
75.7%
Completion within 150% of normal time
Debt F
$23,000
Median federal debt at graduation
Loan Repayment A+
89.9%
Borrowers repaying loans within 3 years
Retention B
84.1%
First-year students returning for year two
Each axis is the percentile score shown in the breakdown at left; the shape shows this school's overall profile at a glance.
Avg net price
$29,127
After grants and scholarships
150%-time completion
75.7%
Full-time, first-time cohort
150%-time completion vs portal median (57.1%) 75.7%
Four-year-institution cohort
College ROI Quadrant - Drake University vs peers
Each dot is a college plotted by 10-year median earnings (x-axis) vs average net price (y-axis), colored by completion within 150% of normal time. Bottom-right = high earnings/lower price; top-left = lower earnings/higher price.
How Drake University ranks nationally
Where this school's former-student earnings fall within the full national distribution of every US college that reports to the College Scorecard, not just its peer set.
Drake University: former-student earnings vs. every US college
10-year median earnings, College Scorecard
$71,901 Top 7% higher than 93% of 5,103 US colleges
Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more US colleges. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard · Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals
| Metric | Drake University | National rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-yr median earnings | $71,901 | #340 of 5103 | 93rd |
| Average net price | $29,127 | #4395 of 5020 | 12th (lower is better) |
| 150%-time completion | 75.7% | #975 of 4858 | 80th |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 2,543 | #1255 of 5462 | 77th |
National ranks count every operating US college reporting each metric to the College Scorecard, separate from the earnings histogram above.
Quick Facts
2,543
Undergraduate enrollment
63.8%
Acceptance rate
1,292
SAT average
75.7%
150%-time completion
$71,901
10-yr median earnings
84.1%
First-year retention
How Drake University ranks in Iowa
State rank among 69 reporting Iowa colleges with College Scorecard data, a separate lens from the national distribution above.
| Metric | Drake University | State rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-yr median earnings | $71,901 | #1 of 69 | 99th |
| Average net price | $29,127 | #65 of 68 | 4th (lower is better) |
| 150%-time completion | 75.7% | #8 of 63 | 87th |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 2,543 | #11 of 73 | 85th |
Highest former-student earnings in Iowa
| # | School | 10-yr earnings | Net price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Drake UniversityThis school | $71,901 | $29,127 |
| 2 | Allen College | $71,261 | - |
| 3 | University of Iowa | $64,762 | $22,531 |
| 4 | Iowa State University | $63,386 | $18,589 |
| 5 | Grinnell College | $62,830 | $17,648 |
| 6 | Mercy College of Health Sciences | $62,234 | $26,924 |
| 7 | St Luke's College | $61,033 | $19,820 |
| 8 | Mount Mercy University | $60,787 | $20,168 |
| 9 | Luther College | $59,850 | $23,097 |
| 10 | Saint Ambrose University | $59,531 | $24,691 |
| 11 | Palmer College of Chiropractic | $59,483 | - |
| 12 | Simpson College | $59,274 | $21,936 |
Admissions
| Admission Rate | 63.8% |
| SAT Average | 1,292 |
| SAT Math (25th-75th) | 530 – 670 |
| SAT Reading (25th-75th) | 580 – 680 |
| ACT Average | 28 |
| ACT (25th-75th) | 24 – 29 |
Costs & Financial Aid
Net price by family income at Drake University
Average annual net price after grants; Title IV recipient cohort by income bracket
- $0 – $30k
$0 – $30k
$25,824 net price / yr
- $30k – $48k
$30k – $48k
$23,275 net price / yr
- $48k – $75k
$48k – $75k
$25,171 net price / yr
- $110k+
$110k+
$33,126 net price / yr
What this shows Need-based aid pulls net price down at lower brackets at Drake University - compare the bar for your income band, not the overall average alone.
Tuition & Net Price
| In-State Tuition | $52,130 |
| Out-of-State Tuition | $52,130 |
| Average Net Price | $29,127 |
21.7%
Pell Grant Rate
44.5%
Federal Loan Rate
$23,000
Median Debt
$244/mo
Monthly Payment
2013–2023: what Drake University costs has stayed close to flat
Average net price moved +15.3% over 10 years, from $26,045 to $30,042 in nominal dollars. The median college measured over the same span moved +14.6%.
11 reported years. Nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation.
2013 · $26,0452023 · $30,042
Over the same years, enrollment went -19.4% (3,310 → 2,669 students).
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, per-year fields (2013–2023). Net price is the average cost after grant and scholarship aid for federally-aided undergraduates.
Student Demographics
Race & ethnicity
Student body at a glance
61.0%
Female
15.3%
First Generation
Outcomes
84.1%
Retention Rate
$58,233
Median Earnings (6yr)
79.3%
Earning Over $25K
89.9%
Loan Repayment, Completers (3yr)
Outcomes & debt snapshot
| Measure | Cohort / horizon | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Completion within 150% of normal time | First-time, full-time | 75.7% |
| First-year retention | First-time, full-time freshmen | 84.1% |
| Median earnings | 6 years after entry | $58,233 |
| Median earnings | 10 years after entry | $71,901 |
| Share earning over $25,000 | Working, not enrolled | 79.3% |
| Loan repayment rate | Completers, 3 years after leaving | 89.9% |
| Median federal student debt | At completion | $23,000 |
| Estimated monthly payment | Standard 10-year plan | $244/mo |
Programs & Earnings
Field-of-study summary by credential
| Credential | Programs | Award count | Avg earnings | Top earnings | Avg debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's | 29 | 616 | $66,409 | $97,132 | $21,619 |
| Master's | 9 | 372 | $80,022 | $137,890 | $24,854 |
| First Professional | 3 | 228 | $95,004 | $140,314 | $139,952 |
Top programs at Drake University by completer earnings
Median earnings of program completers, College Scorecard field-of-study file
- Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical S…
Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration
$140,314 median earnings
- Business Administration, M…
Business Administration, Management and Operations
$137,890 median earnings
- Management Sciences and Qu…
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods
$97,132 median earnings
- Accounting and Related Ser…
Accounting and Related Services
$91,269 median earnings
- Computer and Information S…
Computer and Information Sciences, General
$90,639 median earnings
- Economics
Economics
$88,638 median earnings
- Finance and Financial Mana…
Finance and Financial Management Services
$88,637 median earnings
- Accounting and Related Ser…
Accounting and Related Services
$87,582 median earnings
What this shows The highest-earning programs at a school are not necessarily its most popular ones - a small specialized program can post strong median earnings without reflecting the outcome most students here actually see.
Nearby Schools
UnityPoint Health-Des Moines School of Radiologic Technology
Des Moines, IA
16 students
Mercy College of Health Sciences
Des Moines, IA
867 students
Grand View University
Des Moines, IA
1,486 students
Iowa School of Beauty-Des Moines
Des Moines, IA
74 students
Body Wisdom Massage Therapy School
Urbandale, IA
45 students
Explore Data-Matched Colleges
Independent Scorecard matches among reporting colleges — not recommendations from the institution or a counselor.
Similar Enrollment and Sector
Other Private Nonprofit institutions closest in reported enrollment, preferring the same Carnegie classification.
Similar Reported Net Price
Other Private Nonprofit institutions with the nearest reported average net price.
Similar 2013–2023 Net-Price Trend
Same-sector institutions with the same direction and nearest fitted annual change; only series with R² of at least 0.40 qualify.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the acceptance rate at Drake University? ▼
Drake University is a private nonprofit institution in Des Moines, Iowa. The acceptance rate is 63.8%. The average SAT score is 1,292. Undergraduate enrollment is 2,543 students.
How much do Drake University former students earn? ▼
Federally aided former students at Drake University who were working and not enrolled had median earnings of $71,901 ten years after entry; the cohort is not limited to graduates. Six years after entry, the corresponding median is $58,233.
How much does Drake University cost? ▼
The average net price at Drake University is $29,127. In-state tuition is $52,130 and out-of-state tuition is $52,130. Median student debt at graduation is $23,000.
What is the graduation rate at Drake University? ▼
Drake University has a 75.7% completion rate within 150% of normal time at a four-year institution (typically six years for a bachelor’s program). The first-year retention rate is 84.1%.
Is Drake University worth the student debt? ▼
The median student debt at Drake University is $23,000, while former students earn a median of $71,901 ten years after enrollment. That debt represents about 32% of those annual earnings. Among borrowers who completed their program, 89.9% are repaying their loans within 3 years. Estimated monthly loan payment is $244.
Sources & methodology
Private-nonprofit profiles emphasize Scorecard cost-after-aid and completion alongside IPEDS Carnegie class. Endowment, gifts, and sticker price are not Scorecard fields on this page.
Figures are the Mar–Jul 2026 federal retrievals. Nonprofit campuses vary widely in aid practice — net price here is the Title-IV-recipient cohort average, not an individual award letter. Read the full methodology for how the data is sourced, computed, and verified.
- College Scorecard, U.S. Department of Education - former-student earnings, cost & completion (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
- IPEDS, National Center for Education Statistics - enrollment, admissions, Carnegie class & demographics (nces.ed.gov/ipeds).
- U.S. Treasury / IRS earnings linkage - median earnings 6 & 10 years after enrollment for federal-aid recipients (irs.gov).
- College Scorecard, Field of Study - program-level (credential) earnings & debt (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
- Federal Student Aid (Title IV / NSLDS) - U.S. Department of Education - net price, student debt & aid-recipient repayment outcomes (studentaid.gov).
Where to go next from Drake University
- Compare Drake University against schools with similar outcomes at a lower average net price.Find similar schools that cost less
- Browse every reporting college in Iowa side by side.Browse Iowa
- See how fields of study differ on former-student earnings and debt.Explore programs
Nonprofit Scorecard medians describe federal-aid recipients who were working and not enrolled — they are not sticker-price ROI and not advice.
Every figure on PlainCollege is rendered directly from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard data, no number is typed in by an editor. Private-nonprofit profiles compile Scorecard net-price and earnings cohorts with IPEDS structure fields — no editor-typed figures. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error on this page. Review the public data changelog. Data current as of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals.