10-yr median earnings
$51,165
Federal aid recipients only
Private Nonprofit · Forest City, Iowa
Waldorf University
Waldorf University is a private nonprofit institution in Forest City, Iowa. as a private nonprofit, published Scorecard outcomes cover federal-aid recipients at this campus — endowment and sticker price sit outside those cohort fields.
- $51,165
- 10-yr median earnings
- 77.0%
- Acceptance rate
- $19,693
- Avg net price / yr
- 24.0%
- 150%-time completion
The verdict
Waldorf University pairs above-median former-student earnings with a moderately open admit.
According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
- Top 27%
- former-student earnings, US
- 77.0%
- acceptance rate
- 24.0%
- 150%-time completion
- +1%
- earnings, 6→10 yrs
Rural: Remote
Carnegie: Master's (M)
Institution data retrieved July 2026; field-of-study data retrieved March 2026.
How to read this Waldorf 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 ("Master's Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs"), 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
D
College Value Score
41/100
Waldorf 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 B
$51,165
10-year median former-student earnings
Net Price D
$19,693
Average annual cost after grants and aid
Completion Rate F
24.0%
Completion within 150% of normal time
Debt F
$18,752
Median federal debt at graduation
Loan Repayment B-
69.3%
Borrowers repaying loans within 3 years
Retention F
44.1%
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
$19,693
After grants and scholarships
150%-time completion
24.0%
Full-time, first-time cohort
150%-time completion vs portal median (57.1%) 24.0%
Four-year-institution cohort
College ROI Quadrant - Waldorf 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 Waldorf 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.
Waldorf University: former-student earnings vs. every US college
10-year median earnings, College Scorecard
$51,165 Top 27% higher than 73% 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 | Waldorf University | National rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-yr median earnings | $51,165 | #1391 of 5103 | 73rd |
| Average net price | $19,693 | #3025 of 5020 | 40th (lower is better) |
| 150%-time completion | 24.0% | #4548 of 4858 | 6th |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 1,827 | #1563 of 5462 | 71st |
National ranks count every operating US college reporting each metric to the College Scorecard, separate from the earnings histogram above.
Quick Facts
1,827
Undergraduate enrollment
77.0%
Acceptance rate
-
SAT average
24.0%
150%-time completion
$51,165
10-yr median earnings
44.1%
First-year retention
How Waldorf University ranks in Iowa
State rank among 69 reporting Iowa colleges with College Scorecard data, a separate lens from the national distribution above.
| Metric | Waldorf University | State rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-yr median earnings | $51,165 | #26 of 69 | 62nd |
| Average net price | $19,693 | #42 of 68 | 38th (lower is better) |
| 150%-time completion | 24.0% | #63 of 63 | 0th |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 1,827 | #14 of 73 | 81st |
Highest former-student earnings in Iowa
| # | School | 10-yr earnings | Net price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Drake University | $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 |
| 26 | Waldorf UniversityThis school | $51,165 | $19,693 |
Admissions
| Admission Rate | 77.0% |
Costs & Financial Aid
Net price by family income at Waldorf University
Average annual net price after grants; Title IV recipient cohort by income bracket
- $0 – $30k
$0 – $30k
$16,448 net price / yr
- $30k – $48k
$30k – $48k
$18,378 net price / yr
- $48k – $75k
$48k – $75k
$23,045 net price / yr
- $110k+
$110k+
$23,667 net price / yr
What this shows Need-based aid pulls net price down at lower brackets at Waldorf University - compare the bar for your income band, not the overall average alone.
Tuition & Net Price
| In-State Tuition | $25,978 |
| Out-of-State Tuition | $25,978 |
| Average Net Price | $19,693 |
35.5%
Pell Grant Rate
39.3%
Federal Loan Rate
$18,752
Median Debt
$199/mo
Monthly Payment
Net price at Waldorf University swings rather than trends
Across 11 reported years between 2013 and 2023, the average net price here has ranged from $16,954 to $21,683 without settling into a rise or a fall. Comparing only the first and last years would read as +12.3%, but the years in between do not follow that line, so the honest summary is the range rather than a trend. Budget against the upper end, not the average.
Lowest year
$16,954
Highest year
$21,683
Most recent (2023)
$21,683
11 reported years. Nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation.
2013 · $19,3062023 · $21,683
Over the same years, enrollment went +92.9% (1,090 → 2,103 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
White 57.3%
African American 16.3%
Hispanic or Latino 3.6%
Asian 1.6%
American Indian or Alaska Native 1.0%
Pacific Islander 1.1%
Two or More Ethnicities 3.6%
International 0.3%
Student body at a glance
44.4%
Female
46.3%
First Generation
Outcomes
44.1%
Retention Rate
$50,515
Median Earnings (6yr)
61.1%
Earning Over $25K
69.3%
Loan Repayment, Completers (3yr)
Outcomes & debt snapshot
| Measure | Cohort / horizon | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Completion within 150% of normal time | First-time, full-time | 24.0% |
| First-year retention | First-time, full-time freshmen | 44.1% |
| Median earnings | 6 years after entry | $50,515 |
| Median earnings | 10 years after entry | $51,165 |
| Share earning over $25,000 | Working, not enrolled | 61.1% |
| Loan repayment rate | Completers, 3 years after leaving | 69.3% |
| Median federal student debt | At completion | $18,752 |
| Estimated monthly payment | Standard 10-year plan | $199/mo |
Programs & Earnings
Field-of-study summary by credential
| Credential | Programs | Award count | Avg earnings | Top earnings | Avg debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's | 10 | 564 | $69,009 | $100,060 | $22,193 |
| Associate's | 4 | 76 | $71,914 | $90,602 | $15,570 |
| Master's | 1 | 175 | $76,173 | $76,173 | $32,862 |
Top programs at Waldorf University by completer earnings
Median earnings of program completers, College Scorecard field-of-study file
- Fire Protection
Fire Protection
$100,060 median earnings
- Human Resources Management…
Human Resources Management and Services
$94,822 median earnings
- Fire Protection
Fire Protection
$90,602 median earnings
- Quality Control and Safety…
Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians
$83,151 median earnings
- Homeland Security
Homeland Security
$76,520 median earnings
- Business Administration, M…
Business Administration, Management and Operations
$76,173 median earnings
- Quality Control and Safety…
Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians
$71,592 median earnings
- Business/Commerce, General
Business/Commerce, General
$63,357 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.
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the acceptance rate at Waldorf University? ▼
Waldorf University is a private nonprofit institution in Forest City, Iowa. The acceptance rate is 77.0%. Undergraduate enrollment is 1,827 students.
How much do Waldorf University former students earn? ▼
Federally aided former students at Waldorf University who were working and not enrolled had median earnings of $51,165 ten years after entry; the cohort is not limited to graduates. Six years after entry, the corresponding median is $50,515.
How much does Waldorf University cost? ▼
The average net price at Waldorf University is $19,693. In-state tuition is $25,978 and out-of-state tuition is $25,978. Median student debt at graduation is $18,752.
What is the graduation rate at Waldorf University? ▼
Waldorf University has a 24.0% 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 44.1%.
Is Waldorf University worth the student debt? ▼
The median student debt at Waldorf University is $18,752, while former students earn a median of $51,165 ten years after enrollment. That debt represents about 37% of those annual earnings. Among borrowers who completed their program, 69.3% are repaying their loans within 3 years. Estimated monthly loan payment is $199.
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 Waldorf University
- Compare Waldorf 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.