Waldorf University

What the IPEDS & College Scorecard Data Shows for Waldorf University

Waldorf University operates as a private for-profit institution located in Forest City, Iowa (rural: remote), with a total reported enrollment of 1,827 students of which 3,042 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. Waldorf University is categorized as “19” 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 77.0%, drawn from the most recent IPEDS Fall enrollment survey. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $19,693, with published in-state tuition of $25,978 and a Pell grant recipient share of 35.5%. Median federal student debt at graduation is $18,752, drawn from the U.S. Treasury-matched College Scorecard file.

Outcomes reveal whether the investment pays back. The 4-year completion rate is 24.0%, and the first-year retention rate is 44.1%. Graduates earn a median of $51,165 ten years after enrolling, compared with $50,515 six years post-enrollment. Within three years of entering repayment, 60900.0% of borrowers are making progress on their federal loans, and 61.1% 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.