Doctoral/ProfessionalPrivate nonprofit

Briar Cliff University

Sioux City, Iowa·Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above·Plains·briarcliff.edu
Acceptance
61.7%
-9.7pp vs Doctoral/Professional
6-yr Graduation
48%
-9.0pp vs Doctoral/Professional
Total enrollment
947
peer median 2,032
Avg net price
$23,907
-$1.1k vs Doctoral/Professional
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AdmissionsOutcomesProgram outcomesAccreditationCostFederal aidLoan defaultsAcademic programsEnrollment trendsAthleticsCampus safetyFacultyPeers

Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

IPEDS
Applied
1,775
1,775 candidates competed
Admitted
1,095
61.7% acceptance rate
Enrolled
206
18.8% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

IPEDS
Overall completion
48%-9.0pp vs Doctoral/Professional
4-year graduation
36%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
48%
Full-time retention
64%

Pell equity

9.2pp gap
Pell recipients
54%30 of 56
Non-Pell (all)
45%56 of 125
Subsidized loan, no Pell
38%17 of 45
No Federal Aid
49%39 of 80

Pell recipients here graduate at a 9.2-point higher rate than non-Pell students, unusual and worth a closer look.

Source: IPEDS Graduation Rates (GR) — Pell/SSL cohort, 2024 cohort.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

FVT/GE

Of 47 Title IV programs, 5 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 42 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
47
Passing
5
10.6% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

47programs
  • Passing5 · 10.6%
  • No Data42 · 89.4%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
0
Safe
5
No data
42

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

5
Business Administration Management and Operations
Master's Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+25.3%
$75,338 vs $60,112
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions
Doctoral Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+30.2%
$78,264 vs $60,112
Sports Kinesiology and Physical Education/Fitness
Bachelor Degree · Parks, Recreation, Leisure, And Fitness Studies
+44.5%
$50,286 vs $34,808
Social Work
Bachelor Degree · Public Administration And Social Service Professions
+44.6%
$50,315 vs $34,808
Business Administration Management and Operations
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+81.4%
$63,150 vs $34,808

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

4
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions
Doctoral Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
197%
$154,488 debt · $78,264 earn
Social Work
Bachelor Degree · Public Administration And Social Service Professions
50%
$25,000 debt · $50,315 earn
Sports Kinesiology and Physical Education/Fitness
Bachelor Degree · Parks, Recreation, Leisure, And Fitness Studies
44%
$22,125 debt · $50,286 earn
Business Administration Management and Operations
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
29%
$18,250 debt · $63,150 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

DAPIP
AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Higher Learning Commission

Accredited since 1945Next review Aug 2035

Programmatic accreditations · 8

Action history · 5

  1. Aug 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    Higher Learning Commission
  2. Oct 2023Renewal of Accreditation
    American Physical Therapy Association, Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education · Physical Therapy (PT) - Professional programs for the physical therapist
  3. Apr 2016Renewal of Accreditation
    Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education · Nursing (CNURED) - Nursing education programs at the baccalaureate degree levels
  4. Apr 2016Renewal of Accreditation
    Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education · Nursing (CNURED) - Nursing education programs at the graduate degree levels
  5. Apr 2016Renewal of Accreditation
    Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education · Nursing (CNDNP) - Nursing education programs at the doctorate degree levels

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

College Scorecard

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$17,764
$30–48k$14,604
$48–75k$25,516
$75–110k$30,156
$110k+$27,328

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price (private)
$23,907
-$1,089vs Doctoral/Professional median $24,996
Federal loans
48.1%
In-state tuition
$36,956
Out-of-state
$36,956

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

Federal Student Aid

In AY 2024–25, 249 students received $1.3M in Pell grants, alongside $8.1M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
249
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$1.3M
$1,333,391 total
Direct Loans
$8.1M
939 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

0k
’20
0k
’21
0k
’22
0k
’23
0k
’24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$1.1M
281 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$1.4M
360 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$2.9M
161 loan awards
Parent PLUS$917K
63 loan awards
Grad PLUS$1.8M
74 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Cohort Default Rate

Of 400 borrowers who entered repayment, 7 (1.7%) defaulted within three years — below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
1.7%
-0.6pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
400
Defaulted
7
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
10.5%
2017
7.9%
2018
5.1%
2019
1.7%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at Briar Cliff

Top program areas ranked by completions.

IPEDS
Distinct CIP programs66
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

228 total completions
01Health Professions
6829.8%
02Business
5925.9%
03Parks/Recreation
2511.0%
04Public Admin
219.2%
05Psychology
177.5%
06Biological Sciences
156.6%
07Security/Protective
93.9%
08Education
73.1%
09Computer Sciences
41.8%
10Communication
31.3%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

IPEDS
Fall total
947
12-mo unduplicated
995
Undergraduate
796
Graduate
199

Gender split

Men
47%466
Women
53%529

Race / ethnicity composition

White
58.7%
Hispanic
14.9%
Non-resident
12.5%
Black
7.4%
Two or more
4.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native
1.4%
Asian
0.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.2%
Unknown
0.2%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

EADA
Athletes
395
262 M · 133 W
Women athletes
33.7%
Athletic aid
$5.2M
Total student aid
Budget
$8.2M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$3.0M
$1.7M
Recruiting expense
$23K
$16K
Head-coach salaries
$47K
$44K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 9

Football
96 M · —
$1.6M
Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
43 M · 33 W
$545K
Soccer
42 M · 28 W
$1.1M
Basketball
30 M · 29 W
$1.1M
Baseball
52 M · —
$614K
Volleyball
— · 35 W
$613K

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Clery Act
Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
2.13
2 offenses · 940 students

3-year trend

3.002 yrs ago4.311 yr ago2.13Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
9
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
0
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
2
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
0

Criminal offenses by type

Rape
1
Motor vehicle theft
1

By location

2total
  • On campus2

Includes 1 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

0
Domestic violence
0
Dating violence
0
Stalking
0 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

  • Gender2

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons00
Drugs03
Liquor014

Residence-hall fires

No residence-hall fires reported.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

IPEDS
Student-to-faculty
10.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
62

Briar Cliff vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Briar Cliff selected for federal comparison reporting.

IPEDS
GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

Carnegie
SubjectBriar Cliff University
48%61.7%947$23,907Doctoral/Professional
Clarke University
56%71.8%962$24,479Doctoral/Professional
Saint Ambrose University
61%77.3%2,498$24,691Doctoral/Professional
Drake University
73%63.9%4,345$29,127Doctoral/Professional
William Woods University
46%71.0%2,046$26,569Doctoral/Professional
Baker University
58%94.2%2,017$25,301Doctoral/Professional
Peer group median57%71.4%2,032$24,996

Institutions like Briar Cliff

Explore the federal data for institutions in Briar Cliff's comparison group.

IPEDS

Frequently asked questions about Briar Cliff University

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Briar Cliff.

What is the acceptance rate at Briar Cliff University?

Briar Cliff University's acceptance rate is 61.7% (1,095 admitted from 1,775 applicants), based on the latest IPEDS.

What is the graduation rate at Briar Cliff University?

Briar Cliff University reports a 6-year graduation rate of 48% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Briar Cliff University?

Briar Cliff University reports a total enrollment of 947 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Briar Cliff University?

The average net price at Briar Cliff University is $23,907 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at Briar Cliff University?

Briar Cliff University's yield rate is 18.8%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Briar Cliff University located?

Briar Cliff University is located in Sioux City, Iowa 51104.

About the data on this page

Every figure comes from an official federal or public source. Here is each one and the release it is currently on.

IPEDS2025 provisional data (Fall 2025–26 release, July 28, 2026)
Enrollment, completions, graduation rates, tuition, financial aid, staffing, and finance for every U.S. institution in federal student aid programs.
National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education
College ScorecardJune 10, 2026 release (merged 2025–26 files)
Institution and field-of-study costs, graduate earnings, debt, completion, and admissions outcomes compiled from federal aid records, tax data, and IPEDS.
U.S. Department of Education
FVT/GE program performanceProvisional preview, May 18, 2026 release
Program-level debt-to-earnings and earnings-premium measures behind the FVT/GE and STATS accountability frameworks.
U.S. Department of Education
DAPIP accreditationContinuously refreshed
Accreditation status for institutions and programs, reported by recognized accrediting agencies.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
Federal Pell Grant volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
Pell Grant recipient counts, award amounts, and disbursements by institution and award year.
U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
Federal student loan volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
Federal Direct Loan recipient counts and disbursement volume by institution and award year.
U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
Cohort Default RatesFY 2022 official rates
Institution-level federal student loan default rates, measuring borrowers who default within three years of entering repayment.
U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
Equity in Athletics (EADA)Academic year 2024–25
Athletics participation, coaching, revenues, and expenses by sport and gender for Title IV institutions.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
Campus Safety & SecurityData through reporting year 2024
Criminal offenses, arrests, disciplinary actions, VAWA offenses, and fire statistics reported by campus under the Clery Act.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
Last reviewed July 2026All data sources & release dates →

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