Doctoral/ProfessionalPrivate nonprofit

Clarke University

Dubuque, Iowa·Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above·Plains·clarke.edu
6-yr Graduation
56%
-1.0pp vs Doctoral/Professional
Total enrollment
962
peer median 2,032
Avg net price
$24,479
-$517 vs Doctoral/Professional
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AdmissionsOutcomesProgram outcomesAccreditationCostFederal aidLoan defaultsAcademic programsEnrollment trendsAthleticsCampus safetyFacultyPeersIR OfficeCommon Data Set

Admissions & acceptance rate

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

IPEDS
Applied
3,394
3,394 candidates competed
Admitted
2,438
71.8% acceptance rate
Enrolled
135
5.5% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

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

IPEDS
Overall completion
56%-1.0pp vs Doctoral/Professional
4-year graduation
44%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
56%
Full-time retention
67%

Pell equity

0.2pp gap
Pell recipients
56%42 of 75
Non-Pell (all)
56%68 of 121
Subsidized loan, no Pell
55%34 of 62
No Federal Aid
58%34 of 59

Pell and non-Pell students graduate at nearly identical rates, a notably small equity gap.

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 45 Title IV programs, 11 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 34 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
45
Passing
11
24.4% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

45programs
  • Passing11 · 24.4%
  • No Data34 · 75.6%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
4
Safe
7
No data
34

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.

11
Education General
Master's Degree · Education
+15.1%
$53,412 vs $46,391
Business Administration Management and Operations
Master's Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+20.2%
$72,235 vs $60,112
Sports Kinesiology and Physical Education/Fitness
Bachelor Degree · Parks, Recreation, Leisure, And Fitness Studies
+23.1%
$42,853 vs $34,808
Social Work
Master's Degree · Public Administration And Social Service Professions
+23.3%
$56,897 vs $46,158
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions
Doctoral Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+34.4%
$80,785 vs $60,112
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Bachelor Degree · Education
+38.0%
$48,048 vs $34,808
Psychology General
Bachelor Degree · Psychology
+56.2%
$54,384 vs $34,808
Registered Nursing Nursing Administration Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
Doctoral Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+67.8%
$100,847 vs $60,112

Debt vs earnings

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

7
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions
Doctoral Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
102%
$82,248 debt · $80,785 earn
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Bachelor Degree · Education
56%
$27,000 debt · $48,048 earn
Registered Nursing Nursing Administration Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
Doctoral Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
56%
$56,591 debt · $100,847 earn
Social Work
Master's Degree · Public Administration And Social Service Professions
52%
$29,532 debt · $56,897 earn
Psychology General
Bachelor Degree · Psychology
48%
$26,000 debt · $54,384 earn
Registered Nursing Nursing Administration Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
Bachelor Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
36%
$27,000 debt · $74,114 earn
Business Administration Management and Operations
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
35%
$26,448 debt · $75,920 earn

Accreditation status & history

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

DAPIP
AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Higher Learning Commission

Accredited since 1918Next review Aug 2034

Programmatic accreditations · 5

Action history · 5

  1. Nov 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    American Physical Therapy Association, Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education · Physical Therapy (PT) - Professional programs for the physical therapist
  2. Feb 2024Renewal of Accreditation
    Higher Learning Commission
  3. May 2019Renewal of Accreditation
    Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education · Nursing (CNURED) - Nursing education programs at the baccalaureate degree levels
  4. May 2019Renewal of Accreditation
    Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education · Nursing (CNDNP) - Nursing education programs at the doctorate degree levels
  5. Aug 2014Change in Agency recognition
    National Association of Schools of Music, Commission on Accreditation · Music (MUS) - Institutions and units within institutions offering degree-granting and/or non-degree-granting programs

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$23,405
$30–48k$22,543
$48–75k$22,645
$75–110k$27,890
$110k+$24,784

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

Avg net price (private)
$24,479
-$517vs Doctoral/Professional median $24,996
Federal loans
73.8%
In-state tuition
$40,910
Out-of-state
$40,910

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, 336 students received $2.0M in Pell grants, alongside $8.1M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
336
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$2.0M
$2,036,854 total
Direct Loans
$8.1M
1,176 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$1.6M
405 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$1.8M
500 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$2.0M
110 loan awards
Parent PLUS$1.8M
120 loan awards
Grad PLUS$821K
41 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 343 borrowers who entered repayment, 2 (0.5%) defaulted within three years — below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
0.5%
-1.8pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
343
Defaulted
2
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
4.2%
2017
4.6%
2018
1.5%
2019
0.5%
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 Clarke

Top program areas ranked by completions.

IPEDS
Distinct CIP programs33
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

260 total completions
01Business
6725.8%
02Health Professions
5822.3%
03Education
3714.2%
04Parks/Recreation
218.1%
05Psychology
197.3%
06Public Admin
186.9%
07Visual/Performing Arts
166.2%
08Biological Sciences
114.2%
09Computer Sciences
83.1%
10Communication
51.9%

Enrollment trends & demographics

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

IPEDS
Fall total
962
12-mo unduplicated
998
Undergraduate
846
Graduate
152

Gender split

Men
51%513
Women
49%485

Race / ethnicity composition

White
52.2%
Black
13.3%
Hispanic
11.7%
Non-resident
10.8%
Unknown
5.4%
Two or more
4.0%
Asian
1.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.3%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

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

EADA
Athletes
568
369 M · 199 W
Women athletes
35.0%
Athletic aid
$12.0M
Total student aid
Budget
$16.0M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$7.5M
$4.1M
Recruiting expense
$22K
$21K
Head-coach salaries
$43K
$39K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 10

Soccer
70 M · 62 W
$3.4M
Football
124 M · —
$3.0M
Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
57 M · 54 W
$1.3M
Baseball
60 M · —
$1.7M
Basketball
29 M · 26 W
$1.6M
Volleyball
21 M · 32 W
$1.4M

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
3.90
4 offenses · 1,025 students

3-year trend

2.252 yrs ago2.071 yr ago3.90Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
8
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
3
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
0

Criminal offenses by type

Burglary
2
Rape
1
Fondling
1

By location

4total
  • On campus4

Includes 4 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

1
Domestic violence
0
Dating violence
2
Stalking
3 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons01
Drugs13
Liquor06

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
9.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
77

Clarke vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Clarke 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
SubjectClarke University
56%—962$24,479Doctoral/Professional
Briar Cliff University
48%61.7%947$23,907Doctoral/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%71.0%2,032$24,996

Institutions like Clarke

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

IPEDS

Clarke Institutional Research office

The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.

Office
Office of Institutional Research
Phone
(888) 825-2753
Address
1550 Clarke Drive, Dubuque, IA 52001

The major function of the Office of Institutional Research (OIR) is to support the decision-making at Clarke University by collecting, analyzing, and sharing information. Strategic planning and program assessment are two major processes we support.

Visit IR office page

Common Data Set

Clarke's own annual Common Data Set: the most detailed self-reported reference for selectivity, cost, outcomes, and the student body.

Total enrollment
900
680 UG · 220 grad
6-yr graduation rate
63%
First-year retention
72%
Student–faculty ratio
8 to 1
Est. net price (aided)
$18,870
after avg need-based grant
01

Affordability & Value

Cost of attendance

G
Total$47,900
Tuition
$33,60070%
Fees
$1,0702%
Room & board
$10,00021%
Books
$1,3303%
Other
$1,9004%

Total sticker cost of attendance is $47,900 (2020-2021).

Sticker vs. net price

G+H
Sticker COA
$47,900
Net (aided)
$18,870
Avg need grant
$29,030

Sticker $47,900 → about $18,870 net for aided students after the average need-based grant ($29,030); 85% of demonstrated need is met.

Where grant aid comes from

H1
Total Scholarships/Grants39.9%
Institutional30.3%
Student loans8.8%
Other7.8%
Federal5.0%
Federal Work-Study3.7%
State3.5%
External1.1%

30% of need-based grant dollars come from the institution itself.

02

Outcomes & Equity

Graduation & retention

B
6-yr grad rate
63%
Retention
72%

6-year graduation rate 63%; first-year retention 72%.

Equity: Pell graduation gap

B4
All students63%
Pell recipients65%

Pell-grant recipients graduate 2 pts above the overall rate (65% vs 63%).

03

Academic Experience

Class-size distribution

I3
2-9 students88
10-19 students97
20-29 students49
30-39 students6
40-49 students0
50-99 students1
100+ students0

77% of classes have under 20 students; 0% have 50+.

Faculty profile

I
Student–faculty ratio
8 to 1
Faculty with terminal degree
51%
Women faculty
68%

Key faculty indicators.

Degrees by discipline

J
Health professions and related programs29.61%
Psychology15.45%
Business/marketing14.16%
Education10.3%
Biological/life sciences8.58%
Other3.91%
Visual and performing arts3%
History3%

STEM-dominant: ~10% of bachelor's degrees are in computing, engineering, math & sciences.

04

Student Body & Diversity

Undergraduate race/ethnicity

B2
White, non-Hispanic69.6%
Hispanic/Latino11.0%
Black or African American, non-Hispanic8.7%
Race and/or ethnicity unknown3.6%
Two or more races, non-Hispanic2.7%
Nonresident aliens2.2%
Asian, non-Hispanic1.2%
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic0.6%
American Indian or Alaska Native, non-Hispanic0.4%

Undergraduate enrollment by race/ethnicity.

International students

B2
International UG
15
Share
2%

2% of undergraduates are international (nonresident).

Undergrad vs graduate

B1
Undergraduate
68076%
Graduate
22024%

680 undergraduates and 220 graduate students.

Source publications

Frequently asked questions about Clarke University

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Clarke.

What is the graduation rate at Clarke University?

Clarke University reports a 6-year graduation rate of 56% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Clarke University?

Clarke University reports a total enrollment of 962 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Clarke University?

The average net price at Clarke University is $24,479 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at Clarke University?

Clarke University's yield rate is 5.5%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Clarke University located?

Clarke University is located in Dubuque, Iowa 52001-3198.

Who runs Institutional Research at Clarke University?

Clarke University's IR work is done by the Office of Institutional Research.

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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