Doctoral/ProfessionalPrivate nonprofit

Drake University

Des Moines, Iowa·Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above·Plains·drake.edu
6-yr Graduation
74%
+7.5pp vs Doctoral/Professional
Total enrollment
4,345
peer median 3,732
Avg net price
$29,127
+$4.8k vs Doctoral/Professional
Use this data
Ask Clema
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
9,873
9,873 candidates competed
Admitted
6,304
63.9% acceptance rate
Enrolled
618
9.8% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

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

IPEDS
Overall completion
74%+7.5pp vs Doctoral/Professional
4-year graduation
66%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
73%
Full-time retention
84%

Pell equity

16.4pp gap
Pell recipients
61%95 of 155
Non-Pell (all)
77%458 of 592
Subsidized loan, no Pell
74%137 of 185
No Federal Aid
79%321 of 407

Non-Pell students graduate at a 16.4-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

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 80 Title IV programs, 32 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 48 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
80
Passing
32
40.0% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

80programs
  • Passing32 · 40.0%
  • No Data48 · 60.0%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
1
Watch
3
Safe
28
No data
48

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.

32
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions
First Professional Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+7.1%
$57,322 vs $53,519
Music
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+17.0%
$42,233 vs $36,082
History
Bachelor Degree · History
+17.1%
$42,256 vs $36,082
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Master's Degree · Education
+22.7%
$56,615 vs $46,158
Student Counseling and Personnel Services
Master's Degree · Education
+29.2%
$59,658 vs $46,158
Psychology General
Bachelor Degree · Psychology
+32.2%
$47,706 vs $36,082
Curriculum and Instruction
Master's Degree · Education
+35.9%
$62,724 vs $46,158
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Bachelor Degree · Education
+36.6%
$49,289 vs $36,082

Debt vs earnings

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

21
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions
First Professional Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
314%
$179,963 debt · $57,322 earn
Law
First Professional Degree · Legal Professions And Studies
129%
$112,946 debt · $87,375 earn
Student Counseling and Personnel Services
Master's Degree · Education
59%
$35,029 debt · $59,658 earn
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Master's Degree · Education
56%
$31,625 debt · $56,615 earn
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Bachelor Degree · Education
53%
$26,256 debt · $49,289 earn
Psychology General
Bachelor Degree · Psychology
51%
$24,142 debt · $47,706 earn
English Language and Literature General
Bachelor Degree · English Language And Literature/Letters
47%
$27,000 debt · $57,563 earn
Journalism
Bachelor Degree · Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs
40%
$25,000 debt · $62,969 earn

Accreditation status & history

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

DAPIP
AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Higher Learning Commission

Accredited since 1913Next review Aug 2028

Programmatic accreditations · 6

Action history · 8

  1. Jan 2023Renewal of Accreditation
    Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education · Pharmacy (PHAR) - Professional degree programs
  2. Feb 2022Renewal of Accreditation
    American Bar Association, Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar · Law (LAW) - Professional schools
  3. Nov 2018Initial Accreditation
    American Occupational Therapy Association, Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education · Occupational Therapy (OTD) - Programs leading to a Doctoral Degree
  4. Oct 2018Renewal of Accreditation
    American Bar Association, Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar · Law (LAW) - Professional schools
  5. Feb 2018Renewal of Accreditation
    Higher Learning Commission

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$25,824
$30–48k$23,275
$48–75k$25,171
$75–110k$27,408
$110k+$33,126

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

Avg net price (private)
$29,127
+$4,828vs Doctoral/Professional median $24,299
Federal loans
44.5%
In-state tuition
$52,130
Out-of-state
$52,130

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, 773 students received $4.3M in Pell grants, alongside $35.4M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
773
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$4.3M
$4,334,047 total
Direct Loans
$35.4M
3,166 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

1k
’20
1k
’21
1k
’22
1k
’23
1k
’24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$3.7M
852 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$4.8M
1,146 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$11.6M
554 loan awards
Parent PLUS$6.2M
316 loan awards
Grad PLUS$9.1M
298 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 996 borrowers who entered repayment, 8 (0.8%) defaulted within three years — below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
0.8%
-1.5pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
996
Defaulted
8
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
2.4%
2017
2.2%
2018
1.9%
2019
0.8%
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 Drake

Top program areas ranked by completions.

IPEDS
Distinct CIP programs92
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

1,334 total completions
01Business
27420.5%
02Education
25218.9%
03Legal Professions
19314.5%
04Health Professions
18714.0%
05Communication
1259.4%
06Social Sciences
816.1%
07Biological Sciences
685.1%
08Multi/Interdisciplinary
564.2%
09Psychology
513.8%
10Computer Sciences
473.5%

Enrollment trends & demographics

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

IPEDS
Fall total
4,345
12-mo unduplicated
4,809
Undergraduate
2,712
Graduate
2,097

Gender split

Men
38%1,809
Women
62%3,000

Race / ethnicity composition

White
68.2%
Hispanic
9.5%
Black
7.8%
Two or more
5.4%
Asian
4.6%
Non-resident
4.2%
Unknown
0.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.1%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

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

EADA
Athletes
387
199 M · 188 W
Women athletes
48.6%
Athletic aid
$5.0M
Total student aid
Budget
$21.3M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$1.7M
$3.3M
Recruiting expense
$149K
$68K
Head-coach salaries
$158K
$93K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 9

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
78 M · 80 W
$1.7M
Football
110 M · —
$1.5M
Soccer
30 M · 31 W
$1.7M
Basketball
12 M · 33 W
$6.8M
Rowing
— · 32 W
$359K
Softball
— · 23 W
$1.1M

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
4.22
19 offenses · 4,504 students

3-year trend

4.512 yrs ago2.351 yr ago4.22Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
52
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
15
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
1
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
1

Criminal offenses by type

Burglary
11
Rape
3
Fondling
2
Arson
1
Robbery
1
Motor vehicle theft
1

By location

19total
  • On campus12
  • Non-campus6
  • Public property1

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

VAWA offenses

0
Domestic violence
1
Dating violence
4
Stalking
5 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

  • Race1

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons40
Drugs013
Liquor242

Residence-hall fires

  • Goodwin Hall1 fire
    CookingDamage $0-$99

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

IPEDS
Student-to-faculty
11.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
289

Drake vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Drake 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
SubjectDrake University
74%—4,345$29,127Doctoral/Professional
Saint Ambrose University
61%77.3%2,498$24,691Doctoral/Professional
University of Mary
67%75.3%3,861$17,770Doctoral/Professional
Bethel University
71%87.8%3,603$28,556Doctoral/Professional
Briar Cliff University
48%61.7%947$23,907Doctoral/Professional
Saint Mary's University of Minnesota
66%92.8%4,505$11,704Doctoral/Professional
Peer group median67%77.3%3,732$24,299

Institutions like Drake

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

IPEDS

Drake Institutional Research office

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

Office
Office of Institutional Research & Assessment
Phone
515-271-2011
Address
2507 University Ave. Des Moines, IA 50311

The Office of Institutional Research and Assessment serves as a source of information about Drake University. Our mission is to provide data, reports, and research that support institutional planning, strengthen teaching and learning, and promote understanding of the nature and quality of education at Drake University.

Visit IR office page
Team
2 members
  • Christine Marchand
    Institutional Research and Academic Compliance Coordinator
  • Jessica Armstrong
    Data Analyst

Common Data Set

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

Source publications

Frequently asked questions about Drake University

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Drake.

What is the graduation rate at Drake University?

Drake University reports a 6-year graduation rate of 74% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Drake University?

Drake University reports a total enrollment of 4,345 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Drake University?

The average net price at Drake University is $29,127 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at Drake University?

Drake University's yield rate is 9.8%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Drake University located?

Drake University is located in Des Moines, Iowa 50311-4505.

Who runs Institutional Research at Drake University?

Drake University's IR work is done by the Office of Institutional Research & Assessment.

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 →

Have a question this page can’t answer?

Ask Clema anything about Drake University and its peers — plain language in, cited answers out, in minutes instead of days.

Try for freeBook a demo

Free for teams up to 3 · No credit card