Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium ProgramsPrivate (for-profit)

Waldorf University

Forest City, Iowa·Private for-profit, 4-year or above·Plains·waldorf.edu
6-yr Graduation
21%
-9.0pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
Total enrollment
2,225
peer median 1,764
Avg net price
$21,683
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Admissions & acceptance rate

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

Applied
1,238
1,238 candidates competed
Admitted
953
77.0% acceptance rate
Enrolled
189
19.8% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

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

Overall completion
21%-9.0pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
4-year graduation
21%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
24%
Full-time retention
44%

Pell equity

21.0pp gap
Pell recipients
18%
Non-Pell
39%

Non-Pell students graduate at a 21.0-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

Program outcomes

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

Of 46 Title IV programs, 13 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 33 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
46
Passing
13
28.3% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

46programs
  • Passing13 · 28.3%
  • No Data33 · 71.7%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
0
Safe
13
No data
33

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.

13
Business Administration Management and Operations
Master's Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+26.7%
$76,173 vs $60,112
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Bachelor Degree · Education
+41.4%
$49,228 vs $34,808
Communication and Media Studies
Bachelor Degree · Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs
+42.1%
$49,473 vs $34,808
Psychology General
Bachelor Degree · Psychology
+44.2%
$50,184 vs $34,808
Business Administration Management and Operations
Associate Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+53.8%
$53,549 vs $34,808
Criminal Justice and Corrections
Bachelor Degree · Security And Protective Services
+56.0%
$54,289 vs $34,808
Business/Commerce General
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+82.0%
$63,357 vs $34,808
Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians
Associate Degree · Engineering Technologies/Technicians
+105.7%
$71,592 vs $34,808

Debt vs earnings

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

10
Criminal Justice and Corrections
Bachelor Degree · Security And Protective Services
46%
$25,204 debt · $54,289 earn
Psychology General
Bachelor Degree · Psychology
46%
$23,016 debt · $50,184 earn
Business Administration Management and Operations
Master's Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
37%
$28,356 debt · $76,173 earn
Business/Commerce General
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
36%
$23,038 debt · $63,357 earn
Homeland Security
Bachelor Degree · Security And Protective Services
33%
$25,000 debt · $76,520 earn
Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians
Bachelor Degree · Engineering Technologies/Technicians
24%
$20,312 debt · $83,151 earn
Fire Protection
Bachelor Degree · Security And Protective Services
18%
$18,365 debt · $100,060 earn
Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians
Associate Degree · Engineering Technologies/Technicians
18%
$12,893 debt · $71,592 earn

Accreditation status & history

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

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Higher Learning Commission

Accredited since 1948Next review Aug 2027

Programmatic accreditations · 1

Action history · 1

  1. Jun 2017Renewal of Accreditation
    Higher Learning Commission

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$19,354
$30–48k$19,450
$48–75k$23,887
$75–110k$24,358
$110k+$24,590

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

Avg net price (private)
$21,683
vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs median $21,683
Federal loans
38.6%
In-state tuition
$25,220
Out-of-state
$25,220

Federal aid volume & trends

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

In AY 2024–25, 1,092 students received $5.4M in Pell grants, alongside $10.1M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
1,092
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$5.4M
$5,446,947 total
Direct Loans
$10.1M
1,940 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$2.9M
810 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$3.6M
864 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$2.3M
169 loan awards
Parent PLUS$1.3M
96 loan awards
Grad PLUS$10K
1 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.

Of 757 borrowers who entered repayment, 12 (1.5%) defaulted within three years below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
1.5%
-0.8pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
757
Defaulted
12
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
7.7%
2017
10.3%
2018
8.1%
2019
1.5%
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 Waldorf

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs38
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

899 total completions
01Business
30333.7%
02Security/Protective
22625.1%
03Engineering Tech
14416.0%
04Psychology
778.6%
05Education
556.1%
06Health Professions
424.7%
07Parks/Recreation
182.0%
08Family/Consumer Sci
161.8%
09Communication
121.3%
10History
60.7%

Enrollment trends & demographics

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

Fall total
2,225
12-mo unduplicated
3,742
Undergraduate
3,042
Graduate
700

Gender split

Men
62%2,316
Women
38%1,426

Race / ethnicity composition

White
51.6%
Unknown
27.6%
Black
12.6%
Two or more
2.5%
Hispanic
2.2%
Asian
1.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.7%
Non-resident
0.7%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

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

Athletes
503
323 M · 180 W
Women athletes
35.8%
Athletic aid
$7.2M
Total student aid
Budget
$10.3M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$4.6M
$2.2M
Recruiting expense
$29K
$21K
Head-coach salaries
$31K
$25K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 13

Football
114 M ·
$2.2M
Wrestling
35 M · 32 W
$1.1M
Soccer
29 M · 20 W
$869K
Ice Hockey
33 M ·
$852K
Track and Field (Outdoor)
16 M · 16 W
$196K
Track and Field (Indoor)
16 M · 16 W
$196K

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

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

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
9.05
25 offenses · 2,763 students

3-year trend

4.302 yrs ago3.171 yr ago9.05Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
46
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
18
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
4
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
0

Criminal offenses by type

Burglary
15
Aggravated assault
4
Rape
3
Motor vehicle theft
3

By location

25total
  • On campus24
  • Public property1

Includes 20 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

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

Hate crimes by bias

  • Race1
  • Ethnicity1

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons01
Drugs110
Liquor058

Residence-hall fires

No residence-hall fires reported.

Data quality: 1 report was later determined unfounded across the reporting period and are excluded from the totals above.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

Student-to-faculty
22.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
48

Waldorf vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Waldorf selected for federal comparison reporting.

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
SubjectWaldorf University
21%2,225$21,683Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
DeVry University-California
21%98.5%2,403$33,294Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
Florida National University-Main Campus
39%2,750$23,629Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
Strayer University-Florida
100%1,303$17,518Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
American InterContinental University-Atlanta
9%801$15,774Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
Washington University of Science and Technology
67%7.3%1,096Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
Peer group median30%52.9%1,764$21,683

Frequently asked questions about Waldorf University

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Waldorf.

What is the graduation rate at Waldorf University?

Waldorf University reports a 6-year graduation rate of 21% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Waldorf University?

Waldorf University reports a total enrollment of 2,225 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Waldorf University?

The average net price at Waldorf University is $21,683 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at Waldorf University?

Waldorf University's yield rate is 19.8%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Waldorf University located?

Waldorf University is located in Forest City, Iowa 50436-1713.

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