Drake University
Des Moines, Iowa · Also known as Drake · Website
$71,901
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$71,901
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Drake University is a private nonprofit 4-year college in Des Moines, Iowa with 2,543 undergraduates and 1,760 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $29,127 a year (tuition and fees $52,130). It admits 64% of applicants and 74% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $71,901 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $23,000 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$29,127
US median $17,138
Tuition and fees
$52,130
US median $11,837
Admission rate
64%
US median 78%
Completion rate
74%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$23,000
About $244 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$71,901
Rank 340 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $29,127
- Tuition and fees
- $52,130
- Cost of attendance
- $64,835
- Students with a need-based grant
- 22%
- Students with federal loans
- 44%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $25,824
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $23,275
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $25,171
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $27,408
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $33,126
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $33,696 in 2015-16 to $52,130 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- 64%
- Average SAT
- 1,292
- SAT reading, middle
- 655
- SAT math, middle
- 645
- ACT, middle
- 28
- Undergraduates
- 2,543
- Graduate students
- 1,760
- Part-time students
- 2.2%
- Women
- 61%
- Students per teacher
- 11
- Completion rate
- 74%
- Retention rate
- 84%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 79
- Endowment
- $306.2M
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 340 of 5,094 US colleges and 1 of 69 in Iowa (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | IA median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $29,127 | $17,730 | $22,320 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $52,130 | $20,270 | $31,170 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 64% | 80% | 74% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 74% | 65% | 57% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 84% | 74% | 77% | 75% |
| Median debt | $23,000 | $14,745 | $24,287 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $58,233 | $39,099 | $44,392 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $71,901 | $42,793 | $52,928 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US private nonprofit 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 84% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 88% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
79 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LawProfessional | Professional | 105 | $83,526 | $72,226 | $87,375 | $107,773 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsMaster's | Master's | 87 | Withheld | $91,098 | $137,890 | $103,485 |
| Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and AdministrationProfessional | Professional | 66 | Withheld | Withheld | $140,314 | $138,348 |
| Educational Administration and SupervisionMaster's | Master's | 64 | $23,522 | $64,311 | $68,233 | $71,685 |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied CommunicationBachelor's | Bachelor's | 63 | $21,500 | $44,492 | $63,302 | $63,560 |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative MethodsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 51 | $23,979 | $80,044 | $97,132 | $86,176 |
| MarketingBachelor's | Bachelor's | 49 | $19,000 | $51,968 | $71,246 | $69,303 |
| Data AnalyticsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 48 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic ProfessionsProfessional | Professional | 48 | $196,378 | $68,869 | $57,322 | $81,641 |
| Curriculum and InstructionMaster's | Master's | 46 | Withheld | $58,730 | $62,724 | $63,399 |
| Psychology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 41 | $20,248 | Withheld | $47,706 | $50,706 |
| Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 41 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Communication and Media StudiesOnlineMaster's | Master's | 40 | Withheld | $56,361 | Withheld | $71,953 |
| Educational Administration and SupervisionDoctoral | Doctoral | 38 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Non-Professional Legal StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 38 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Public AdministrationMaster's | Master's | 38 | $20,075 | $67,297 | $83,764 | $81,408 |
| JournalismOnlineBachelor's | Bachelor's | 37 | Withheld | $41,913 | $62,969 | $56,278 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsMaster's | Master's | 36 | $30,966 | $51,327 | $56,615 | $59,916 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 34 | $19,000 | $69,835 | $90,639 | $92,374 |
| Student Counseling and Personnel ServicesMaster's | Master's | 34 | Withheld | $54,800 | $59,658 | $60,111 |
| Finance and Financial Management ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 34 | $25,000 | $62,049 | $88,637 | $83,343 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 31 | $20,000 | $65,922 | $87,582 | $76,194 |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular BiologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 25 | $20,375 | Withheld | $67,547 | $65,466 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 23 | $27,000 | $41,630 | $49,289 | $47,382 |
| Legal Professions and Studies, OtherOnlineMaster's | Master's | 23 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Des Moines and Iowa on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in Iowa
- Homes: Homes for sale in Iowa
Questions and answers
How much does Drake University cost?
$29,127 a year is the average net price at Drake University after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $52,130, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $64,835. Families earning under $30,000 pay $25,824 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Drake University?
64% of applicants are admitted to Drake University. The average SAT score of admitted students is 1,292 and the middle ACT score is 28. The median admission rate of colleges in Iowa is 80%.
How much do Drake University graduates earn?
$71,901 a year is the median pay of former Drake University students who work, 10 years after they started ($58,233 after 6 years). That ranks 340 of 5,094 US colleges and 1 of 69 in Iowa. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's) at $91,098.
How much student debt do Drake University graduates have?
$23,000 is the median federal student loan debt of Drake University graduates, about $244 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 44% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Drake University?
74% of first-time, full-time students at Drake University finish within 6 years. 84% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of private nonprofit 4-year colleges is 57%.
What are the most popular majors at Drake University?
Law (105 professional graduates), Business Administration, Management and Operations (87 master's graduates), Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (66 professional graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 79 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.