- Photos
-
-
_
U.S. News Rankings
| Ranking score and category | |||||
|
|||||
Summary
Drake University is a private institution that was founded in 1881. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 3,438, its setting is city, and the campus size is 150 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. Drake University's ranking in the 2013 edition of Best Colleges is Regional Universities (Midwest), 3. Its tuition and fees are $29,556 (2012-13).
Drake University, located in Des Moines, Iowa, offers a range of student activities. The Donald V. Adams Leadership Institute offers courses, workshops, and leadership opportunities for students throughout the year. Among the 150 or so student organizations are Colleges Against Cancer, a campus newspaper, and a number of club and intramural sports teams, including broomball, racquetball, sports trivia, and team tennis. A sizeable Greek community encompasses about a dozen fraternities and sororities. Drake provides housing in its eight residence halls, and the majority of students choose to remain on campus all four years. The Drake Bulldogs compete primarily in the Division I Missouri Valley Conference.
Drake is comprised of six schools and colleges. Graduate programs include the College of Business and Public Administration, School of Education, and School of Law. Other notable programs include the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences and School of Journalism and Mass Communication. The fine arts department of the College of Arts and Sciences offers courses of study in art and design, music, and theatre arts. Popular campus traditions include Street Painting, an annual celebration during which organizations decorate the streets in and around campus; and the Beautiful Bulldog Contest, held every year to find a mascot for the annual Drake Relays outdoor track and field competition. One student rite of passage: receiving a kiss from your loved one on the kissing rock on Drake’s campus.
| School mission and unique qualities (as provided by the school): | |
|
Drake University is committed to providing an exceptional learning environment that prepares students for meaningful personal lives, professional accomplishments, and responsible global citizenship. The Drake experience is distinguished by collaborative learning among students, faculty, and staff and by the integration of the liberal arts and sciences with professional preparation. With over 3,500 undergraduate students and a total student body of more than 5,600 Drake offers its students many of the benefits of large state universities with the intimacy and personalization of a private institution. First and foremost, Drake University offers a quality academic experience. This is evidenced by the fact that the University is regularly rated as top in the Midwest academically. In the past 5 years nine Drake students were named undergraduate Fulbright scholars. In the past few years several faculty have also received Fulbright awards to teach overseas. Drake's size allows Faculty and staff to foster close relationships with students that help them meet educational, professional and personal goals. Drake's diverse student body comes from 42 states and 43 countries. Drake graduates currently reside in all 50 states and more than 60 countries around the world. Undergraduate students choose from more than 70 programs of study, can design a personal academic plan, combine majors or create their own major. Along with the undergraduate programs Drake University offers programs in Law, Pharmacy Doctoral study, and other graduate programs. Located in Des Moines, Iowa's capital city, the University is uniquely positioned to provide learning opportunities through partnerships with the city's bounty of businesses, schools, government and cultural activity. Drake students get real-world experience through professional internships that prepare them for lifelong success, with more than 60 percent of Drake students graduating having had at least one internship. Students acquire valuable leadership skills from area business, government, civic and community leaders. Nearly 92 percent of all Drake graduates find career employment or enter graduate school within six months after receiving their degrees. Named a College That Rocks by Rolling Stone magazine, Drake University offers a wide range of activities that complement academics and enhance the campus social experience. Drake offers almost 200 student, honor, religious, ethnic/racial and social organizations with focuses ranging from Japanese animation to Greek life and has more than 25 intramural and club sports that are open to all students. Each year many students volunteer their time in local schools, building with Habitat for Humanity or spending spring break building homes and schools in impoverished areas. Bulldog athletic teams compete at Division I as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference and the Pioneer Football League. The University also hosts the Drake Relays, a storied track and field meet with competitors ranging from elementary school to Olympic champions. Visit www.drakerelays.org to learn more. Drake is committed to making sure that the students' investments provide high returns throughout their lives. Drake is identified by Barron's, Peterson's and Kiplinger's as a best value education. Approximately 98 percent of Drake students receive financial aid making the actual cost of a Drake education competitive with public universities for many of our students. In fact, most students who plan properly complete their degrees in just four years and begin working in their chosen profession after graduation. Drake alumni go on to discover comets, win Pulitzer Prizes, make Hollywood blockbusters, found and operate Fortune 500 companies and make the world a better place in ways large and small. |
General Information
| School type | private, coed college |
| Year founded | 1881 |
| Religious affiliation | N/A |
| Academic calendar | semester |
| Setting | city |
| 2011 Endowment | $153,404,794 |
Applying
When applying to Drake University, it's important to note the application deadline is rolling. Scores for either the ACT or SAT test are due May 1. The application fee at Drake University is $25. It is more selective, with an acceptance rate of 63.2 percent.
For more information about the tests, essays, interviews, and admissions process, visit the Applying to College knowledge center.
| Selectivity | more selective |
| Fall 2011 acceptance rate | 63.2% |
| Application deadline | rolling |
| SAT/ACT scores must be received by | May 1 |
Academic Life
The student-faculty ratio at Drake University is 12:1, and the school has 51.9 percent of its classes with fewer than 20 students. The average freshman retention rate, an indicator of student satisfaction, is 87.0 percent.
| Class sizes | ||
|
|
||
| Student-faculty ratio | 12:1 | |
| 4-year graduation rate | 69 | |
| Five most popular majors for 2011 graduates | ||
|
||
Student Life
Drake University has a total undergraduate enrollment of 3,438, with a gender distribution of 43.7 percent male students and 56.3 percent female students. At this school, 71.0 percent of the students live in college-owned, -operated, or -affiliated housing and 29.0 percent of students live off campus. Drake University is part of the NCAA I athletic conference.
| Total enrollment | 5,384 |
| Student gender distribution | |
|
|
|
| Undergraduate men who are members of a fraternity | |
|
|
|
| Undergraduate women who are members of a sorority | |
|
|
|
| Collegiate athletic association | NCAA I |
Campus Info & Services
Drake University offers a number of student services including nonremedial tutoring, women's center, placement service, health service, and health insurance. Drake University also offers campus safety and security services like 24-hour foot and vehicle patrols, late night transport/escort service, 24-hour emergency telephones, lighted pathways/sidewalks, and controlled dormitory access (key, security card, etc). Of the students at Drake University, 65 percent have cars on campus. Alcohol is permitted for students of legal age at Drake University.
| Students who have cars on campus | 65% |
| Health insurance offered | Yes |
| Students required to own/lease a computer | No |
More About Campus Info & Services
Paying for School
At Drake University, 61.7 percent of full-time undergraduates receive some kind of need-based financial aid and the average need-based scholarship or grant award is $14,753.
Paying for college doesn't have to be difficult or devastating. Go to the Paying for College knowledge center to get advice on raising cash and reducing costs.
| Tuition and fees | $29,556 (2012-13) |
| Room and board | $8,680 (2012-13) |
| Financial aid statistics | |
|
|
|
* Overview details based on 2011 data
