---
title: Drake University — cost, debt & earnings (College Scorecard)
location: Des Moines, IA
control: Private nonprofit
source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (2026-06-10 release)
sourceUrl: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/
---

# Drake University

Des Moines, IA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor-granting

> Federal College Scorecard institution **medians** — not a prediction of any one student's outcome, and not a figure for any single program. Earnings/debt cover federally-aided students.

## The bottom line

| Figure | Value | Status |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Typical earnings, 10 yrs after entry | $71,901 | recorded |
| Earnings range (25th–75th pct) | $47,785 – $110,436 | recorded |
| Typical federal debt | $19,500 | recorded |
| Debt of students who withdrew | $12,000 | recorded |
| Completion rate | 74% | recorded |
| Average annual net cost | $64,835 | recorded |
| % earning above a $28k HS-grad wage | 87% | recorded |
| Debt ÷ a year's earnings | 0.27× | derived |
| Earnings premium vs $28k HS benchmark | $43,901 | derived |

**74% of students finish** — the loans are owed whether or not you graduate, so read every figure below next to this number.

Typical **federal** loan debt is $19,500 (≈ 27% of a year's typical earnings here). Note: this counts federal loans only — not private loans, Parent PLUS, or family savings — so true borrowing is usually higher; and because dropouts borrow less, low-completion schools can show a deceptively low debt figure.

## Earnings by major (the number that decides "worth it")

> **Different measure — read on its own terms.** These are median earnings **1 year after completing the program** (early career, graduates only) — NOT the 10-years-after-entry school-wide figure above. Do not compare a program figure to the school figure; compare majors to each other. The Dept. of Education omits programs with too few graduates.

By program, early-career pay ranges from $25,357 to $64,552 across 20 program(s).

| Major | Credential | Pay (1 yr out) | Median debt |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods. | Bachelor's Degree | $64,552 | $23,979 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $62,903 | $19,000 |
| Accounting and Related Services. | Master's Degree | $62,167 | not reported |
| Law. | First Professional Degree | $61,460 | $83,526 |
| Educational Administration and Supervision. | Master's Degree | $59,587 | $23,522 |
| Accounting and Related Services. | Bachelor's Degree | $59,063 | $20,000 |
| Curriculum and Instruction. | Master's Degree | $57,020 | not reported |
| Finance and Financial Management Services. | Bachelor's Degree | $56,700 | $25,000 |
| Public Administration. | Master's Degree | $52,464 | $20,075 |
| Student Counseling and Personnel Services. | Master's Degree | $49,067 | not reported |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods. | Master's Degree | $48,379 | $30,966 |
| Marketing. | Bachelor's Degree | $45,816 | $19,000 |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication. | Bachelor's Degree | $42,274 | $21,500 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods. | Bachelor's Degree | $41,116 | $27,000 |
| Journalism. | Bachelor's Degree | $34,814 | not reported |
| Political Science and Government. | Bachelor's Degree | $31,893 | $20,500 |
| English Language and Literature, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $31,512 | not reported |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology. | Bachelor's Degree | $26,414 | $20,375 |
| Psychology, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $25,977 | $20,248 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft. | Bachelor's Degree | $25,357 | not reported |

## What this is — and is NOT

Institution-wide medians from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. **Not** a prediction of what you would earn or owe, **not** a figure for any single program (a CS and a fine-arts graduate of the same school diverge enormously), **not** proof the school caused the outcome (selection, not causation), and **not** a "best college" ranking. Explore Drake University by field of study at the official Scorecard: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school/?153269

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Structured data (JSON-LD), each figure labeled by epistemic status: `/education/drake-university-ia.jsonld` · all schools: `/education`