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

# Waldorf University

Forest City, 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 | $51,165 | recorded |
| Earnings range (25th–75th pct) | $31,771 – $79,077 | recorded |
| Typical federal debt | $12,025 | recorded |
| Debt of students who withdrew | $7,988 | recorded |
| Completion rate | 21% | recorded |
| Average annual net cost | $39,675 | recorded |
| % earning above a $28k HS-grad wage | 72% | recorded |
| Debt ÷ a year's earnings | 0.23× | derived |
| Earnings premium vs $28k HS benchmark | $23,165 | derived |

**21% 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 $12,025 (≈ 24% 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 $30,024 to $74,071 across 12 program(s).

| Major | Credential | Pay (1 yr out) | Median debt |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Fire Protection. | Bachelor's Degree | $74,071 | $18,750 |
| Fire Protection. | Associate's Degree | $67,267 | $11,200 |
| Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians. | Bachelor's Degree | $65,975 | $18,699 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations. | Master's Degree | $58,706 | $32,862 |
| Human Resources Management and Services. | Bachelor's Degree | $58,151 | $28,125 |
| Homeland Security. | Bachelor's Degree | $54,510 | $22,000 |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services. | Bachelor's Degree | $52,459 | $22,301 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections. | Bachelor's Degree | $50,817 | $25,500 |
| Business/Commerce, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $44,915 | $21,535 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods. | Bachelor's Degree | $41,470 | not reported |
| Psychology, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $31,432 | $20,637 |
| Communication and Media Studies. | Bachelor's Degree | $30,024 | 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 Waldorf University by field of study at the official Scorecard: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school/?154518

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