College ROI

Smarter Choices, Brighter Futures
Back to Colleges

Drake University

Des Moines, IA 2,543 Undergrads 77.8% Grad Rate
School Website|Financial Calculator
Share
Total Cost
$65,475
Sticker Price
Avg Net Price
$29,415
After Aid
Median Earnings
$70,580
5yr Post-Grad

Vs. Peer Institutions

Net Price$29,415
Peer Midpoint: $19,969
Earnings (5yr Post-Grad)Completers only after graduation
$70,580
Peer Midpoint: $61,632
Earnings (10yr Post-Enroll)All enrolled after enrollment
$78,855
Peer Midpoint: $58,891
Graduation Rate77.8%
Peer Midpoint: 58.9%
Average starting age (2015-17)20.2
Socio-Economic Diversity
Pell Grant Recipients25.1%
Enrollment Status
Full-Time97.8%
Economic Outcomes
Earn More than HS83.9%

Admissions Profile

Acceptance
63.8%
SAT Avg
1,292
SAT Reading
25th: 58063075th: 680
SAT Math
25th: 53067075th: 670
ACT Composite
25th: 242775th: 29

ROI Sensitivity Analysis
Assuming 4 Years to Graduation

This analysis tests three cost scenarios (Scholarship, Average Net Price, Full Sticker Price) to show how college costs impact your long-term return compared to the average student and a high school graduate.

Lifetime Value Added (NPV)

Institution Lifetime NPV
Vs Median Peer
Vs HS Grad
Zero Cost (Scholarship)$0
+$612k
+$142k
+$125k
Median Cost$29k/yr
+$506k
+$36k
+$19k
Full Cost$65k/yr
+$376k
-$94k
-$110k

ROI Efficiency Metrics

Break-Even Age
Return on Inv. %
Zero Cost (Scholarship)$0
31
∞
Median Cost$29k/yr
53
18%
Full Cost$65k/yr
Never
-47%
Analysis Assumptions:
  • Starting Salary: Estimated from the median earnings five years after graduating, with four years of 2% raises taken out.
  • Comparisons: "Vs Median Peer" compares to the median student nationwide in a similar level program. "Vs HS Grad" compares to a median high school graduate.
  • Break-Even: The age at which the college investment net income exceeds the median high school graduate's lifetime earnings.
  • NPV: Net Present Value of all future earnings minus costs and taxes, discounted at 7.8%.

Social Impact ROINew

Measures the societal return on a donor's investment. Calculated as the incremental pre-tax lifetime earnings vs. HS grad, divided by the tax-adjusted donation cost.

Donor Return2%

Gov. Pell Grant ROINew

Measures the government's return on Pell Grants via increased tax revenue. Calculated as the portion of incremental lifetime taxes (discounted at 5.4%) attributed to the Pell Grant investment.

Taxpayer Return-64%

Program ROI Analysis

These figures are medians for past graduates who received federal aid. Your cost and pay will differ. Run your own numbers in the Guided ROI Interview →

Bachelor's Degrees

Median Debt
$24,250
Earnings (4yr)
$87,582
Natl Median: $76,194
Lifetime Value Added
+$160k
Try this program with your own numbers →
Anthropology
BachCIP: 4502
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $46,676
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $68,333
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$23,000
Earnings (4yr)
$67,547
Natl Median: $65,466
Lifetime Value Added
+$7k
Try this program with your own numbers →
Biology, General
BachCIP: 2601
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$62,909
Natl Median: $57,214
Lifetime Value Added
-$40k
Try this program with your own numbers →
Median Debt
$21,000
Earnings (4yr)
$73,523
Natl Median: $68,257
Lifetime Value Added
+$53k
Try this program with your own numbers →
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $69,830
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Chemistry
BachCIP: 4005
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,120
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$21,875
Earnings (4yr)
$90,639
Natl Median: $92,374
Lifetime Value Added
+$183k
Try this program with your own numbers →
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$58,834
Natl Median: $51,490
Lifetime Value Added
-$63k
Try this program with your own numbers →
Median Debt
$24,250
Earnings (4yr)
$54,950
Natl Median: $39,775
Lifetime Value Added
-$95k
Try this program with your own numbers →
Economics
BachCIP: 4506
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$88,638
Natl Median: $82,686
Lifetime Value Added
+$168k
Try this program with your own numbers →
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$57,563
Natl Median: $48,590
Lifetime Value Added
-$74k
Try this program with your own numbers →
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $61,027
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$20,500
Earnings (4yr)
$88,637
Natl Median: $83,343
Lifetime Value Added
+$168k
Try this program with your own numbers →
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $41,367
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
History
BachCIP: 5401
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$42,256
Natl Median: $50,680
Lifetime Value Added
-$203k
Try this program with your own numbers →
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$55,964
Natl Median: $73,201
Lifetime Value Added
-$68k
Try this program with your own numbers →
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$49,764
Natl Median: $66,596
Lifetime Value Added
-$139k
Try this program with your own numbers →
Journalism
BachCIP: 0904
Median Debt
$24,125
Earnings (4yr)
$62,969
Natl Median: $56,278
Lifetime Value Added
-$30k
Try this program with your own numbers →
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $53,072
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$20,250
Earnings (4yr)
$97,132
Natl Median: $86,176
Lifetime Value Added
+$233k
Try this program with your own numbers →
Marketing
BachCIP: 5214
Median Debt
$23,250
Earnings (4yr)
$71,246
Natl Median: $69,303
Lifetime Value Added
+$35k
Try this program with your own numbers →
Mathematics
BachCIP: 2701
Median Debt
$24,250
Earnings (5yr)
$96,741
Natl Median: $69,562
Lifetime Value Added
+$215k
Try this program with your own numbers →
Music
BachCIP: 5009
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$42,233
Natl Median: $42,892
Lifetime Value Added
-$203k
Try this program with your own numbers →
Median Debt
$16,500
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,012
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $62,451
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$75,867
Natl Median: $116,539
Lifetime Value Added
+$71k
Try this program with your own numbers →
Philosophy
BachCIP: 3801
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $54,455
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Physics
BachCIP: 4008
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $76,786
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$67,257
Natl Median: $63,293
Lifetime Value Added
+$4k
Try this program with your own numbers →
Psychology, General
BachCIP: 4201
Median Debt
$24,188
Earnings (4yr)
$47,706
Natl Median: $50,706
Lifetime Value Added
-$156k
Try this program with your own numbers →
Median Debt
$21,750
Earnings (4yr)
$63,302
Natl Median: $63,560
Lifetime Value Added
-$27k
Try this program with your own numbers →
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $50,497
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$50,591
Natl Median: $48,471
Lifetime Value Added
-$132k
Try this program with your own numbers →
Sociology
BachCIP: 4511
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$33,993
Natl Median: $52,657
Lifetime Value Added
-$262k
Try this program with your own numbers →
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness
BachCIP: 3105
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $54,562
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$24,125
Earnings (4yr)
$49,289
Natl Median: $47,382
Lifetime Value Added
-$143k
Try this program with your own numbers →
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$44,835
Natl Median: $51,389
Lifetime Value Added
-$165k
Try this program with your own numbers →
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $47,629
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Master's Degrees

Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$91,269
Natl Median: $95,833
Lifetime Value Added
+$111k
Try this program with your own numbers →
Median Debt
$34,035
Earnings (4yr)
$137,890
Natl Median: $103,485
Lifetime Value Added
+$516k
Try this program with your own numbers →
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,184
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$32,471
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $71,953
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$62,724
Natl Median: $63,399
Lifetime Value Added
-$142k
Try this program with your own numbers →
Median Debt
$24,070
Earnings (4yr)
$68,233
Natl Median: $71,685
Lifetime Value Added
-$92k
Try this program with your own numbers →
Non-Professional Legal Studies
MastCIP: 2200
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,153
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$29,387
Earnings (4yr)
$83,764
Natl Median: $81,408
Lifetime Value Added
+$45k
Try this program with your own numbers →
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $64,397
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$47,160
Earnings (4yr)
$59,658
Natl Median: $60,111
Lifetime Value Added
-$170k
Try this program with your own numbers →
Median Debt
$42,043
Earnings (4yr)
$56,615
Natl Median: $59,916
Lifetime Value Added
-$199k
Try this program with your own numbers →
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$56,234
Natl Median: $63,707
Lifetime Value Added
-$181k
Try this program with your own numbers →

Professional Degrees

Law
ProfCIP: 2201
Median Debt
$92,317
Earnings (4yr)
$87,375
Natl Median: $107,773
Lifetime Value Added
-$105k
Try this program with your own numbers →
Median Debt
$93,170
Earnings (4yr)
$140,314
Natl Median: $138,348
Lifetime Value Added
+$286k
Try this program with your own numbers →
Median Debt
$184,460
Earnings (4yr)
$57,322
Natl Median: $81,641
Lifetime Value Added
-$333k
Try this program with your own numbers →

Note: Lifetime Value Added is the Net Present Value (NPV) of estimated career earnings relative to a median high school graduate (for undergraduate programs) or a median bachelor's degree holder (for graduate programs), accounting for this institution's average cost and taxes. Computed over a career to retirement age.

For graduate programs (Master's, Doctoral, etc.), the calculation assumes a starting age of 22 (after undergraduate completion) and does not include the sunk costs of prior degrees. It represents the value added of the graduate decision moving forward. Note that the institution's average undergraduate net price is used as a proxy for annual cost, which may differ from actual graduate tuition. These Lifetime Value Added results for graduate degrees should not be compared with those for Undergraduate Certificates, Associates or Bachelors.

Completers Only: Federal median earnings data strictly reflects outcomes for students who successfully graduated. Students who do not complete their degree typically earn significantly less and face higher risks of debt default.