Weeks after being named one of the Midwest’s best universities according to U.S. News and World Report’s 2019 Best Colleges rankings, Drake University is pleased to announce recognition on another distinctive list.

According to results reported by the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy, Drake, a fully accredited AACSB business school, ranked 14th out of nearly 800 institutions in the nation for its pass rate on the 2017 Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exam. The University’s accounting graduates, taking the CPA exam for the first time, recorded an average pass rate of nearly 80 percent, well above the national average of approximately 53 percent.

“We are proud to be ranked among the best,” said Dan Connolly, dean of the College of Business and Public Administration. “This ranking reflects the value of our accounting program—its rigorous and relevant curriculum, talented faculty, and ability to prepare students for success, not only on the exam but for their entire careers. Our CPA pass rate and the recent endorsement by the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) as a Certified Management Accountant program demonstrate our commitment to producing top caliber talent to serve the accounting profession.”

Drake’s No. 14 ranking is the highest among schools in Iowa accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). Among the nation’s 281 medium-sized institutions within the report, Drake scored the third best pass rate, immediately below Washington and Lee University and Vanderbilt University.

Drake’s School of Accounting offers undergraduate and graduate programs in accounting. With Drake’s deep connectivity to Des Moines and Midwest accounting communities, graduates of the University’s accounting programs are employed by all of the ‘Big 4’ accounting firms, top regional accounting firms, Fortune 500 firms, government agencies, and non-profit organizations.

In addition to accounting, Drake is known as a leader in actuarial science, finance, data analytics, marketing, and public administration. It offers a robust portfolio of programs at the undergraduate, graduate, and professional certificate levels. In addition to the Master of Accounting program, Drake University’s College of Business and Public Administration offers three other graduate programs: Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master of Public Administration (MPA), and a Master of Data Analytics Leadership (MDAL). Last month, the University launched its new fully online MBA and MPA tailored toward the needs of the working professional.