Return on investment of a Drake education among top 3 percent in the nation
Drake University was ranked the top private school in Iowa for the second year in a row and among the top 200 best colleges in the U.S. by The Wall Street Journal’s 2025 College Pulse Rankings. Among all Iowa schools, Drake ranked highest in Salary Impact Score (a rating of graduate salaries relative to the cost of attending), as well as the Value Added to Graduate Salary score (value added to graduates’ median salary attributable to attending the college).
These rankings from The Wall Street Journal further demonstrate proof of the strong return on investment as shared by multiple research sources, including:
- Drake graduates ranked highest in Iowa for media salary 10 years after a student’s enrollment, according to the U.S. Dept of Education.
- Drake ranks in the top 3 percent nationally for return on investment (ROI) with the lifetime ROI of a Drake education being approximately $1.5 million, according to a Bipartisan Policy Center study.
“We are thrilled to be named on The Wall Street Journal’s list of top colleges for the second year in a row,” said Drake University President Marty Martin. “These results only further solidify what we know to be true, and what is demonstrated through our Measure of Success report—that Drake University is a national leader at integrating the liberal arts and sciences with professional preparation to ready students for meaningful personal lives, professional accomplishment, and responsible global citizenship.”
Drake’s ability to deliver an ROI in the top 3 percent in the nation is made possible through student outcomes that far surpass national averages, including:
- Drake graduates experienced a 97.3 percent accomplishment rate. This is the percentage of 2023undergraduates that were employed, in graduate school, or pursuing professional goals within six months of graduation. This is compared to a national average of 85.7 percent.
- 92.7 percent of graduates reported having an internship. This is compared to the 2023 national average of roughly 60 percent in 2023. This is a major contributor to employability, as paid interns are twice as likely to land a job after college compared to non-interns.
For more information, view Drake University’s most recent Measure of Success report.
About WSJ/College Pulse Rankings
The WSJ/College Pulse Best Colleges in the U.S. list ranks the top 500 undergraduate institutions by the value they provide to their students. This value is assessed based on the learning environment, years to pay off the net price, degree completion rates, the likelihood of higher salaries post-graduation and diversity. The results are derived from official data from the U.S. Department of Education and the Census Bureau, along with a nationwide survey of undergraduate students and recent alumni who graduated within the past five years. In one of the largest-ever independent surveys of verified college students in the U.S., around 110,000 undergraduates and recent undergraduate alumni were anonymously surveyed by College Pulse in cooperation with The Wall Street Journal and Statista.