Highest percentage of diversity, first-generation, and Pell-eligible students on record
As students across the country settle into a new school year, Drake University is welcoming new undergraduate students to campus — and it is the most diverse group of students in the University’s 143-year history.
The University is proud to report the diversity of the new undergraduate student population is 37.4%. This includes entering first-year (EFR) and transfer students seeking bachelor’s degrees at Drake as well as first-year and transfer students seeking associate degrees from Drake’s John Dee Bright College. Specifically, the diversity of EFR students joining Drake is 35.3%, which is 4.6% higher than last year and the strongest in University history.
“We embrace the idea that access to education is a fundamental right, and we remain committed to enhancing programs and partnerships that enable access to a Drake education for individuals of diverse backgrounds and life experiences,” said Drake University President Marty Martin. “Our entering students are adding to the richness and depth of our community, and their decision to choose Drake is one that will provide a lifetime return on investment that ranks among the top 3% in the nation.”
Additional facts about Drake’s Fall 2024 incoming class
- Drake welcomed 738 new undergraduate students this fall at Drake and Bright College.
- First-generation students (individuals whose parents did not graduate from college) make up 29% of Drake’s new student population. This includes 26.2% of new EFR students — an all-time high for Drake.
- The percentage of new incoming students who are Pell-eligible is 32.7%. Of the EFR students, 28.7% are Pell-eligible eligible — another all-time high for Drake. The Federal Pell Grant is available to eligible undergraduate students with high financial need, as determined by the FAFSA.
- The new students hail from 37 states and 17 countries, with 48% coming from Iowa. Focusing on the EFR population, 41.6% are from Iowa, the highest percentage in many years.
- Bright College experienced a 56.5% increase in newly enrolled students this year versus last year.
- Drake’s new Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing program (launched this fall) exceeded enrollment projections.
- Drake Law saw a 17% increase in enrollment this year with 125 new 1Ls joining Drake.
- Drake welcomed 14 new faculty members for the Fall 2024 semester.
Fostering an inclusive and welcoming environment
This fall, Drake launched a new program called Bulldogs Belong: Resilient and Thriving which is designed to improve wellness and well-being for students, faculty, and staff. It also works to create a stronger sense of belonging through a well-articulated institutional identity. Finally, Bulldogs Belong is helping to implement changes to students’ advising, career readiness programming, and academic and co-curricular experiences, especially for first- and second-year students.
In addition to Bulldogs Belong, Drake also promotes Unity Roundtables, faculty and staff affinity groups, the Crew Scholars program, campus incident response, and the National Coalition Building Institute (NCBI) under the direction of Dr. Terrance Pendleton, Associate Provost for Campus Equity and Inclusion.