DES MOINES, IOWA (September 30, 2025) — Drake University was ranked the top private school in Iowa for the third year in a row by The Wall Street Journal’s 2026 College Pulse Rankings. The University ranked N° 2 among all Iowa institutions and was among the top 200 in the US of more than 580 ranked institutions. This recognition comes just one week after Drake was named a top 100 private school in the nation by the US News and World Report national university rankings.
The Wall Street Journal rankings highlight the exceptional financial return on investment of a Drake degree. Within the study:
- Drake ranked N° 1 in Iowa for "Best Salaries," with the highest Salary Impact Score (a rating of graduate salaries relative to the cost of attending).
- Drake ranked N° 1 in Iowa for Value Added to Graduate Salary (the value added to graduates’ median salary attributable to attending the college). Drake earned a Value Added Graduate Salary Score of $48,308.
- The rankings also noted the average net price of a Drake education can be paid off in two years, five months, affirming Drake’s value-added success.
- Drake ranked N° 2 in Iowa for Social Mobility (a rating recognizing those that accept a high proportion of students from lower-income families, maintaining high graduation rates, and minimizing the costs of attending).
“The value of a Drake degree has never been greater,” said Drake University President Marty Martin.
“Our mission is to prepare students for meaningful personal lives, professional accomplishments, and responsible global citizenship. These rankings reflect that promise and are a testament to our work to make a world-class education even more accessible. We are proud of the transformative impact our students and our University are having on the state, nation, and world.”
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 median salary ten years after a student’s enrollment, according to the US Department 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.
Drake's ability to deliver a strong return on investment is made possible through student outcomes that far surpass national averages, including:
- Drake graduates experienced a 95.2 percent accomplishment rate. This is the percentage of 2024 undergraduates who were employed, in graduate school, or pursuing professional goals within six months of graduation. This is compared to a national average of 84.7 percent.
- 90.1 percent of graduates reported having an internship or practical experience. This is compared to the 2024 national average of roughly sixty percent. This is a major contributor to employability, as paid interns are twice as likely to secure a job after college compared to non-interns.
To learn more about Drake’s nation-leading student outcomes, view our Measure of Success report.
Drake is now accepting applications for enrollment for the Fall 2026 semester. Prospective students can start the application process at drake.edu/admission.
About WSJ/College Pulse Rankings
The WSJ/College Pulse Best Colleges in the US 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 US 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 US, around 110,000 undergraduates and recent undergraduate alumni were anonymously surveyed by College Pulse in cooperation with The Wall Street Journal and Statista.
About Drake University
Drake University is recognized as one of the finest national liberal-arts universities. A distinctive and distinguished private university in Des Moines, Iowa, Drake enrolls approximately 2,500 undergraduate and 1,700 graduate and professional students. Students choose from more than seventy majors, minors, and concentrations and twenty graduate degrees offered through seven colleges and schools. In addition, Drake offers a range of continuing-education programs serving working professionals, community members, and area businesses. Drake recognizes the importance of its location in Iowa’s capital city and seeks to connect its teaching and learning to the wealth of cultural, recreational, and business resources it provides. At the same time, it weaves global thinking and intercultural learning into everything it does, preparing students to lead in an increasingly interconnected world.
