Drake University vs Westminster College

Drake University and Westminster College, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Drake, a private university in Des Moines, Iowa, boasts a higher acceptance rate (70%) compared to Westminster's selective admissions (38%). Drake's student body is more diverse, with a larger international student population, while Westminster's student body is predominantly white. In terms of academics, Drake offers a wider range of undergraduate programs, including popular majors like business, education, and nursing, while Westminster focuses on liberal arts and sciences, with strengths in pre-professional programs like law and medicine. Both institutions boast impressive graduation rates, with Drake's four-year graduation rate at 68% and Westminster's at 75%. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more key differences and make an informed decision about which college aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Drake University	Westminster College
Overview
Location	Des Moines, Iowa	Salt Lake City, Utah
Campus setting	City: Midsize	City: Midsize
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	4-1-4
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	84.0%	85.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	69.1%	75.7%
Application fees	$70	$50
SAT range	1190 - 1410	1150 - 1350
ACT range	25 - 31	24 - 29
Students submitting SAT score	14.0%	16.0%
Students submitting ACT score	43.0%	50.0%
Total number of applicants	7,932	1,949
Total number of admissions given out	5,479	1,476
Admitted students who chose to enroll	759	169
Yield rate	13.9%	11.4%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$62,125	$58,625
Average net price	$29,507	$26,956
Tuition	$45,734	$38,680
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $6,160 Meal plan: $5,128	Room/dormitory: $6,150 Meal plan: $4,450
Available payment plans	Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $29,904	100.0% Average amount $26,359
Students receiving federal student loan	48.0% Average amount $5,294	49.0% Average amount $5,081
Students taking out private loans	15.0% Average amount $18,053	9.0% Average amount $17,786

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,902 Men 39.8% Women 60.2%	1,166 Men 36.1% Women 63.9%
Graduate students	1,973 Men 33.4% Women 66.6%	369 Men 33.9% Women 66.1%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	68.0%	45.1%
International students	2.9%	4.5%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	1,758	713
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Iowa Minnesota Illinois Wisconsin Texas	Utah California Colorado Idaho Montana

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Health Professions Business Legal Profession Communication and Journalism	Health Professions Business Education Communication and Journalism Transportation and Logistics
Students to faculty ratio	11:1	8:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Outcome
Graduation rate	78.2%	63.3%
Dropout rate	20.2%	26.6%
Transferred out	N/A	10.1%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $113,335 Year 3: $126,268 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $93,514 Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,552 Year 2: $78,971 Year 3: $92,797 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $65,238 Year 3: $80,038 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,587 Year 2: $71,255 Year 3: $78,000 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,903 Year 2: $62,409 Year 3: $72,353 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,700 Year 2: $57,705 Year 3: $71,750 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $62,167 Year 2: $60,623 Year 3: $70,579 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,063 Year 2: $59,485 Year 3: $67,788 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $61,460 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $65,013	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $100,500 Year 2: $125,866 Year 3: $109,550 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $78,586 Year 2: $80,521 Year 3: $87,129 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $65,292 Year 2: $59,846 Year 3: $77,968 Communication and Media Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $61,830 Year 2: $71,643 Year 3: $73,915 Community Organization and Advocacy (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $49,086 Year 2: $61,020 Year 3: $68,263 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,414 Year 2: $57,995 Year 3: $60,157 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,842 Year 2: $39,009 Year 3: $54,244 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,683 Year 2: $46,087 Year 3: $50,865 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $49,039 Year 2: $45,566 Year 3: $50,473 Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $43,240 Year 3: $46,065

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