Saint Ambrose University vs Drake University

Saint Ambrose University and Drake University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Saint Ambrose, a private Catholic university, boasts a smaller student body and a lower acceptance rate compared to Drake, a private nonsectarian university. While Drake's student body is more diverse, Saint Ambrose has a higher graduation rate. Both universities offer a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs, with popular majors including business, education, and nursing. To help you make an informed decision about your academic journey, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison table highlighting key differences between these two exceptional universities. Explore the table to discover which institution aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Drake University	Saint Ambrose University
Overview
Location	Des Moines, Iowa	Davenport, Iowa
Campus setting	City: Midsize	City: Midsize
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	84.0%	75.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation		Catholic

Admission
Acceptance rate	69.1%	72.4%
Application fees	$70
SAT range	1190 - 1410	1030 - 1190
ACT range	25 - 31	20 - 27
Students submitting SAT score	14.0%	21.0%
Students submitting ACT score	43.0%	34.0%
Total number of applicants	7,932	4,005
Total number of admissions given out	5,479	2,900
Admitted students who chose to enroll	759	493
Yield rate	13.9%	17.0%
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	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$62,125	$51,924
Average net price	$29,507	$24,844
Tuition	$45,734	$33,290
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $6,160 Meal plan: $5,128	Room/dormitory: $7,196 Meal plan: $4,442
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 $22,790
Students receiving federal student loan	48.0% Average amount $5,294	70.0% Average amount $5,278
Students taking out private loans	15.0% Average amount $18,053	18.0% Average amount $14,015

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,902 Men 39.8% Women 60.2%	2,228 Men 45.3% Women 54.7%
Graduate students	1,973 Men 33.4% Women 66.6%	685 Men 27.7% Women 72.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	68.0%	63.9%
International students	2.9%	2.0%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	1,758	1,688
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	Illinois Iowa California Missouri Indiana

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Health Professions Business Legal Profession Communication and Journalism	Health Professions Business Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Public Administration and Social Service Education
Students to faculty ratio	11:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	78.2%	64.4%
Dropout rate	20.2%	15.9%
Transferred out	N/A	19.7%
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	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $83,289 Year 2: $78,657 Year 3: $82,825 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $67,136 Year 2: $66,287 Year 3: $68,203 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $70,519 Year 2: $49,019 Year 3: $66,569 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,077 Year 2: $59,377 Year 3: $61,530 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,766 Year 2: $50,856 Year 3: $54,838 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,000 Year 2: $48,432 Year 3: $54,578 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $54,715 Year 2: $53,358 Year 3: $54,557 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,428 Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: $53,324 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,216 Year 2: $39,729 Year 3: $52,751 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,037 Year 2: $31,133 Year 3: $52,398

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