Mission Statement
Drake's mission is to provide an exceptional learning environment that prepares students for meaningful personal lives, professional accomplishments, and responsible global citizenship. The Drake experience is distinguished by collaborative learning among students, faculty, and staff
and by the integration of the liberal arts and sciences with professional preparation.
Drake University is a private, co-educational university located in the city of Des Moines, Iowa. The institution offers a number of undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as professional programs in law and pharmacy. Today, Drake is one of the twenty-five oldest law schools in the country. Distinguished alumni include Dwight D. Opperman, former CEO of West Publishing Company, after whom Drake's law library was named; Neal Smith, who served in the United States House of Representatives from 1959 until 1995; and Terry Edward Branstad, a former four-term Republican Governor of Iowa, who served from 1983 until 1999. The University approved a new Master building plan on June 25, 2005, calling for extensive renovations of existing facilities and the construction of several large buildings, including a new first year student residence hall, science building, fine arts building, and multi-purpose learning center.
The institution was founded in 1881, when most of the staff of Oskaloosa College left that college to establish what would become Drake University, founded by Francis Marion Drake, a resident of Centerville, Iowa and Governor of Iowa (1896–1898). The university's law school, the oldest law school in the country west of the Mississippi River, was established in 1865 by Chester C. Cole, who served on the Iowa Supreme Court from 1864 to 1876. In 1969 Drake's basketball team went to the Final Four under coach Maurice John, but were defeated by the UCLA Bruins by three points. Drake did defeat the North Carolina Tar Heels by 20 points in the third place game.
On September 17, 1969 the Drake student newspaper, The Times-Delphic, published what appears to be the first documented account of the famous Paul is dead hoax, written by Tim Harper. No articles published prior to this piece about the supposed death of Paul McCartney are known, although fellow Times-Delphic reporter and musician Dartanyan Brown, one of the sources for the article, recalled hearing about the hoax from other musicians and reading about it in some underground newspapers.
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| Percent of Students International: | 4% |
| On-Campus Housing Available: | Yes |
| Percent of Students Living On-Campus: | 51% |
| Freshman Students Required to Live on Campus: | No |
| Member of: | NAA, NCAA |
| Sports Include: |
Football (Pioneer Football League) Basketball (Missouri Valley Conference) Track (Missouri Valley Conference) |
| Tuition & Fees (undergraduate) | Expenses | ||
Published Tuition and Fees: |
$ 21,500 | ||
Average Tuition for Full-Time Undergrads: |
$ 21,100 | ||
Required Fees for Full-Time Undergrads: |
$ 362 | ||
| Financial Aid | Avg. Amount Received | % of Students Receiving Aid | |
Federal Grants: |
$ 3,157 | 16% | |
State and Local Grants: |
$ 2,909 | 17% | |
Institutional Grants: |
$ 9,829 | 97% | |
Student Loans: |
$ 6,696 | 60% | |
Any Aid: |
98% |
| Acceptance Rate: | 81% (Selective) |
| Test Scores | |
| SAT Scores: | |
| % of Students Submitting SAT Scores: | 21% |
| Bottom 25th Percentile: | Verbal: 520, Math: 500 |
| Top 75th Percentile: | Verbal: 650, Math: 630 |
| ACT Scores: | |
| % of Students Submitting ACT Scores: | 93% |
| Bottom 25th Percentile: | Composite: 23, Verbal: 23, Math: 22 |
| Top 75th Percentile: | Composite: 28, Verbal: 30, Math: 27 |
| Application Fee: | $ 25.00 |
| Formal Demonstration of Competencies: | Not Required |
| High School Diploma or Equivalent: | Recommended |
| High School GPA: | Recommended |
| High School Rank: | Recommended |
| High School Record: | Required |
| Recommendations: | Recommended |
| TOEFL: | Recommended |
| Test Scores: | Required |