Clarke University is a private nonprofit institution offering graduate degrees based in Dubuque, Iowa. It enrolls 742 students (a small, tight-knit student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Every figure on this page is reported by the federal government, not supplied by the college, so it can be compared like for like against anywhere else you are looking.
These four scores answer one question: compared with similar colleges, is this one worth the money? Each runs 0 to 100 and is judged only against its peer group (4-Year Selective), so a community college is never marked down for not being Harvard. Everything is computed from federal data. Nobody can pay to move a score, and a pillar with missing data is left unscored rather than guessed.
Good
55/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Selective
Outcomes34
Value31
Affordability45
Selectivity39
Admissions & Acceptance Rate
Clarke University admits 71.8% of applicants, which makes it moderately selective, and realistic if you meet the academic profile.
Acceptance Rate
71.8%
Moderate
SAT Range (25th–75th)
900 – 1160
Reading + Math combined
ACT Range (25th–75th)
16 – 24
Cumulative composite
Test PolicyNot ConsideredStandardized test scores are not used in admissions decisions.
5-Year Admission Trend
Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether Clarke University is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.
Getting more selective ↓
25.7 pts
since 2019
Cost & Financial Aid
Ignore the sticker price. What matters is the net price, which is what a typical family pays here after grants and scholarships come off. At $24,479 a year on average, it sits in line with what private nonprofit colleges charge nationally. Plan for the gap between that and what you can pay without borrowing. Figures are College Scorecard 2023-24.
Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.
Tuition & Fees
$40,910
Room & Board (on-campus)
$11,734
Room & Board (off-campus)
$11,734
Books & Supplies
$1,514
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$3,728
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$3,728
Total Cost of Attendance
$55,782
Net Price by Family Income
Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.
Under $30,000
$23,405
$30,001 – $48,000
$22,543
$48,001 – $75,000
$22,645
$75,001 – $110,000
$27,890
Over $110,000
$24,784
Debt at Graduation
Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.
$4,75010%percentile
$8,82625%percentile
$26,717Medianpercentile
$27,00075%percentile
$34,95590%percentile
Median Debt by Student Type
Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.
GroupDebtvs Median
Pell recipients $21,500
↓ $5,217
No Pell $17,125
↓ $9,592
Dependent students $19,000
↓ $7,717
Independent students $26,250
↓ $467
Female students $21,250
↓ $5,467
Male students $13,750
↓ $12,967
Worth knowing:
Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $7,500, less than completers ($26,717), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.
Graduation Rate & Retention
60% of students who start here finish within six years, and 67% come back after first year. Roughly half finish on that timeline, so budget for the possibility of a longer run. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Completion and earnings carry the most weight in this college's score, and how the UCD Score weighs each measure sets out exactly how they are combined.
6-Year Graduation Rate
60%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
67%
Returning for their second year
After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes
Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $55,396 a year, above the national median. That is a healthy return for most cost levels. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$55,396
Earning > $25K
87%
10 yrs after entry
Earnings Growth After Graduation
Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.
Earnings by Demographic
Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.
By Gender
Female graduates
$42,700
Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Male graduates
$51,400
Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.
By Family Income at Entry
Family income (lowest third)
$39,900
Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.
Family income (middle third)
$45,300
Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.
Family income (highest third)
$47,000
Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.
The gender gap:
Male graduates earn $8,700, about 17% more than female graduates ten years out. The gap reflects industry mix, role choice, and structural pay differences that exist across most US colleges.
Loan Repayment Progression
Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.
Climbing: graduates increasingly paying down debt ↑
10.2 pts
across 6 years
What this signals:
Excellent. 89% of graduates were paying down at least $1 of principal seven years out.
Who Studies Here
Who you would actually be sitting next to: 742 students, a small, close-knit community.
Total Enrolled
742
Part-Time
2%
First-Generation
29%
Race & Ethnicity Breakdown
Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.
GroupShareStudents
White 52.2%387
Black 13.3%99
Hispanic 11.7%87
International 10.8%80
Other 4.9%36
Asian 1.8%13
Student Life & Campus Culture
Where students live, learn, and connect at Clarke University. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.
Clarke University offers
a varied set of programs:
25 distinct programs across
15 majors.
Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings.
Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.
There are 10 students for every instructor here: small classes, and staff who are likely to know your name.
Student : Faculty
10:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Endowment
$57M
Modest endowment
Avg Faculty Salary
$59,731
9-month equivalent across all ranks
Faculty by Rank
77 instructional faculty across 4 ranks.
The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.
Rank
Faculty Count
Share
Avg Salary
Full Professors
16
21%
$66,278
Associate Professors
21
27%
$62,830
Assistant Professors
28
36%
$56,071
Instructors
12
16%
$54,120
Pros & Cons of Clarke University
No college is right for everyone. Here is where Clarke University is likely to suit you and where it may not, based on the same figures shown above.
Best for:
Based on the data, Clarke University is a fit for
students who thrive in small, close-knit environments.
Frequently Asked Questions about Clarke University
The questions families ask most about Clarke University, answered straight from the federal data rather than from the college's own marketing.
Is Clarke University hard to get into?
Admissions at Clarke University are moderately competitive. The acceptance rate is 71.8%, so most applicants who meet the academic minimums are admitted.
What is the acceptance rate at Clarke University?
71.8% of applicants are admitted. Most applicants who meet the basic requirements are admitted. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What SAT score do you need for Clarke University?
Aim for 1160 or better. Half of admitted students scored between 900 and 1160 (Reading plus Math), so anything above the top of that range makes you competitive and anything below the bottom means the rest of your application has to carry more weight. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What ACT score do you need for Clarke University?
Aim for 24 or better. Half of admitted students scored between 16 and 24 on the composite, so the upper half of that band is where you want to land. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
How much does Clarke University cost?
Budget around $24,479 a year. That is the net price, what families typically pay once grants and scholarships come off, not the sticker price. Your own figure depends on household income, so treat this as a midpoint rather than a quote. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Clarke University worth it?
On the numbers, yes: moderate return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $55,396 a year against a net price of $24,479, about 2.3 dollars of earnings for every dollar of annual cost. That ratio ignores whether you finish and what you study, which matter just as much. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is Clarke University known for?
Mostly Business Administration, Rehabilitation, Kinesiology. Those are the fields where it awards the most degrees, which is a better guide to where the teaching strength sits than any reputation ranking. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What do Clarke University graduates earn?
About $55,396 a year, measured ten years after students first enrolled. Half earn more and half earn less, and what you study moves that figure far more than where you study. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Clarke University accredited?
Yes. Clarke University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
How many students attend Clarke University?
742 students. Small enough that you will recognize faces across campus, and small enough that course choice can be limited. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What is the graduation rate at Clarke University?
60% finish within six years. That leaves a meaningful share who do not finish on that timeline, so budget for the possibility of a longer run. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Is Clarke University a public or private college?
It is Private Nonprofit. Private nonprofit, so the sticker price is higher but institutional aid is often larger too.
Where is Clarke University located?
Clarke University is located in Dubuque, Iowa.
What programs does Clarke University offer?
25 different programs, most commonly Business Administration, Rehabilitation, Kinesiology. If the subject you want is not among them, check the full list before applying rather than assuming it is offered.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at Clarke University?
10 students per instructor. Low enough that staff are likely to know who you are. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Related Colleges in Iowa
Other colleges in Iowa share the same applicant pool, regional economy, and academic landscape. Comparing nearby options puts admissions, costs, and outcomes in context, useful when weighing your fit against local alternatives.
Special Education
Business Administration
Teacher Education (K-12)
Related Guides
Free, data-backed guides to help you decide, built on the same federal data as this profile.
H
How to Build Your College List Pillar
The full process of narrowing from 3,811 US colleges to a shortlist of ~10. Cost, location, size, selectivity, and fit factors that actually predict whether you'll thrive.
What actually makes a college work for first-generation students, the support and aid signals that predict success, and how to find the schools that deliver them using federal data.
How to find the colleges that deliver the strongest return on a STEM degree by weighing earnings outcomes against net cost, rather than chasing the most selective name.
Original data analyses built on the same federal data as this profile. Rankings, outliers, and patterns, no opinions.
American Colleges by the Numbers
One federal dataset, 3,811 colleges. The median school costs $16,296 a year, admits 78% of applicants, and enrolls 1,280 students. The shape of US higher ed.
Higher education data
Net price
College enrollment
Acceptance rate
College ownership
Do Selective Schools Actually Graduate More Students?
Across 1,645 four-year colleges, graduation rates climb steadily with selectivity, from 54% at open-admission schools to 93% at the most exclusive. The gap is real.
Graduation rate
Acceptance rate
Selectivity
Completion
College outcomes
For-Profit Colleges Charge the Most and Pay the Least
For-profit colleges post the highest median net price of any sector and the lowest graduate earnings. They cost more than private nonprofits and pay less than publics.
For-profit colleges
Net price
Earnings
College ROI
College ownership
Continue Exploring
Browse our full directory: every college, major, program, and career we track, all built from verified government data.
