College Azimuth

Career outcomes brief

Drake University Career Outcomes & Earnings

Updated

How much do Drake University graduates earn?

The reported median is $65,232 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $68,250 as its benchmark; the difference is -$3,018 per year.

Drake University graduates earn a median of $65,232 four years after completion, which is below the peer median of $68,250 among comparable institutions (same type and size) by $3,018. That median sits at the 66th percentile nationally.

Graduates earn about $7,139 less than expects for similar students, a result in the 28th percentile. Azimuth places the return in the 64th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $6,408. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $13,547.

Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $1,021. The median earnings figure and the below-expectation result pull in opposite directions.

Earnings four years after completion at Drake University vary widely by field, a spread captured by the earnings scenarios: the downside scenario sits at $48,617 while the upside scenario reaches $87,532, with the typical scenario at $65,232. Those scenarios are modeled from the university's 20 programs with published earnings data.

The highest-earning programs show what the upper end looks like. Management Science completers earn a median of $97,132, Computer and Information Sciences completers reach $90,639, and Economics completers earn $88,638. The lower-earning program clusters land closer to the downside scenario.

An estimated 31.3% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure derived from the university's program mix rather than observed enrollment. Because four-year earnings figures capture only those working and not enrolled, the median earnings understate the eventual earnings of the sizable share of completers who pursue advanced degrees.

Median earnings · four years after completion
$65,232
Rank for difference from expectations
28th percentile
Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks
Drake University reported median
$65,232
Peer schools comparable schools · $3,018 above Drake University
$68,250
Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $7,139 above Drake University
$72,371

School and program earnings use pooled 2017–18 and 2018–19 completion cohorts, measured in 2022 and 2023 and expressed in 2024 dollars. How the model works.

How could earnings differ from the median?

The planning scenarios range from $48,617 to $87,532, around the reported median of $65,232. Compare the lower scenario with Drake University borrowing and monthly payments to see how a smaller income could change your plan.

Modeled from the school’s program mix; not salary percentiles or a forecast for one graduate.

Earnings four years after completion
Planning rangeReported median
Lower estimate
$48,617
Median · reported
$65,232
Higher estimate
$87,532

Downside shows a lower-earning scenario based on the college’s mix of programs; upside shows a higher-earning scenario. Typical is the school’s reported median four years after completion. These are planning scenarios, not a forecast of your salary or percentiles of individual graduates.

Why the downside matters explores the risk hidden by medians, using older ten-year entrant data. Read about the move to four-year earnings.

Do Drake University graduates earn more than expected?

Azimuth models what we would expect graduates to earn based on who the college enrolls, how selective it is and its local economy. The difference between that expectation and reported earnings is what Azimuth calls value added.

Drake University graduates’ reported earnings are $7,139 below that expectation, the 28th percentile for this measure. Unlike a peer comparison, it adjusts for who enrolls.

The breakdown separates the contribution attributed to observed factors from the remaining difference. Neither component establishes how much attending Drake University caused a student to earn. Read how expected earnings are estimated.

What explains value-added earnings?
Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.
+$6,408
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
-$13,547
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
-$7,139

These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

Which fields at Drake University report the highest earnings?

Drake University's largest programs span a wide earnings range four years after completion. Management Science leads with a median of $97,132 on 41 degrees awarded, while Computer and Information Sciences follows at $90,639 with 34 degrees awarded.

The most popular field, Marketing, awarded 60 degrees and shows a median of $71,246. Psychology, the second-largest program, sits at $47,706 on 48 degrees awarded.

The contrast between Management Science and Psychology illustrates how much field choice matters within the same institution.

Drake publishes earnings data for 20 bachelor's programs. The largest field, Business, accounts for 25.1% of degrees awarded, followed by Communication & Journalism at 10.1% and Social Sciences at 7.5%.

Among the largest programs with published earnings, Management Science shows the highest median earnings at $97,132 four years after completion, with 41 degrees awarded. Computer and Information Sciences follows at $90,639 (34 degrees awarded), while Marketing, the largest program with published earnings by awards, reports a median of $71,246.

Highest reported four-year program earnings
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods
$97,132
Computer and Information Sciences, General
$90,639
Economics
$88,638
Finance and Financial Management Services
$88,637
Accounting and Related Services
$87,582
Business Administration, Management and Operations
$73,523
Marketing
$71,246
Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology
$67,547

Explore Drake University program cohorts and field ranks for more context.

Further analysis

Earnings at Drake University depend heavily on field of study. Earnings scenarios, grounded in the university's program mix, place the downside at $48,617, the typical outcome at $65,232, and the upside at $87,532.

Among the largest programs with published earnings, Management Science reaches $97,132 four years after completion, while Psychology sits at $47,706.

At Drake University, the median earnings for federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled is $65,232 four years after completion. That is $3,018 below the $68,250 median for comparable institutions (same type and size), placing the university in the 66th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $7,139 less than the model expects for similar students. The gap lands at the 28th percentile.

Earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, show the range: a typical scenario of $65,232, a downside scenario of $48,617, and an upside scenario of $87,532. An estimated 31.3% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix.

Data & methodology

Sources and reporting periods: methodology.

Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Figure notes link to sources and limitations. About College Azimuth.