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Private nonprofit · Small city campus · verified rankings · federal data

Clarke University

Students comparing Clarke University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

CompareOfficial site
Dubuque, Iowa742 undergraduatesMean consensus percentile 57Private nonprofitSmall enrollmentResearch university

The short answer

Clarke University: U.S. News ranks it #352 on National Universities (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #929 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #721 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 742 undergraduates, admits 71.8% of applicants, and posts a 56.1% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $40,910; aid recipients pay $24,479 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $55,396.

The six numbers that matter most

Acceptance rate
71.8%

Below the dataset median of 76%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Average net price
$24,479

54% below the $52,644 published price

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardAverage for full-time first-time aid recipients, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median earnings, 10 yrs
$55,396

About the dataset median

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian earnings 10 years after entry, working and not enrolled, College Scorecard June 2026 release

6-year graduation rate
56.1%

About the dataset median

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent six-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median debt at graduation
$26,717

Below the dataset median of $23,250

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian federal loan debt of completers, College Scorecard June 2026 release

SAT middle 50%
900–1160

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardSum of reported reading and math section percentiles for the most recent entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release. Section percentiles added together approximate, but do not exactly equal, the composite score range.

Where Clarke University ranks, and why the answers differ

Each publisher's position, the list it belongs to, and how many institutions it was drawn from.

SourceListRank
US News2026National Universities#352of 436National universities
Forbes2026America's Top CollegesNot ranked by this source
Washington Monthly2026Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars#929of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)
WSJ2026Best Colleges in the U.S.Not ranked by this source
Niche2026Best Colleges (Overall)#721of 2,605Overall (Niche)
Money2026Best Value CollegesNot ranked by this source
Princeton Review2026Best Colleges (Overall)Not ranked by this source
QS2026World University RankingsNot ranked by this source

Methodology sensitivity: Clarke University's position moves 53 percentile points depending on which published list you read. That is a wide spread, so which list you consult substantially changes the impression you get. How we compute this

Ranking positions are the editorial property of their publishers and are reproduced here with attribution for comparison and commentary. Follow each source link for its full list and methodology.

About Clarke University

Clarke University is a private nonprofit institution in Dubuque, Iowa. Federal data show 67.3% first-year retention and a 10:1 student-faculty ratio. Figures on this page come from College Scorecard and IPEDS; publisher rankings shown here are transcribed from named sources and checked in our dataset.

Strengths and honest considerations

Strengths

  • Cost and outcome metrics on this profile come directly from federal collections, not self-reported marketing sheets.
  • Net price $24,479 reflects what aid recipients actually paid in the most recent federal reporting year.

Considerations

  • This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
  • Compare $52,644 sticker cost against $24,479 net price before ruling a school in or out on price alone.
  • Publishers we have not loaded yet, or lists that omit this school, show as “not ranked by this source” — that is expected.

Who this school genuinely fits

Students comparing Clarke University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

What it costs

Published price, then what families actually pay after grants and scholarships.

Tuition & fees
$40,910

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Undergraduates on Pell grants
36.7%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardShare of undergraduates, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Room & board
$11,734

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Published cost of attendance comes to roughly $52,644 a year, but the average family pays $24,479 — a 54% difference. 36.7% of undergraduates receive Pell grants, the federal marker of low family income.

Net price varies enormously by income band, so run Clarke University's net price calculator for your own household before drawing conclusions. Why net price is the only cost number that matters.

Programs and academics

Most popular majors

  1. 1Business
  2. 2Biology
  3. 3Psychology
  4. 4Computer Science
  5. 5Economics

Standout programs

    Student-faculty ratio
    10:1

    IPEDS / National Center for Education StatisticsIPEDS 2023 fall enrollment

    First-year retention
    67.3%

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent first-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Undergraduate enrollment
    742

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Clarke University: questions families ask

    Out-of-state tuition is $40,910 and on-campus room and board is $11,734, for a published total of $52,644 before aid. The average net price for first-time full-time students receiving aid is $24,479.

    The most recent federal admissions rate reported to the Department of Education is 71.8%. Test policy as reported in IPEDS: see the admissions section on this page for the institution's own category.

    Similar colleges

    Matched on institutional character, overlapping majors and comparable cross-source standing.

    University of Dubuque

    Dubuque, IAPrivate nonprofit

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    University of Dubuque: U.S. News ranks it #79 on Regional Universities (Midwest) (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #1094 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #1280 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 3 stars. It enrolls 1,440 undergraduates, admits 88.6% of applicants, and posts a 40.1% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $42,095; aid recipients pay $23,386 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $51,190.

    Acceptance rate
    88.6%
    Average net price
    $23,386
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $51,190
    6-yr graduation rate
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    US News · Regional univ. (Midwest)#79 of 165Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#1094 of 1,504Niche · Overall (Niche)#1280 of 2,605+1 more on profile

    1,440 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 57 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

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    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Mount St. Joseph University: U.S. News ranks it #343 on National Universities (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #1118 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #429 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 1,129 undergraduates, admits 59.1% of applicants, and posts a 56.3% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $38,150; aid recipients pay $16,530 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $51,509.

    Acceptance rate
    59.1%
    Average net price
    $16,530
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $51,509
    6-yr graduation rate
    56.3%
    US News · National universities#343 of 436Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#1118 of 1,504Niche · Overall (Niche)#429 of 2,605

    1,129 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 56 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Rockford University

    Rockford, ILPrivate nonprofit

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Rockford University: U.S. News ranks it #131 on Regional Universities (Midwest) (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #965 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #716 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 972 undergraduates, admits 92.9% of applicants, and posts a 47.2% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $37,780; aid recipients pay $22,436 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $54,794.

    Acceptance rate
    92.9%
    Average net price
    $22,436
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $54,794
    6-yr graduation rate
    47.2%
    US News · Regional univ. (Midwest)#131 of 165Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#965 of 1,504Niche · Overall (Niche)#716 of 2,605

    972 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 57 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

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