by our College Data Analytics TeamClarke University is a private not-for-profit institution in Dubuque, Iowa enrolling 742 undergraduates. It accepts 72% of applicants and has an on-time graduation rate of 56%, above the national average of 33%. College Factual ranks it #1,300 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in its 2027 Best Colleges ranking (top 25%), and its Value for Your Money analysis rates it a Fair Price.
Source: IPEDS 2025; College Scorecard July 2026; College Factual rankings 2027. Data as of: July 2026.
Clarke University ranks #1,300 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in College Factual’s 2027 Best Colleges ranking, placing it in the top 25%.
In its yearly rankings, College Factual analyzes over 2,000 colleges and universities to determine which ones are the best in a variety of categories, such as overall value, quality, diversity, which schools are the best for each major, and much more.
College Factual ranked Clarke as #1,300 out of 5,159 colleges and universities in the country on its 2027 Best Colleges list.
Clarke also holds the #27 spot on the Best Colleges in Iowa ranking.
See all of the rankings for Clarke University.
Clarke University has an acceptance rate of 72%, which makes it somewhat selective. Make sure it’s not the only school you apply to, even if it’s your school of choice. Whether you get in or not will largely depend on how you compare to other applicants.
About 4% of students accepted to Clarke submitted their SAT scores. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing scores ranged between 430 and 570. Math scores were between 470 and 590.
Clarke received ACT scores from 7% of accepted students. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, ACT Composite scores ranged between 16 and 24.
Learn more about Clarke University admissions.
At Clarke, the student to faculty ratio is an excellent 9 to 1. That’s much better than the national average of 15 to 1. This indicates that many classes will probably be small, and students will have ample opportunities to work closely with their professors and classmates.
In addition to the student to faculty ratio, some people look at what percentage of faculty members are full-time as a sign of how much time professors will be able to spend with their students. This is because part-time teachers may not be on campus as much as their full-time counterparts.
The full-time faculty percentage at Clarke University is 66%. This is higher than the national average of 47%.
The freshmen retention rate tells us what percentage of first-year, full-time students choose to continue on to their sophomore year at a particular school. The rate at Clarke University is 67%, which is about average when compared to the national rate of 68%.
The on-time graduation rate for someone pursuing a bachelor’s degree is typically four years. This rate at Clarke for first-time, full-time students is 56%, which is better than the national average of 33.3%.
Find out more about the retention and graduation rates at Clarke University.
In the current academic year, there are 742 undergraduates at Clarke.
Get more detailed information on the diversity at Clarke University.
The average net price of Clarke is $17,140. The affordability of the school largely depends on your financial need since net price varies by income group. See the table below for the net price for different income groups.
| $0-30 K | $30K-48K | $48-75 | $75-110K | $110K + |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $23,405 | $22,543 | $22,645 | $27,890 | $24,784 |
The net price is calculated by adding tuition, room, board and other costs and subtracting financial aid. Note that the net price is typically less than the published price for a school. For more information on the sticker price of Clarke, see our tuition and fees and room and board pages.
Almost 66% of college students who graduated with the class of 2018 took out student loans, but that percentage varies from school to school. At Clarke, approximately 74% of students took out student loans averaging $10,919 a year. That adds up to $43,676 over four years for those students. The student loan default rate is 5.8%. This is significantly lower than the national default rate of 10.1%, which is a good sign that you’ll be able to pay back your student loans. Get more details about paying for Clarke University.
Although some majors pay more than others, students who graduate from Clarke University with a bachelor’s degree go on to jobs where they make an average salary of $55,396 in their early years. This is good news for future Clarke University graduates since it is 13% more than the average college graduate’s salary of $49,219 per year.
See which majors at Clarke University make the most money.
Clarke University is a private not-for-profit institution situated in Dubuque, Iowa. The surrounding area of the school is a good match for students who enjoy city life. Get more details about the location of Clarke University.
Contact details for Clarke University can be found below.
| Contact Details | |
|---|---|
| Address: | 1550 Clarke Dr, Dubuque, IA 52001-3198 |
| Phone: | 5635886300 |
| Website: | www.clarke.edu |
| Facebook: | www.facebook.com/clarkeuniversity |
| Twitter: | twitter.com/clarkeu |
During the most recent year for which we have data, students from 17 majors graduated from Clarke University. The following table lists the most popular undergraduate majors along with the average salary graduates from those majors make.
| Most Popular Majors | Completions | Average Salary of Graduates |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-Disciplinary Studies | 276 | NA |
| Business Administration & Management | 67 | $49,756 |
| Teacher Education Grade Specific | 31 | $34,866 |
| Rehabilitation Professions | 26 | NA |
| Health & Physical Education | 21 | NA |
| Nursing | 20 | $53,088 |
| General Psychology | 19 | $32,717 |
| Social Work | 18 | $37,017 |
| Fine & Studio Arts | 12 | NA |
| Health Sciences & Services | 12 | NA |
371 students took at least one online class at Clarke University.
Online learning is becoming popular at even the oldest colleges and universities in the United States. Not only are online classes great for returning adults with busy schedules, they are also frequented by a growing number of traditional students.
Learn more about online learning at Clarke University.
Want to see how other colleges compare to Clarke? Pit them head to head with College Combat, our free interactive tool that lets you compare colleges on the features that matter most to you.
Footnotes
*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.
References