Drake University (International Students) - Overview
Drake University: Potential + Opportunity
With more than 70 majors in six colleges and schools, cutting-edge facilities and technology, professional and pre-professional programs, and options for undecided students, Drake University provides plenty of opportunity for you to meet your full potential.
At Drake, students can pursue interdisciplinary concentrations, design a personal academic plan, combine majors, engage in independent studies or research, or create their own major. Some of the most popular majors include business, journalism and mass communication, science, liberal arts, pharmacy, law and fine arts. Direct admission to the professional colleges is offered to first-year students.
An emphasis on community service and responsibility enriches the lives of Drake students and reinforces the university's mission to prepare students for meaningful personal lives, professional accomplishments, and responsible global citizenship.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty member ratio is 13:1. Of Drake's 275 full-time, full, associate, and assistant professors and instructors, 87 percent hold the highest degree in their field. These individuals are the ones who teach and inspire Drake students -- teaching assistants do not conduct classes or advise students.
Students' Experience + A Diverse Community
Drake's 3,300 undergraduate students come from 50 states and approximately 50 countries, which means students will meet people and make friends from a wide range of backgrounds.
Drake's 150-acre campus is nestled in a residential neighborhood in the heart of Des Moines -- just 10 minutes from downtown and within easy access of all the opportunities in the business, political, and cultural hub of Iowa.
Students' Passion + Extracurricular Options
With more than 160 student organizations on campus, students can explore current passions or investigate new ones. Drake offers organizations related to academic fields, developing leadership skills, politics, mock trial, Model UN, service and volunteerism, chess, and much more. The International Student Association sponsors many activities, including the highly popular cultural program and food fair.
Drake has more than 20 intramural and club sports and also competes at the NCAA Division I level. The Drake Relays, one of the top track and field meets in the world, was launched in 1910. More than 20,000 spectators, 220 college and university teams, and world-class athletes come to campus for the spring event known as America's Athletic Classic.
Students' Life + A Vibrant Atmosphere
Approximately 97 percent of first-year Drake students live in renovated residence halls. First-year students at Drake live in Carpenter, Crawford, Herriott, and Stalnaker residence halls, affectionately nicknamed "The Quads," or Morehouse Hall.
First-year students are assigned to a residence hall with other first-year students who have similar academic interests. This is where students meet their roommates and neighbors, who often become their first friends on campus, along with other individuals from many different backgrounds, both geographic and cultural. As students share hallways and social areas, they also share the Drake experience.
Drake Blue + Green Action
Drake University is distinguished as a modern, environmentally responsible university.
The university's Blue is Green program is a formal acknowledgement of sustainability efforts across the Drake campus. These efforts include energy conservation measures like converting to fluorescent lighting, an extensive recycling and reuse program, reduction of paper use and conversion to electronic documentation, and new course offerings related to environmental studies and sustainability.
The Blue is Green program indicates Drake's position at the forefront of social and environmental issues.
Students' Investment + Excellent Value
Ranked No. 9 on US News & World Report's "Great Schools -- Great Values" list, Drake offers students an attainable, top-notch education.
Drake values its international student population and offers financial assistance through merit scholarships and need-based aid programs to both first-year and transfer students. The Center for International Programs and Services provides a wide array of services to international students, including airport pickup, special orientation sessions, immigration and general advising, and a host-family program.
Students should take the TOEFL or IELTS and have an official score report sent to Drake when applying for admission. For most programs, conditional admission is available to students with scores below 71 on the Internet-based TOEFL or 6.0 on the IELTS. Courses to improve proficiency can be taken through the on-campus Intensive English Program.
Nearly all Drake graduates (96 percent in 2009-10) find career employment or enter graduate school within six months after receiving their degrees.