Private nonprofit · University

Briar Cliff University

Sioux City, Iowa · Small city

Admit rate
$23,907
Avg net price
48%
Graduation rate
$54,475
Median earnings

Briar Cliff University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Sioux City, Iowa (small city setting), enrolling 624 undergraduates. It has a Roman Catholic religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitSmall · 624 undergradsSmall cityNAIA Division II · Great Plains Athletic ConferenceCold wintersSnowy

About Sioux City, Iowa

Sioux City is a city in Woodbury and Plymouth counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. Iowa is in the tallgrass prairie of the North American Great Plains, historically inhabited by speakers of Siouan languages. The Sioux City Public Museum was originally located in a Northside neighborhood of fine Victorian mansions. The portico-and-gabled stone building was originally the home of the banker, John Peirce, and was built in 1890. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Small city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To Great Lakes shore
361 miles
Nearest airport
9 miles to Sioux Gateway Airport / Brigadier General Bud Day Field (SUX)

How Briar Cliff University compares

Graduation rate48%

Higher than 35% · #25 of 30 in Iowa

First-year retention64%

Higher than 18%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$54,475

Higher than 52% · #18 of 31 in Iowa

Average net price$23,907

Cheaper than 32% · #21 cheapest of 29 in Iowa

Median debt at graduation$23,250

Lower than 50%

Student–faculty ratio10 : 1

Lower than 76%

Undergraduate enrollment624

Larger than 26%

Percentiles compare Briar Cliff University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Iowa.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

805students
  • Undergraduate62478%
  • Graduate18122%

Undergraduates by gender

624undergrads
  • Women35657%
  • Men26843%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White59%
  • Black7.4%
  • Hispanic15%
  • Asian0.8%
  • Other or multiracial18%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
624
Graduate enrollment
181
Student–faculty ratio
10 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
53%
First-generation students
36%
Students over 25
11%
Median family income
$44,561
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$61,992
Endowment
$23,114,395

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Where students come from

Home state of the 152 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Iowa33%
  • Other U.S. states46%
  • International21%

A national draw — only 33% of first-years come from Iowa; 46% arrive from other states.

21% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Cost

In-state tuition
$36,956
Room & board
$11,518
Books & supplies
$2,182
Total cost of attendance
$51,493
Average net price
$23,907

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
48%
Graduated on time (4 years)
36%
First-year retention
64%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$48,338
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$54,475
Median debt at graduation
$23,250
Students with federal loans
48%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
61%

About 12% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
36%
Low-income (Pell)
32%
First-generation
32%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
383
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
61%
Housing charge (year)
$4,720
Meal plan (year)
$5,828
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NAIA Division II
Football conference
Great Plains Athletic Conference
Varsity athletes
488 (323 men · 165 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (10)

Football96
Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)76
Soccer70
Basketball59
Baseball52
Volleyball35
Softball32
Wrestling28
Golf21
Other Sports19

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
3.2 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
2
Property offenses (2022–2024)
7

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (947 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

3.0reported offenses a year
0.7 violent a year2.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Motor vehicle theft
1.3
Burglary
1.0
Rape
0.3
Aggravated assault
0.3

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$17,764
$30–48k
$14,604
$48–75k
$25,516
$75–110k
$30,156
$110k+
$27,328

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$111,409

$25,516/year × about 4.4 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

97%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$23,673
average award, among those who get one

Briar Cliff University discounts heavily: 97% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $23,673. For many families the real price lands well below sticker.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 176 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$54,475
Typical debt at graduation
$23,250
Debt vs. one year's pay
43%
Out-earn a HS grad
67%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.3 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$53,575
Men
$55,372

Men out-earn women by $1,797 (3%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
86°F
Winter low
9°F
Annual rain
30.3″
Annual snow
36″

Average temperature

HighLow
0°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.34.6JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Sioux City Ang, IA US station (9.3 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Briar Cliff University

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Briar Cliff University side by side →

Colleges near Briar Cliff University

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.