Private nonprofit · University

Doane University

Crete, Nebraska · Distant town

98.0%
Admit rate
$26,364
Avg net price
57%
Graduation rate
$53,316
Median earnings

Doane University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Crete, Nebraska (distant town setting), enrolling 978 undergraduates.

Private nonprofitSmall · 978 undergradsDistant townAccessible · 98% admitNAIA Division II · Great Plains Athletic ConferenceCold winters

About Crete, Nebraska

Crete is the most populous city of Saline County, Nebraska, United States. The railroad reached Crete in 1870, attracting new settlers. In 1871, two competing settlements merged to form a new town, which was named after Crete, Illinois, the former hometown of an early settler. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Distant town
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
19 miles to Lincoln, NE
To Great Lakes shore
486 miles
Nearest airport
18 miles to Lincoln (LNK)

How Doane University compares

Selectivity98.0%

More selective than 7% · #14 most selective of 15 in Nebraska

Graduation rate57%

Higher than 55% · #9 of 19 in Nebraska

First-year retention79%

Higher than 60%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$53,316

Higher than 48% · #12 of 21 in Nebraska

Average net price$26,364

Cheaper than 25% · #17 cheapest of 19 in Nebraska

Median debt at graduation$25,000

Lower than 34%

Student–faculty ratio11 : 1

Lower than 68%

Undergraduate enrollment978

Larger than 37%

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

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

1,648students
  • Undergraduate97859%
  • Graduate67041%

Undergraduates by gender

978undergrads
  • Women54456%
  • Men43444%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White66%
  • Black4.1%
  • Hispanic12%
  • Asian0.9%
  • Other or multiracial17%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
978
Graduate enrollment
670
Student–faculty ratio
11 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
27%
First-generation students
30%
Students over 25
10%
Median family income
$57,081
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$69,975
Endowment
$102,762,340

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 246 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Nebraska67%
  • Other U.S. states31%
  • International2.4%

A regional draw: about 67% of first-years come from Nebraska, the rest from elsewhere.

2% 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.

Admissions

Admission rate
98.0%
Test scores
Not considered
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite

Cost

In-state tuition
$43,985
Room & board
$12,178
Books & supplies
$1,082
Total cost of attendance
$57,836
Average net price
$26,364

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)
57%
Graduated on time (4 years)
49%
First-year retention
79%
Transferred to another college
30%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$46,009
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$53,316
Median debt at graduation
$25,000
Students with federal loans
66%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
58%

About 8% 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
49%
Low-income (Pell)
48%
First-generation
51%

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
606
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
62%
Housing charge (year)
$5,460
Meal plan (year)
$6,155
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NAIA Division II
Football conference
Great Plains Athletic Conference
Varsity athletes
669 (395 men · 274 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 (13)

Track and Field (Indoor)167
Track and Field (Outdoor)167
Football64
Soccer57
Other Sports32
Baseball31
Basketball26
Softball25
Wrestling24
Golf20
Cross Country20
Volleyball19
Tennis17

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
2.9 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
8
Property offenses (2022–2024)
9

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 3 campuses (1,985 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.

5.7reported offenses a year
2.7 violent a year3.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
2.7
Rape
2.3
Fondling
0.3
Motor vehicle theft
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
$21,129
$30–48k
$24,188
$48–75k
$24,225
$75–110k
$26,122
$110k+
$29,410

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
$101,809

$24,225/year × about 4.2 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.

100%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$27,326
average award, among those who get one

Doane University discounts heavily: 100% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $27,326. 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 239 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)
$53,316
Typical debt at graduation
$25,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
47%
Out-earn a HS grad
72%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.7 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
$49,155
Men
$59,661

Men out-earn women by $10,506 (21%) 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
14°F
Annual rain
31″
Annual snow
25.3″

Average temperature

HighLow
0°50°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.95.7JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Crete 4Ese, NE US station (4.3 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 Doane University

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

Colleges near Doane 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.