Private nonprofit · Community college

Emmaus Bible College

Dubuque, Iowa · Small city

13%
Transfer rate: $13,186
Avg net price: 83%
Grad / completion: $42,631
Median earnings

Emmaus Bible College is a private nonprofit certificate-granting institution in Dubuque, Iowa (small city setting), enrolling 224 undergraduates. It has a Other religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitSmall · 224 undergradsSmall citySelective · 60% admitNCCAA Division IICold wintersSnowy

About Dubuque, Iowa

Dubuque is a city in Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat. Spain gained control of the Louisiana Territory west of the Mississippi River following the 1763 defeat of the French; the British took over all territory to the east. Dubuque is culturally part of the Upper Midwest. The National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium is home to museum exhibits on the culture and history of America's rivers, as well as aquariums featuring wildlife found in the Mississippi River and Gulf of Mexico. (Wikipedia)

Setting: Small city
Highest degree offered: Bachelor's
Nearest big city: 61 miles to Cedar Rapids, IA
To Great Lakes shore: 147 miles
Nearest airport: 7 miles to Dubuque (DBQ)

How Emmaus Bible College compares

Selectivity59.8%

More selective than 77% · #1 most selective of 2 in Iowa

SAT average1161

Higher than 95%

Graduation rate83%

Higher than 81% · #9 of 39 in Iowa

First-year retention83%

Higher than 69%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$42,631

Higher than 78% · #7 of 38 in Iowa

Average net price$13,186

Cheaper than 57% · #18 cheapest of 39 in Iowa

Median debt at graduation$15,750

Lower than 13%

Student–faculty ratio8 : 1

Lower than 89%

Undergraduate enrollment224

Larger than 47%

Percentiles compare Emmaus Bible College with the nation's 3,519 two-year and certificate schools, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count two-year and certificate schools in Iowa.

Student body

Undergraduates by gender

Women12556%
Men9944%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

White72%
Black2.2%
Hispanic4.9%
Asian2.2%
Other or multiracial19%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment: 224
Student–faculty ratio: 8 : 1
Pell Grant recipients: 43%
First-generation students: —
Students over 25: 10%
Median family income: $44,972
Avg faculty salary (academic year): $46,539
Endowment: $1,459,572

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

Cost

In-state tuition: $20,800
Room & board: $9,600
Books & supplies: $600
Total cost of attendance: $30,971
Average net price: $13,186

Admissions

Admission rate: 59.8%
Test scores: Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %): 1120–1320
SAT average: 1161
SAT reading: 570–690
SAT math: 550–630
ACT composite: 21–30
Average GPA (estimated): 3.38

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years): 83%
Graduated on time (4 years): 44%
First-year retention: 83%
Transferred to another college: 13%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $34,653
Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $42,631
Median debt at graduation: $15,750
Students with federal loans: 27%
Paying down their loans (1 year in): 83%

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing: Yes
Dorm capacity: 245
Dorm capacity vs undergrads: 100%+
Application fee: Free
Athletics: NCCAA Division II
Varsity athletes: 65 (38 men · 27 women)

Varsity sports (4)

Basketball21

Soccer18

Cross Country14

Volleyball12

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

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

$11,199

$30–48k

$10,179

$48–75k

$10,844

$75–110k

$11,741

$110k+

$23,888

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.

Family income

Est. total to a degree

$51,097

$10,844/year × about 4.7 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.

98%

of first-years get a grant from the school

$11,153

average award, among those who get one

A meaningful share of freshmen — 98% — get grant money from Emmaus Bible College itself, averaging $11,153, which softens the sticker price.

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 43 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): $42,631
Typical debt at graduation: $15,750
Debt vs. one year's pay: 37%
Out-earn a HS grad: 47%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.7 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

$29,101

Men

$54,628

Men out-earn women by $25,527 (88%) 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: 84°F
Winter low: 10°F
Annual rain: 38.8″
Annual snow: 36.1″

Average temperature

HighLow

Average precipitation (inches)

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Dubuque L&D 11, IA US station (3.8 mi from campus).

What Emmaus Bible College graduates study — and earn

Bible/Biblical StudiesCert.

43 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

43———Bible/Biblical Studies

33 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

33———Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology

7 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

7———Computer and Information Sciences, General

5 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

5———Pastoral Counseling and Specialized Ministries

5 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

5———Business Administration, Management and Operations

4 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

4———Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods

3 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

3———Missions/Missionary Studies and Missiology

3 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

3———Business Administration, Management and OperationsAssoc.

3 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

3———Teaching English or French as a Second or Foreign Language

2 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

2———Education, GeneralAssoc.

1 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

1———Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssoc.

1 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

1———

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 Emmaus Bible College

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Emmaus Bible College side by side →

St Luke's College

Private

Sioux City, Iowa · Small city · 73 mi to Sioux Falls

Students: 167
Tuition: $24k
Transfer: 0%
Earnings: $61k

Commonwealth Institute of Funeral Service

Private

Houston, Texas · Large city · 16 mi to Houston

Students: 254
Tuition: $15k
Transfer: 0%
Earnings: $38k

Gods Bible School and College

Private

Cincinnati, Ohio · Large city · 1 mi to Cincinnati

Students: 281
Tuition: $8k
Transfer: 14%
Earnings: $38k

Louisburg College

Private

Louisburg, North Carolina · Distant rural · 29 mi to Raleigh

Students: 402
Tuition: $24k
Transfer: 13%
Earnings: $35k

Andrew College

Private

Cuthbert, Georgia · Remote rural · 49 mi to Columbus

Students: 473
Tuition: $20k
Transfer: 28%
Earnings: $38k

Rosedale Technical College

Private

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania · Large suburb · 6 mi to Pittsburgh

Students: 475
Tuition: $17k
Transfer: 0%
Earnings: $48k

Colleges near Emmaus Bible College

Clarke University

Dubuque, IA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 742 students

1 mi

University of Dubuque

Dubuque, IA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,440 students

1 mi

Loras College

Dubuque, IA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,083 students

1 mi

Wartburg Theological Seminary

Dubuque, IA · Private nonprofit · Graduate

2 mi

Capri College-Dubuque

Dubuque, IA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 165 students

2 mi

Divine Word College

Epworth, IA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 64 students

13 mi

University of Wisconsin-Platteville

Platteville, WI · Public · Bachelor's · 5,837 students

19 mi

Southwest Wisconsin Technical College

Fennimore, WI · Public · Certificate · 1,313 students

33 mi

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.