Private nonprofit · College
Loras College
Dubuque, Iowa · Small city
- 99.9%
- Admit rate
- $20,716
- Avg net price
- 68%
- Graduation rate
- $58,289
- Median earnings
Loras College is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Dubuque, Iowa (small city setting), enrolling 1,083 undergraduates. It has a Roman Catholic religious affiliation.
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
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 62 miles to Cedar Rapids, IA
- To Great Lakes shore
- 145 miles
- Nearest airport
- 7 miles to Dubuque (DBQ)
How Loras College compares
More selective than 4% · #28 most selective of 28 in Iowa
Higher than 74% · #9 of 30 in Iowa
Higher than 68%
Higher than 63% · #12 of 31 in Iowa
Cheaper than 47% · #11 cheapest of 29 in Iowa
Lower than 24%
Lower than 59%
Larger than 39%
Percentiles compare Loras College 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
- Undergraduate1,08394%
- Graduate666%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women50246%
- Men58154%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White75%
- Black4.2%
- Hispanic8.2%
- Asian1.1%
- Other or multiracial12%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 1,083
- Graduate enrollment
- 66
- Student–faculty ratio
- 12 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 23%
- First-generation students
- 17%
- Students over 25
- 5%
- Median family income
- $85,518
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $63,351
- Endowment
- $56,095,391
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 257 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From Iowa34%
- Other U.S. states60%
- International5.9%
A national draw — only 33% of first-years come from Iowa; 60% arrive from other states.
6% 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
- 99.9%
- Test scores
- Not considered
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- —
- SAT average
- —
- SAT reading
- —
- SAT math
- —
- ACT composite
- —
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $39,824
- Room & board
- $11,000
- Books & supplies
- $600
- Total cost of attendance
- $50,537
- Average net price
- $20,716
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)
- 68%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 44%
- First-year retention
- 82%
- Transferred to another college
- 0%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $46,069
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $58,289
- Median debt at graduation
- $26,000
- Students with federal loans
- 58%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 79%
About 24% 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)
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
- 898
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 83%
- Housing charge (year)
- $4,516
- Meal plan (year)
- $5,790
- Application fee
- Free
- Athletics
- NCAA Division III with football
- Football conference
- American Rivers Conference
- Varsity athletes
- 753 (483 men · 270 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)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- C
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 4.2 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 14
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 1
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (1,189 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.
By offense type, per year
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.
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.
$15,624/year × about 4.5 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.
Loras College discounts heavily: 100% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $23,641. 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 286 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)
- $58,289
- Typical debt at graduation
- $26,000
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 45%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 77%
Typical debt would take roughly 4.5 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
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.
Men out-earn women by $11,605 (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
- 84°F
- Winter low
- 10°F
- Annual rain
- 38.8″
- Annual snow
- 36.1″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Dubuque L&D 11, IA US station (3 mi from campus).
What Loras College graduates study — and earn
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 Loras College
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Loras College side by side →
King University
Bristol, Tennessee · Small city · 72 mi to Asheville
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- Admission
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- Net price
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- SAT
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- GPA
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Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University
Baton Rouge, Louisiana · Midsize city · 6 mi to Baton Rouge
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- Admission
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American International College
Springfield, Massachusetts · Midsize city · 2 mi to Springfield
- Students
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- Admission
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- Net price
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- SAT
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- GPA
- —
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St. Mary's University
San Antonio, Texas · Large city · 5 mi to San Antonio
- Students
- 1,951
- Admission
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- Net price
- $21k
- SAT
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- GPA
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- Earnings
- $57k
University of Saint Francis-Fort Wayne
Fort Wayne, Indiana · Large city · 2 mi to Fort Wayne
- Students
- 1,567
- Admission
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- Net price
- $18k
- SAT
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- GPA
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- Earnings
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Eastern Mennonite University
Harrisonburg, Virginia · Small city · 101 mi to Roanoke
- Students
- 754
- Admission
- 100%
- Net price
- $25k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $55k
Colleges near Loras College
Clarke University
Dubuque, IA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 742 students
Capri College-Dubuque
Dubuque, IA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 165 students
University of Dubuque
Dubuque, IA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,440 students
Wartburg Theological Seminary
Dubuque, IA · Private nonprofit · Graduate
Emmaus Bible College
Dubuque, IA · Private nonprofit · Certificate · 224 students
Divine Word College
Epworth, IA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 64 students
University of Wisconsin-Platteville
Platteville, WI · Public · Bachelor's · 5,837 students
Southwest Wisconsin Technical College
Fennimore, WI · Public · Certificate · 1,313 students
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.













