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.

Private nonprofitSmall · 1,083 undergradsSmall cityOpen admissionNCAA Division III with football · American Rivers ConferenceCold 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
Graduate
To Great Lakes shore
145 miles
Nearest airport
7 miles to Dubuque (DBQ)

How Loras College compares

Selectivity99.9%

More selective than 4% · #28 most selective of 28 in Iowa

Graduation rate68%

Higher than 74% · #9 of 30 in Iowa

First-year retention82%

Higher than 68%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$58,289

Higher than 63% · #12 of 31 in Iowa

Average net price$20,716

Cheaper than 47% · #11 cheapest of 29 in Iowa

Median debt at graduation$26,000

Lower than 24%

Student–faculty ratio12 : 1

Lower than 59%

Undergraduate enrollment1,083

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

1,149students
  • Undergraduate1,08394%
  • Graduate666%

Undergraduates by gender

1,083undergrads
  • 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)

All students
44%
Low-income (Pell)
58%
First-generation
59%

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)

Track and Field (Indoor)102
Track and Field (Outdoor)102
Football97
Soccer94
Baseball61
Basketball55
Wrestling50
Cross Country43
Volleyball43
Swimming31
Softball29
Golf24
Tennis22

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.

5.0reported offenses a year
4.7 violent a year0.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
2.3
Fondling
2.3
Burglary
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
$20,479
$30–48k
$17,033
$48–75k
$15,624
$75–110k
$20,233
$110k+
$23,039

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
$70,730

$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.

100%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$23,641
average award, among those who get one

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.

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
$55,313
Men
$66,918

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

HighLow
0°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.85.6JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Dubuque L&D 11, IA US station (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 Loras College

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

Colleges near Loras College

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.