Private nonprofit · University

Waldorf University

Forest City, Iowa · Remote rural

77.0%
Admit rate
$19,693
Avg net price
21%
Graduation rate
$51,165
Median earnings

Waldorf University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Forest City, Iowa (remote rural setting), enrolling 1,827 undergraduates. It has a Evangelical Lutheran Church religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitSmall · 1,827 undergradsRemote ruralAccessible · 77% admitNAIA Division I · Great Plains Athletic ConferenceCold wintersSnowy

About Forest City, Iowa

Forest City is a city in Hancock County and Winnebago County in the U.S. state of Iowa, and the county seat of Winnebago County. Forest City was officially founded in 1855. Formerly known as “Puckerbrush”, Robert Clark the official founder/surveyor deemed it “Forest City” because it was cut right out of the trees. It was then platted in 1856, and later incorporated on June 14, 1878. There are three bike trails located in Forest City. The Hanson Trail (9.0 miles), Hynes Spur (2.0 miles) and The Pilot Knob Loop (4.0 miles). (Wikipedia)

Setting
Remote rural
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To Great Lakes shore
251 miles
Nearest airport
17 miles to Mason City (MCW)

How Waldorf University compares

Selectivity77.0%

More selective than 51% · #11 most selective of 28 in Iowa

Graduation rate21%

Higher than 6% · #30 of 30 in Iowa

First-year retention44%

Higher than 4%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$51,165

Higher than 42% · #25 of 31 in Iowa

Average net price$19,693

Cheaper than 51% · #9 cheapest of 29 in Iowa

Median debt at graduation$18,752

Lower than 81%

Student–faculty ratio22 : 1

Lower than 6%

Undergraduate enrollment1,827

Larger than 55%

Percentiles compare Waldorf 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

2,218students
  • Undergraduate1,82782%
  • Graduate39118%

Undergraduates by gender

1,827undergrads
  • Women81144%
  • Men1,01656%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White57%
  • Black16%
  • Hispanic3.6%
  • Asian1.6%
  • Other or multiracial21%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
1,827
Graduate enrollment
391
Student–faculty ratio
22 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
36%
First-generation students
46%
Students over 25
63%
Median family income
$40,142
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$51,894

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

Admissions

Admission rate
77.0%
Test scores
Not considered
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite

Cost

In-state tuition
$25,978
Room & board
$9,920
Books & supplies
$1,286
Total cost of attendance
$39,675
Average net price
$19,693

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)
21%
Graduated on time (4 years)
21%
First-year retention
44%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$50,515
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$51,165
Median debt at graduation
$18,752
Students with federal loans
39%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
47%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
21%
Low-income (Pell)
40%
First-generation
43%

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
588
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
32%
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NAIA Division I
Football conference
Great Plains Athletic Conference
Varsity athletes
496 (344 men · 152 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)

Football102
Wrestling57
Soccer47
Basketball46
Ice Hockey46
Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)40
Baseball38
Other Sports25
Volleyball24
Bowling23
Softball22
Golf18
Rifle8

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
D
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
7.0 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
18
Property offenses (2022–2024)
29

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (2,225 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.

16reported offenses a year
6.0 violent a year9.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
8.7
Aggravated assault
3.3
Rape
2.7
Motor vehicle theft
1.0

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
$16,448
$30–48k
$18,378
$48–75k
$23,045
$75–110k
$21,244
$110k+
$23,667

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
$92,638

$23,045/year × about 4.0 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.

90%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$13,471
average award, among those who get one

A meaningful share of freshmen — 90% — get grant money from Waldorf University itself, averaging $13,471, 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 151 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)
$51,165
Typical debt at graduation
$18,752
Debt vs. one year's pay
37%
Out-earn a HS grad
59%

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
$42,045
Men
$58,127

Men out-earn women by $16,082 (38%) 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
81°F
Winter low
6°F
Annual rain
35.9″
Annual snow
44.4″

Average temperature

HighLow
0°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.85.5JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Forest City 2 Nne, IA US station (1.6 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 Waldorf University

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

Colleges near Waldorf 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.