Private nonprofit · College

Wartburg College

Waverly, Iowa · Distant town

75.8%
Admit rate
$32,908
Avg net price
64%
Graduation rate
$56,201
Median earnings

Wartburg College is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Waverly, Iowa (distant town setting), enrolling 1,452 undergraduates. It has a Evangelical Lutheran Church religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitSmall · 1,452 undergradsDistant townAccessible · 76% admitNCAA Division III with football · American Rivers ConferenceCold wintersSnowy

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Wartburg College's admitted students.

Admit rate
75.8%
SAT (mid 50%)
930–1200
Avg GPA (est.)
3.28

Enter a test score to see where you land against Wartburg College's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Wartburg College's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Waverly, Iowa

Waverly is a city in Bremer County, Iowa, United States. Major employers in Waverly include CUNA Mutual Group, Waverly Health Center, Wartburg College, Nestlé Beverage, Waverly-Shell Rock Community School District, Peoples Insurance Agency and the GMT Corporation. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Distant town
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To Great Lakes shore
233 miles
Nearest airport
13 miles to Waterloo (ALO)

How Wartburg College compares

Selectivity75.8%

More selective than 53% · #10 most selective of 28 in Iowa

SAT average1136

Higher than 42%

Graduation rate64%

Higher than 67% · #15 of 30 in Iowa

First-year retention76%

Higher than 48%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$56,201

Higher than 57% · #14 of 31 in Iowa

Average net price$32,908

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

Median debt at graduation$27,000

Lower than 11%

Student–faculty ratio13 : 1

Lower than 50%

Undergraduate enrollment1,452

Larger than 48%

Percentiles compare Wartburg 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

1,473students
  • Undergraduate1,45299%
  • Graduate211%

Undergraduates by gender

1,452undergrads
  • Women78654%
  • Men66646%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White81%
  • Black4.9%
  • Hispanic4.3%
  • Other or multiracial9.8%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
1,452
Graduate enrollment
21
Student–faculty ratio
13 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
22%
First-generation students
17%
Students over 25
1%
Median family income
$83,926
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$64,746
Endowment
$100,364,486

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 424 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Iowa66%
  • Other U.S. states30%
  • International4.5%

A regional draw: about 66% of first-years come from Iowa, the rest from elsewhere.

5% 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
75.8%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
930–1200
SAT average
1136
SAT reading
470–620
SAT math
460–580
ACT composite
21–27
Average GPA (estimated)
3.28

Cost

In-state tuition
$26,250
Room & board
$11,750
Books & supplies
$1,234
Total cost of attendance
$64,359
Average net price
$32,908

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)
64%
Graduated on time (4 years)
45%
First-year retention
76%
Transferred to another college
26%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$48,795
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$56,201
Median debt at graduation
$27,000
Students with federal loans
67%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
74%

About 19% 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
45%
Low-income (Pell)
63%
First-generation
64%

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
1,263
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
87%
Housing charge (year)
$6,372
Meal plan (year)
$4,690
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NCAA Division III with football
Football conference
American Rivers Conference
Varsity athletes
1,150 (771 men · 379 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 (14)

Track and Field (Indoor)188
Track and Field (Outdoor)187
Football184
Cross Country98
Wrestling98
Other Sports93
Soccer74
Baseball62
Basketball47
Tennis32
Golf24
Softball24
Volleyball23
Bowling16

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.7 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
3
Property offenses (2022–2024)
0

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (1,483 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.

1.0reported offenses a year
1.0 violent a year0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
0.7
Fondling
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
$21,688
$30–48k
$20,751
$48–75k
$27,056
$75–110k
$28,873
$110k+
$38,864

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
$120,166

$27,056/year × about 4.4 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.

97%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$34,725
average award, among those who get one

Wartburg College discounts heavily: 97% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $34,725. 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 351 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)
$56,201
Typical debt at graduation
$27,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
48%
Out-earn a HS grad
75%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.8 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
$53,649
Men
$63,922

Men out-earn women by $10,273 (19%) 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
85°F
Winter low
11°F
Annual rain
36.3″
Annual snow
39.1″

Average temperature

HighLow
0°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.95.7JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Waterloo Muni AP, IA US station (12.7 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 Wartburg College

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

Colleges near Wartburg 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.