What is Dordt University’s Compass Score?

Very good (grade B+). It ranks in the top 22% of rated colleges. The grade comes from outcomes (40%: graduation, retention and earnings), entering students (40%: test scores and selectivity), cost (15%: debt and price after aid) and teaching (5%: class size), all from federal data.

How much does Dordt University cost after financial aid?

The average net price is $25,807 a year for students who receive federal aid, after grants and scholarships. What your family pays depends on income; the college’s net price calculator gives your own estimate.

How hard is it to get into Dordt University?

Dordt University admitted 68% of applicants in the most recent federal data.

How do Dordt University’s graduates do?

70% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years; the median earnings of former students ten years after entry are $52,559; the median federal debt at graduation is $21,500.

Regional university

#4 Best colleges for NAIA athletes in America

Dordt University

Sioux Center, IA · Private nonprofit · 4-year

Your real cost

Average price after aid $25,807 a year

Median debt at graduation: $21,500 (all students)

Estimate your own price · the college’s net price calculator

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Rankings

Where this college places on our top lists. Lists are worked out from official data and our own research; places in the top quarter of each list are shown. See every list

In America

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In Iowa

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Academic Excellence

B+

Very good · Top 22%

From federal data, on fixed published scales.

Each measure counts for the share shown.

Graduation rate 35% of score70%
First-year retention 20% of score85%
Entering students' test scores 15% of scoreSAT 1,221 · ACT 25
Student-to-faculty ratio 15% of score14 to 1
Instructional spending per student 15% of score$11,202

Bars show points on each measure’s scale. How Academic Excellence is computed.

Source: College Scorecard (College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026))

What families pay, by income

Average yearly price after grants and scholarships, for students who receive federal aid.

Average net price by family income
Family income	Price after aid
Up to $30,000	$22,597
$30,001–$48,000	$21,083
$48,001–$75,000	$24,079
$75,001–$110,000	$25,113
Over $110,000	$29,940

Full cost of attendance before aid: $51,733 a year.

Use the college’s net price calculator for your own estimate.

Cost and value

Federal data: what families pay after aid, what graduates earn, and what they owe.

Value and outcomes
Undergraduate students Fall enrollment (IPEDS)	1,695
Men and women College Scorecard, fall 2023	Men 50% · Women 50%
First-generation students College Scorecard	12%
First-year students from another state IPEDS, fall 2023	65%
Total students	1,929
Average net price (per year) After grants and scholarships, for students receiving federal aid	$25,807
Cost of attendance (per year)	$51,733
Median federal debt at graduation	$21,500
Graduation rate First-time, full-time students finishing within 150% of normal time	70%
Graduation rate for Pell grant recipients College Scorecard, within 6 years	66%
Graduation rate for first-generation students College Scorecard, within 6 years	58%
Borrowers paying down their loans within 3 years College Scorecard, within 3 years	91%
First-year retention	85%
Median earnings 10 years after entry	$52,559
Admission rate	68%
Application fee IPEDS, 2023–24	No application fee
Typical rent HUD fair market rent, FY2026	About $740 a month for a one-bedroom
Students receiving Pell grants	20%

Admitted students’ middle range:SAT 1070–1330ACT 21–29

Admission test scores (middle 50% of admitted students who submitted scores)
Average SAT	1221
SAT reading & writing	540–670
SAT math	530–660
ACT composite	21–29
Test policy	Considered but not required

Value: Good (how it’s computed)

Sources: College Scorecard · IPEDS College Navigator · Net price calculator
College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026); IPEDS 2024-25 directory and institutional characteristics; fall 2023 enrollment.

Earnings by major

Median earnings of bachelor’s graduates a few years after finishing, by major (College Scorecard).

Median earnings by major
Major	Median earnings
Mechanical engineering	$78,118
Accounting	$77,629
Finance	$74,869
Nursing	$66,190
Agricultural business	$62,171
Teacher education	$43,531

Also offered (no earnings published yet): Agricultural Mechanization, Agricultural Production Operations, Agriculture, Animal Sciences, Applied mathematics, Arts management, Bible/Biblical Studies, Biology, Biomedical/Medical Engineering, Biotechnology, Broadcasting, Business (general), Business administration, Business operations, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Civil engineering, Clinical and counseling psychology, Clinical laboratory science, Communication studies, Communications Technologies/Technicians, Community Organization and Advocacy, Computer Systems Analysis, Computer engineering, Computing and information science, Construction Management, Criminal justice, Data Science, Design, Ecology and evolutionary biology, Economics, Education (general), Electrical engineering, Engineering (general), Engineering Science, Engineering Technologies/Technicians, English, Entrepreneurship, Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy, Fine arts, Geology and earth science, German, Health administration, History, Human resources, Information science, Interdisciplinary studies, International Agriculture, International business, Journalism, Kinesiology and exercise science, Liberal arts, Literature, Management information systems, Management science, Marketing, Mathematics, Mathematics and Computer Science, Missions/Missionary Studies and Missiology, Music, Natural resources and conservation, Other agricultural/animal/plant/veterinary science, Other education, Other social sciences, Pastoral counseling, Philosophy, Physics, Plant Sciences, Political science, Psychology, Public administration, Public relations, Romance languages, Secondary education, Social work, Special education, Statistics, Teaching Assistants/Aides, Theatre, Theology, Writing and rhetoric.

What students study most

Share of bachelor’s degrees by field, first majors in 2023–24 (IPEDS).

Most common bachelor’s fields
Field	Share of degrees
Business	21%
Education	12%
Engineering	11%
Public administration and social service	8%
Agriculture	7%

Campus life

School colors
Setting	Town
Part-time undergraduates	1%
Undergraduates aged 25 and older	1%
On-campus room and board (per year)	$11,770
Sports	NAIA · Great Plains Athletic Conference
Study abroad	Offered
Students per faculty member	14 to 1
Undergraduates registered with the disability office	About 4%IPEDS, 2023–24
Disability services	Visit the office’s pageThe college’s own page
Faculty who are full-time	59%College Scorecard, fall 2023
Endowment per student	$39,101IPEDS, 2023, per student
Dorm space	For about 89% of studentsBeds per undergraduate; not who lives on campus
Nearest airport with airline service	Sioux Falls Regional Airport (FSD)About 45 miles away
Nearest major airport	Eppley Airfield (OMA)About 124 miles away
Town population	8,454Census, 2020–2024
Nearest city of 250,000 people or more	OmahaAbout 126 miles away
Typical weather	18°F in January · 73°F in JulyNOAA, 1991–2020, from Sioux Center 2 SE, IA

Federal data (IPEDS and College Scorecard), except school colors.

Campus safety reports

On-campus crimes reported in 2024, per 1,000 students.

On-campus crimes per 1,000 students
Category	This campus	U.S. rate
Rape	0.00	0.07
Robbery	0.00	0.01
Aggravated assault	0.00	0.04
Burglary	0.00	0.08
Motor vehicle theft	0.00	0.15

Numbers reflect what each campus reported. They differ with campus size and how reporting is done, so compare with care. U.S. rate: total reported offenses divided by total students at every institution in the report.

Source: Official data: U.S. Department of Education

Questions families ask

What is Dordt University’s Compass Score?: Very good (grade B+). It ranks in the top 22% of rated colleges. The grade comes from outcomes (40%: graduation, retention and earnings), entering students (40%: test scores and selectivity), cost (15%: debt and price after aid) and teaching (5%: class size), all from federal data.
How much does Dordt University cost after financial aid?: The average net price is $25,807 a year for students who receive federal aid, after grants and scholarships. What your family pays depends on income; the college’s net price calculator gives your own estimate.
How hard is it to get into Dordt University?: Dordt University admitted 68% of applicants in the most recent federal data.
How do Dordt University’s graduates do?: 70% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years; the median earnings of former students ten years after entry are $52,559; the median federal debt at graduation is $21,500.

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About this school’s data

IPEDS unit ID 153250
Carnegie classification: Master's university (small programs)
Accreditation: Higher Learning Commission (U.S. Department of Education DAPIP)
Religious affiliation (IPEDS): Christian Reformed Church
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