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Saint Ambrose University: SAU Center for Communication and Social Development
Photo: Farragutful, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

National university

#3 Best colleges for NAIA athletes in Iowa

Saint Ambrose University

Davenport, IA · Private nonprofit · 4-year

Your real cost

Average price after aid $24,691 a year

Median debt at graduation: $25,000 (all students)

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

Upcoming admissions events

View all upcoming events · From the college's admissions website.

Campus tour

Campus Tour | St. Ambrose University · From the college’s official YouTube channel. Plays from YouTube when you tap it.

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

In Iowa

Academic Excellence

B+Academic Excellence: B+ (grade B+): 0 to 100 points out of 100, from federal data.
Very good · Top 35%
From federal data, on fixed published scales.

Each measure counts for the share shown.

  • Graduation rate 35% of scoreThis measure counts for 35% of the Academic Excellence score.61%
  • First-year retention 20% of scoreThis measure counts for 20% of the Academic Excellence score.76%
  • Entering students' test scores 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.SAT 1,093 · ACT 22.5
  • Student-to-faculty ratio 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.11 to 1
  • Instructional spending per student 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.$11,705

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 incomePrice after aid
Up to $30,000$22,037
$30,001–$48,000$21,729
$48,001–$75,000$22,408
$75,001–$110,000$24,776
Over $110,000$27,807

Full cost of attendance before aid: $51,141 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)
2,114
Men and women
Undergraduates, fall 2023 (College Scorecard)
Men 47% · Women 53%
First-generation students
Share of students who are first-generation, by the College Scorecard’s definition
28%
First-year students from another state
Of first-time students whose home is a U.S. state, fall 2023 (IPEDS)
62%
Total students2,703
Average net price (per year)
After grants and scholarships, for students receiving federal aid
$24,691
Cost of attendance (per year)$51,141
Median federal debt at graduation$25,000
Graduation rate
First-time, full-time students finishing within 150% of normal time
61%
Graduation rate for Pell grant recipients
Finishing within 6 years (College Scorecard)
53%
Graduation rate for first-generation students
Finishing within 6 years (College Scorecard)
56%
Borrowers paying down their loans within 3 years
Borrowers who repaid at least $1 of principal within 3 years (College Scorecard)
68%
First-year retention76%
Median earnings 10 years after entry$59,531
Admission rate77%
Application fee
Undergraduate application fee, 2023–24 (IPEDS)
No application fee
Students receiving Pell grants32%
Admitted students’ middle range:SAT 930–1170ACT 20–25
Admission test scores (middle 50% of admitted students who submitted scores)
Average SAT1093
SAT reading & writing490–580
SAT math440–590
ACT composite20–25
Test policyConsidered 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
MajorMedian earnings
Accounting$83,719
Business administration$77,850
Nursing$75,832
Management science$74,438
Finance$72,886
Kinesiology and exercise science$67,548
Marketing$66,714
Criminal justice$61,988
Psychology$56,803
Teacher education$47,634

Also offered (no earnings published yet): Area studies, Biology, Broadcasting, Business (general), Chemistry, Clinical and counseling psychology, Communication studies, Computer Systems Analysis, Computer science, Computing and information science, Data Science, Design, Economics, English, Ethnic and gender studies, Film and video, Fine arts, General Sales, Merchandising and Related Marketing Operations, German, History, Human resources, Industrial Engineering, Information technology, Interdisciplinary studies, International business, Journalism, Mathematics, Mechanical engineering, Music, Networking, Neuroscience, Other business, management, marketing, and related support services, Philosophy, Physics, Political science, Public administration, Public relations, Romance languages, Secondary education, Security science, Social work, Sociology, Specialized Sales, Merchandising and Marketing Operations, 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
FieldShare of degrees
Business23%
Health professions17%
Parks, recreation and fitness13%
Psychology10%
Education8%

Campus life

School colors
SettingCity
Part-time undergraduates6%
Undergraduates aged 25 and older11%
On-campus room and board (per year)$13,378
SportsNAIA · Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference
Study abroadOffered
Students per faculty member11 to 1
Faculty who are full-time100%Of instructional faculty, fall 2023 (College Scorecard)
Endowment per student$87,499Endowment at the end of fiscal year 2023, per full-time-equivalent student (IPEDS)
Dorm spaceFor about 76% of studentsCampus beds divided by undergraduate enrollment. Not how many students live on campus (IPEDS)
Nearest airport with scheduled flightsQuad City International Airport (MLI)About 7 miles away in a straight line (OurAirports)
Town population100,9132020–2024 five-year estimate (U.S. Census Bureau)
Nearest city of 250,000 people or moreMadisonAbout 122 miles away in a straight line (U.S. Census Bureau)
Average temperature in January22°F1991–2020 normal, from ROCK ISLAND L&D 15, IL US, about 2 miles away (NOAA)
Average temperature in July74°F1991–2020 normal, from ROCK ISLAND L&D 15, IL US, about 2 miles away (NOAA)

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
CategoryThis campusU.S. rate
Rape0.530.07
Robbery0.000.01
Aggravated assault0.000.04
Burglary0.800.08
Motor vehicle theft0.270.15

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 Saint Ambrose University’s Compass Score?
Good (grade B). It ranks in the top 47% 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 Saint Ambrose University cost after financial aid?
The average net price is $24,691 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 Saint Ambrose University?
Saint Ambrose University admitted 77% of applicants in the most recent federal data.
How do Saint Ambrose University’s graduates do?
61% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years; the median earnings of former students ten years after entry are $59,531; the median federal debt at graduation is $25,000.

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