Waldorf University
Private College in Forest City, IA. Six-year graduation rate 28%. Median 10-year earnings $51,165.
Ten years after entry, the median Waldorf University student earns $51,165 — a solidly middle-of-the-pack result for an undergraduate institution. Completion is the weak point: 28% graduate within six years. Median debt at graduation is $18,752, roughly typical for an undergraduate degree.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
- ! Graduation rate 28% — below national average
Admissions
An acceptance rate of 77% puts Waldorf University on the accessible end — a realistic target for a broad range of applicants. With 1,238 applicants, admissions statistics here move a lot on small changes. Yield is low at 20%, so most admitted students do not end up enrolling.
Test score bands (middle 50% of submitters)
These bands describe the enrolled first-years who submitted a score, not the entering class. Where most students apply test-optional the submitters are a self-selected, higher-scoring group.
| Test | 25th–75th percentile | Submitted |
|---|---|---|
| SAT Evidence-Based Reading | — | — |
| SAT Math | — | |
| ACT Composite | — | — |
IPEDS Admissions · 2024
Apply at Waldorf University →Academics
Completion is the problem here: 28% graduate within six years. Just 44% of first-years come back — most of the completion gap opens in year one. Retention and completion are close, which places the gap between entering and finishing almost entirely in year one. A 22:1 ratio is unremarkable; expect a mix of lecture halls and seminars. This is a private nonprofit four-year college, so read every rate on this page against that peer group specifically.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 2,100 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Average net price after grant aid is $19,766 a year — mid-range for a four-year institution. Net price varies modestly by income — $16,448 at $0–30k against $23,667 at $110k+ — so the average is a fair guide for most families. Grant aid reaches 51% of students at an average of $14,084. 41% of students take federal loans, a middling borrowing rate.
Entering first-year students
A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 157 students
Net price by family income
The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.
| Family income band | Average net price |
|---|---|
| $0–30k | $16,448 |
| $30–48k | $18,378 |
| $48–75k | $23,045 |
| $75–110k | $21,244 |
| $110k+ | $23,667 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 864 of these 2,100 students, totalling $7,285,622 — an average of $8,432 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Winnebago County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
Heightened Cash Monitoring (Compliance Audit Late or Missing); School placed on Heightened Cash Monitoring
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)