Drake University

Drake University is recognized as one of the finest institutions of higher learning in the Midwest. A midsized, private university in Des Moines, Iowa, we offer the benefits and resources of a larger institution along with the advantages of intimate class sizes and close personal relationships.

Under the guidance of an experienced leadership team, we provide an exceptional learning environment that prepares students for meaningful personal lives, professional accomplishments, and responsible global citizenship. We do this by fostering collaborative learning among students, faculty, and staff and by integrating the liberal arts and sciences with professional preparation.

Drake enrolls more than 3,300 undergraduates and 1,700 graduate students from 40 states and more than 40 countries. These students choose from more than 70 majors, minors, and concentrations and 20 graduate degrees offered through six colleges and schools. In addition, we offer a range of continuing education programs serving working professionals, community members, and area businesses.

Drake is a place where lessons in literature, in life and in doing laundry are all part of the same amazing round-the-clock experience. Because Drake is very much a residential university, meaningful, memorable learning experiences happen in class, after class, and as you share a late-night pizza with friends.

Residence Halls
In each of Drake’s eight residence halls you will find all the makings of a great home away from home: nicely furnished rooms, air conditioning, cable and wireless internet, cable TV, common areas for hanging out with friends, and kitchens for cooking up a special treat.

Every residence hall floor has its own resident assistant (RA), available as a friend and resource, and you will find plenty of organized activities that provide the chance to meet people. You may also find that your new home comes with some proud old traditions, one reason each building has its own distinctive personality.

First-Year Housing
Chances are good that as a first-year student, you will live in a large double room in one of five residence halls—Stalnaker, Crawford, Carpenter, Herriott, or Morehouse. If you know another first-year student starting at Drake and would like to live together, you can request that. If not, the Residence Life staff will select a roommate with your academic interests and personality in mind.

As a first-year student, you will also take part in a special program intended to help make sure that your time here gets off to a great start. Called the First-Year Seminar, it’s a small class focusing on an interesting theme—a class that you will take with other students on your floor or in your building. Right from the start, you will have a built-in sense of connection with a group of fellow first-year Drake students that you’ll see every day.

Sophomore, Junior, and Senior Housing
After the first year, you’ll encounter new choices in housing. You can live in a single, double, or triple room or a four-person suite in one of several upper-class residence halls. And, after your first two years on campus, you can request to live on-campus or live in various off-campus housing options including: Greek or theme houses; an apartment in Drake West Village, a fully furnished, student-only complex just off campus; or in other apartments/houses in the surrounding neighborhood.

Off-Campus Housing
The option of living off campus is open to students who are approved by the Office of Residence Life to live with their parent(s) or legal guardian within a 45-mile radius of Drake University, to married students, or to those who have been out of high school for two years or more. Real Estate can assist you in finding Drake-owned apartments, and the Student Life Center can provide a list of other local rentals.

It’s the new Silicon Valley—an atmosphere where fresh start-ups and tech companies thrive. It’s the new Brooklyn—a site where hip, young professionals soak in scores of local music, arts, and culture. It’s the new Chicago—a hub for business and industry where career opportunities are constantly springing up. But Des Moines is not Silicon Valley, Brooklyn, or Chicago. It’s Des Moines. It’s a city that defies comparison because it’s something completely its own.