Drake University

Drake is a private university in Des Moines, Iowa, with an unusually predictable funding structure. Every qualifying full-time undergraduate admitted directly from secondary school receives a Presidential Scholarship covering 51-66% of tuition — Drake states this as 100% of qualifying students, not a competition — bringing gross tuition of USD 52,988 down to a net USD 17,988-25,988. A separate tuition guarantee then freezes gross tuition for the whole four years, which Drake estimates saves around USD 12,700 against institutions that raise fees annually while holding scholarship values flat. For an international applicant the ceiling is explicit: total combined aid will not exceed 40% of the total cost of attendance. English thresholds are among the lowest set by any US private university and eight different routes satisfy them, including an IB Higher Level English grade. Applications after the 1 March Regular Decision date are considered on a space-available basis.