Founded in 1881, Drake University provides an exceptional learning environment that prepares students for meaningful personal lives, professional accomplishments, and responsible global citizenship.
| Nickname | Bulldogs |
| Motto / Slogan | Veritas (Latin) Truth |
| Colour | Blue and White |
| Mascot | Griff II |
| Founded | 1881 |
| Undergraduate Programmes | |
| Postgraduate Programmes | 30 |
| Departments | 7 |
| Location | Des Moines, Iowa, United States |
| Address | 2507 University Ave. Des Moines, IA 50311 |
Provide an exceptional learning environment that prepares students for meaningful personal lives, professional accomplishments, and responsible global citizenship. The Drake experience is distinguished by collaborative learning among students, faculty, and staff and by the integration of the liberal arts and sciences with professional preparation.
Drake has an entire department dedicated to helping you find internships, craft a killer resume, apply for graduate school, find that exciting first real-world job, and help you transition from learning to doing." Not to mention our network of over 75,000 alumni who are excited to help you flourish after you finish your time at Drake.
Drake University values diversity as a key institutional strength, embracing differences in identities, backgrounds, and ideas. The university goes beyond tolerance by fostering an inclusive culture where every individual is respected and supported. Drake believes diversity enhances excellence and success, and it upholds strong principles of non-discrimination in accordance with state and federal laws.
Drake University is known for high-quality programs in business, law, journalism, pharmacy, public administration, and health sciences. The university emphasizes practical learning and professional preparation.
Graduates from Drake often secure jobs or graduate school placements shortly after graduation due to the university’s strong career services and employer partnerships.
UNDERGRADUATE:
POSTGRADUATE:
Payment of the $35 application fee
International Applicants:
Requirements vary by program. View the program page for program specific requirements.
UNDERGRADUATE:
Complete one* of the following:
POSTGRADUATE:
Email: [email protected]
Phone : +1-800-443-7253, 515-271-3181
Higher Learning Commission (HLC)
An accomplished academic administrator, dean, and professor, Martin joined Drake following 10 years at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Wash. He served as executive vice president at Gonzaga from 2010 to 2015, after serving as acting academic vice president from 2009 to 2010 and as dean of the School of Law from 2005 to 2... read more
Prior to Gonzaga, Martin spent eight years (1997-2005) as a professor of law at Texas Wesleyan University School of Law and served as associate dean for academic affairs for his last two years. Before beginning his academic career, he served for eight years as an active-duty U.S. Air Force staff judge advocate officer in England, Germany, and the United States. Martin served an additional 12 years in the Air Force Reserves, retiring as a lieutenant colonel in 2007.
Together they founded a university that expanded traditional study in theology and Classics to include science, law, and other fields. Coeducational from the start and welcoming students of all races, we enrolled our first international students within five years of our founding—welcoming arrivals from China, Persia, Armenia, and Japan.
The decades that followed saw progress of every ki... read more
Programs expanded—from a one building college with 77 students to the nationally recognized University we know today, comprised of seven colleges and schools.
The University made architectural history—with the work of renowned architects Eero and Eliel Saarinen—visionary designers of Drake’s campus plan and several University buildings.
Strong leaders extended Drake’s progress—from Daniel Morehouse, an astronomer who discovered a comet that bears his name, to Earl F. "Marty" Martin, who leads the University today.
Drake basked in the national spotlight—when President Harry Truman visited and later President Bill Clinton; when athletes like Carl Lewis, Michael Johnson, and LoLo Jones appeared at the Drake Relays; and when nationally televised presidential campaign debates brought candidates of both parties to Drake in 2007 and Republican presidential candidates in 2011.
Athletes excelled—including All-American running back Johnny Bright in 1951; the 1969 men’s basketball team, which made it to the NCAA Final Four; Lewis Lloyd, in 1981, who went on to an NBA career; and Lindsay Whorton in 2009, a basketball standout and Drake’s most recent Rhodes Scholar.