Financial Aid for International Students
International admission counselors in Drake's Office of Admission are happy to provide information and answer questions about the application process. Please contact the Office of Admission via e-mail; by fax at 1-515-271-2831; or by telephone at 1-515-271-3181 (toll-free in the U.S. at 1-800-443-7253).
Ways you can invest in a Drake University education:
- Apply for scholarships and financial assistance for international students.
- Attend summer school and earn enough credits to graduate in less than four years. You can save up to a year of tuition and enter the job market or graduate school that much sooner.
- Graduate in four years, even if you don't attend summer school. (The exception: the six-year Doctor of Pharmacy degree program.)
- Work on campus. The U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service allows international students to work on campus for up to 20 hours per week during the academic year and full time during any vacation period, including summer. Drake students work an average of 10 hours per week. This is a great way to learn new skills and earn money. The cost of living in Des Moines is lower than in most other areas of the United States.
- Take advantage of Drake's payment options. You may pay your Drake bill by credit card over a period of time or through a payment plan, which spreads payments over a series of months.
In addition to tuition, room and board expenses, you should expect to budget for other types of expenses. Books and supplies for degree-seeking students are approximately $900 for the academic year. Health insurance, which is mandatory for all international students, is estimated at $900 for 12 months. Personal expenses generally total $1,950 for the academic year but vary by lifestyle.
Adding all of these costs to tuition, room and board, you can expect to spend $32,932 over the academic year for an undergraduate program. This is the amount of financial resources you will be expected to prove in order for Drake to issue you an I-20, the immigration document needed to obtain an F-1 student visa. (Your Drake bill, however, will reflect only tuition, room, board and health insurance costs.)
