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Colleges of Distinction: Iowa

University of Dubuque

Dubuque, Iowa

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The University of Dubuque (UD) is a private university dedicated to academic excellence and service-minded leadership. With a mission grounded in the Presbyterian tradition, UD combines a supportive community with career-focused academics that prepare students for success in a rapidly changing world. Students benefit from small class sizes, personalized mentorship, and countless opportunities to learn by doing.

Located along the banks of the Mississippi River, the university offers a welcoming campus in Iowa’s oldest city. Dubuque’s historic downtown, vibrant cultural life, and strong regional economy create a perfect backdrop for students to live, learn, and grow. At UD, students find a place to thrive academically, socially, and spiritually.

Get to know University of Dubuque

1,477
Degree-Seeking Undergraduates
Enrolled female students
44%
 
Enrolled male students
56%
 
Gender Ratio
Full-time students
85%
 
Part-time students
15%
 
Full-time to Part-time Ratio
-0%1%2%3%4%5%6%7%8%9%10%11%12%13%14%15%16%17%18%19%20%21%22%23%24%25%26%27%28%29%30%31%32%33%34%35%36%37%38%39%40%41%42%43%44%45%46%47%48%49%50%51%52%53%54%55%56%57%58%59%60%61%62%63%64%65%66%67%68%69%70%71%72%73%74%75%76%77%78%79%80%81%82%83%84%85%86%87%88%89%90%91%92%93%94%95%96%97%98%99%100%
Retention rate
Full-time faculty
100%
 
Adjuncts
0%
 
Faculty Ratio
11:1
Student/teacher ratio
$38,260
Full-time tuition cost
-0%1%2%3%4%5%6%7%8%9%10%11%12%13%14%15%16%17%18%19%20%21%22%23%24%25%26%27%28%29%30%31%32%33%34%35%36%37%38%39%40%41%42%43%44%45%46%47%48%49%50%51%52%53%54%55%56%57%58%59%60%61%62%63%64%65%66%67%68%69%70%71%72%73%74%75%76%77%78%79%80%81%82%83%84%85%86%87%88%89%90%91%92%93%94%95%96%97%98%99%100%
6-year graduation rate
Rolling
Application deadline
-0%1%2%3%4%5%6%7%8%9%10%11%12%13%14%15%16%17%18%19%20%21%22%23%24%25%26%27%28%29%30%31%32%33%34%35%36%37%38%39%40%41%42%43%44%45%46%47%48%49%50%51%52%53%54%55%56%57%58%59%60%61%62%63%64%65%66%67%68%69%70%71%72%73%74%75%76%77%78%79%80%81%82%83%84%85%86%87%88%89%90%91%92%93%94%95%96%97%98%99%100%
Acceptance rate

Benefits

Student Activities

Student Activities

  • Campus Ministries
  • Choral groups
  • Concert band
  • Dance
  • Drama/theatre
  • International Student Organization
  • Jazz band
  • Music ensembles
  • Musical theatre
  • Pep band
  • Student government
  • Student newspaper
  • Yearbook
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High-Impact Practices

High-Impact Practices

  • First-Year Seminars and Experiences
  • Common Intellectual Experiences
  • Learning Communities
  • Writing-Intensive Courses
  • Collaborative Assignments and Projects
  • Undergraduate Research
  • Diversity/Global Learning
  • Service-Learning, Community-Based Learning
  • Internships/Coops/Practicums
  • Capstone Courses and Projects/Senior Experience
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College Highlights

Engaged Students
Great Teaching
Vibrant Communities
Successful Outcomes
Admission & Aid
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Engaged Students

The University of Dubuque offers 31 areas of study as well as graduate programs in business, communication, physician assistant, and theology. The most popular programs at the University include Aviation, Natural and Applied Sciences, Business Administration and Marketing, Education, and Health Wellness and Sport Marketing Management.

RESEARCH FELLOWSHIPS
The Joseph and Linda Chlapaty Summer Research Fellowship and Butler Fellowship are two examples of the research opportunities available to UD students. These fellowships help prepare undergraduate students for their postgraduate pursuits, no matter their discipline of study. Each year, over 30 upperclassmen are awarded a fellowship to conduct research over the course of a summer. The University of Dubuque works hard to ensure that these awards cover the costs of research supplies and travel, giving students free reign to explore and inquire within their area of study.

WORLD VIEW SEMINAR
The University’s World View Seminars (WVS) are a series of four courses that challenge students to better understand a world of various cultures.  Students work together to discuss what is means to live lives of purpose, analyzing how faith and values contribute to today’s diverse society.

OTHER SERVICES
The University of Dubuque commits to helping each student, regardless of need, feel comfortable and at home. For example, Disability Services provides the necessary accommodations to differently abled students so that they may live comfortably throughout UD’s campus. Additionally, the TRIO/Student Support Services facility brings students from disadvantaged backgrounds in touch with federal programs that provide multiple services and opportunities to help them thrive.

ENROLLMENT BY ETHNICITY
Non-U.S. Citizen: 3%
Hispanic/Latine: 5%
Black or African American, non-Hispanic: 9%
White, non-Hispanic: 66%
Native/Indigenous American or Alaska Native, non-Hispanic: 0%
Asian, non-Hispanic: 1%
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic: 0%
Two or more races, non-Hispanic: 1%
Race and/or ethnicity unknown: 14%

Great Teaching

THE DIAMOND EDUCATION MODEL.
The University of Dubuque developed Diamond—an education model that focuses all classroom learning around four key principles: Academics, Stewardship, Vocation, and Community and Character. These features of Diamond set the standards for committed faculty and staff involvement, exciting and relevant course content, and inspirational spiritual guidance. Diamond helps students reach their full potential by promoting an environment that is student centered and individually focused. Students are prepared to manage change by building confidence, developing flexibility, and encouraging critical thinking.  

FIRST-YEAR EXPERIENCE
The University of Dubuque’s First-Year Experience eases students’ transitions into collegiate academics and expectations. The first-year curriculum orients students to the rigor of upper-level coursework, all while building a community of new friends by way of the experiences they share with their peers. With the support of an enthusiastic community, new UD students are challenged to further build upon their gifts through academic inquiry, their social interactions, and spiritual exploration as they discover their place within a diverse campus community.

To kick off the First-Year Experience, the Bridge Program is designed to assist new students who need additional assistance transitioning to college life. This program bolsters students’ success with study-skills classes, bi-weekly study labs, online tutoring, and peer mentoring.

Vibrant Communities

CAMPUS LIFE
The University of Dubuque’s faculty and staff strive to create a learning environment that is just as welcoming as it is challenging. Students have the opportunity to participate in more than 60 student organizations and clubs, approximately 25 intramural sports, and over 20 varsity athletic teams. They may also take on an ample selection of volunteer opportunities and attend multiple Chapel services during the week.

STUDENT HOUSING AND FACILITIES
Comfortable living is a given at the University of Dubuque. Three modern, ecologically sustainable dorms cater specifically to first-year students, providing an extra platform for new friendships to form twenty-four hours a day. These dorms, among other residence halls, apartments, and townhomes, become bedrocks for community. Each on-campus residence hall acts as a base for close-knit relationships and activities.

UD’s housing options aren’t the only notable buildings on campus; since 1998, the University has invested over $250 million into construction and renovations that integrate contemporary green spaces with the city’s historic architecture.

SMALL TOWN SETTING. BIG TOWN FEEL.
Nestled along the scenic Mississippi River, Dubuque is home to the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium, the Dubuque Museum of Art, a variety of shops and restaurants, event venues, and more. The city of nearly 60,000 boasts miles of trails for walking, hiking, biking, and many Mississippi waterway and byway activities.

SCHOOL LOCATION
UD is located in Iowa’s oldest city, Dubuque, which is located along the scenic Mississippi River at the intersection of the Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin borders. This central location puts UD students within easy driving distance of cities such as Chicago, IL; Des Moines, IA; Madison, WI; and Rochester, MN.

ATHLETICS
The University of Dubuque is a member of NCAA Division III, a prestigious bracket of more than 180,000 student-athletes from 450 institutions. Today, the University supports 23 teams and numerous intramural sports. Sparty the Spartan is UD’s mascot.

Successful Outcomes

STUDENT SERVICES
Through the University’s Academic Support and Success Center, students can work with an Academic Success Coach to help identify and conquer any barriers that may be affecting their academic performance. The Center also provides peer and professional tutors in business, economics, science, math, aviation regulations, and technology through its “Be Smart” tutor program. Additionally, the UD Writing Center is open to equip students at all skill levels with strategies to engage in the most efficient writing processes possible.

SPECIAL PROGRAMS AND OPPORTUNITIES
UD students are challenged with special programs that enrich, enhance, and extend their academic experiences. A few of the special opportunities students have include single-course, experiential study throughout the abbreviated January Term (J-Term), long- and short-term study abroad, and the prestigious Scholar-Leader Honors Program. Through this Honors Program, driven students are pushed to sharpen their communication, leadership, and critical-thinking skills, training them to develop attributes that are highly valued in the professional world.

ACADEMIC ADVISING
The University provides academic advising services that empower students to make informed decisions about their academic and professional aspirations. Right at the beginning of their first year, each student is assigned a Director of Advising who helps them plan their course schedules and enter the University with a platform for success.

The University’s Center for Vocation and Civic Engagement helps students direct their strengths to real-world experiences outside of the college setting. The Center’s staff guides students to discover their unique strengths and gifts, providing them with insight into their chosen vocation and directing them toward appropriate internships, potential employers, and possible graduate schools.

Admission & Aid

Admission

TEST SCORES
Optional

FRESHMAN PROFILE
SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing
25th Percentile: 470 | 75th Percentile: 580
SAT Math
25th Percentile: 480 | 75th Percentile: 580
ACT Composite
25th Percentile: 19 | 75th Percentile: 25
ACT Math
25th Percentile: 18 | 75th Percentile: 24
ACT English
25th Percentile: 16 | 75th Percentile: 24

Tuition & Cost

Tuition: $38,260
Fees: $1,805
Room: $5,790
Board: $5,680

Contact University of Dubuque

Contact Admissions

dbq.edu/AdmissionAid/ProspectiveStudents
(563) 589-3000

Campus Location

2000 University Avenue
Dubuque, IA 52001

Find UD Online

www.dbq.edu

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