Institutional Research

Calendar of Surveys - Schedule of campus-wide surveys for the academic year 2023-2024. 

Institutional data consists of quick, informational tables and charts with an overview of the university, its students, its faculty, and staff. This information is used to help faculty and staff plan effectively and inform students and the public about the nature of education at Drake.

Drake Databooks: Drake's Databooks provide a wide variety of information about the population characteristics of students, faculty, and staff.

Common Data Sets (CDS): The Common Data Set is a set of common definitions for regularly-collected data elements that are used by a large group of institutions to assist in comparisons.

To help improve students' learning experience, Drake administers internal surveys. Drake uses this information to assess growth over time, identify relative strengths and weaknesses and offer paths to self-improvement.

Drake Student Survey (DSS): Drake Student Surveys ascertain the perceptions of Drake students about various dimensions of their Drake experience.

Foundations of Learning Assessment (FLA): This survey explores first-year students’ learning experiences before coming to Drake and their expectations and plans for their experiences at Drake. The instrument also helps students to think about ways they may want to be engaged at Drake.

To help improve students' learning experience, Drake participates in national surveys. Drake uses this information to assess growth over time, identify relative strengths and weaknesses and consider paths to self-improvement.

Multi-Institutional Study of Leadership (MSL): This survey explores the influences of higher education on students’ leadership development and examines the influences of college experiences on leadership-related outcomes.

National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE): A national project that examines first-year and senior student participation in programs and activities that institutions provide for their learning and personal development. The results provide an estimate of how undergraduates spend their time and what they gain from attending college.

US News and World Report Analyses: The U.S. News and World Report looks at national universities on a variety of factors and gives them rankings.

Drake has a set of fifteen benchmark institutions, which includes three sets of institutions – direct competitors (undergraduate admission), peer institutions (close alignment on key indicators), and aspirant institutions (high performance on key indicators). 

This list is used for benchmarking purposes at the institution level. Individual units can also use this list, while recognizing that specific needs may require the use of a specialized set (e.g., athletics conference).

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Drake University is registered by the Iowa College Student Aid Commission to operate in Iowa and to participate in the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements. NC-SARA is a voluntary, regional approach to state oversight of postsecondary distance education. In addition to the university student complaint procedure (http://www.drake.edu/complaint/), students may contact the Iowa College Student Aid Commission at (877) 272-4456 or by using the following URL: https://www.iowacollegeaid.gov/StudentComplaintForm.