🎯 Parent/student verdict

Match

Solid match for academically prepared students.

✅ Best for

  • Solid academic profile (SAT 1050–1310 · ACT 23–28 middle 50% + typically a 3.7+ unweighted GPA in rigorous coursework)
  • Families wanting a small liberal-arts experience

🎯 The reality

  • Bottom-quartile academic profile if: SAT below 1050, or ACT below 23, or unweighted GPA below ~3.50 (admitted-class quartiles; GPA floor is a calibrated heuristic where CDS not yet on file)

Verdict is composed from this college's structured data (admit rate, SAT bands, net price by income, Carnegie classification, scholarship grids) using transparent rule thresholds — not a chat-bot's opinion.

🏛️ Institutional snapshot

What kind of college is this?

Carnegie classification
M3: Master's - Smaller Programs
Total enrollment
1,383
1,000 - 4,999
In-state tuition
$36,745
sticker, before aid
Tuition
$36,745
flat rate (no in/out-of-state split)
Admit rate
58.9%
Moderately selective
SAT middle 50%
1050–1310
EBRW + Math composite
ACT middle 50%
23–28
composite
Test policy
Test-optional
2023
10-yr earnings
$40,694
median, after entry

Source: federal IPEDS Admissions 2023 for scores + admit rate; federal College Scorecard (20260606 vintage) for earnings + outcomes. SAT/ACT bands are the 25th–75th percentile of enrolled submitters.

📊 Outcomes & cost

What graduates actually earn, finish, and owe.

Federal College Scorecard data. Earnings are median annual income measured years after entering. Debt is for federal-aid borrowers only (cash-pay students aren't counted).

Earnings, 6 yrs after entry
$37,508
Earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$40,694
4-year completion
62%
Median debt (completers)
$20,979
Cost of attendance
$48,846
sticker price, not net
Pell-eligible students
26%

💰 True ROI

4.9× return

What families actually pay (after aid) vs. the sticker — and how 10-yr earnings stack against the real cost. Most sites quote sticker; we quote what families really pay.

What families actually pay (4 yrs)
$83,324
$20,831/yr avg net
Aid that hides behind the sticker
$112,060
vs sticker $195,384
10-yr earnings total
$406,940
$40,694/yr median, 10 yrs out
Years to recoup actual cost
2.0 yrs
at the median earnings rate

"True ROI" = (10-yr median earnings × 10) ÷ (actual 4-yr net price). The actual net is from Scorecard (average across all families); your family's net price will vary by income — see the breakdown above. Earnings are 10 years after enrollment (Scorecard PP-FOS, all majors combined).

💰 What families actually pay

Net price by family income

Net price = sticker price minus grant aid. This is what families actually pay out-of-pocket after scholarships and need-based aid — the most honest affordability signal there is. At Drury University, the average net price is $20,831/yr across all families.

Family income $0-30k
$18,759/yr
Family income $30-48k
$15,769/yr
Family income $48-75k
$17,552/yr
Family income $75-110k
$20,558/yr
Family income $110k+
$24,458/yr

🔎 Earning over $110K? The federal brackets above lump every family from $110K to $1M+ into one row.

Need-based aid usually phases out somewhere between $200K and $300K at private colleges — but the exact threshold varies a lot. For a precise estimate based on your family's actual income, assets, and your student's academic profile, use Drury University's official Net Price Calculator:

Get your family's estimate from Drury University →

Opens on Drury University's site. Takes about 10–15 minutes; have your most recent tax return handy.

Source: College Scorecard (NPT41-NPT45). Net price = total cost of attendance minus federal, state, institutional, and other grants. Some brackets may be suppressed for student-privacy reasons (small cohorts). Title IV first-time, full-time undergraduates only. The $110K+ ceiling is a federal data limitation — Department of Education hasn't refreshed these brackets since the early 2010s.

📚 What students study here

Most popular majors at Drury University

Top 5 fields of study by bachelor's degrees awarded (most recent IPEDS Completions). Use this to see what Drury University actually graduates — not just what it markets.

1. Biological & Biomedical Sciences
49 degrees · 29.7%
Typical career outcomes
Biological Scientist $87k Medical & Clinical Lab Tech $61k Pharmaceutical Rep $82k Physician (post-MD) $239k
Many bio majors → med school / grad school. Direct-employment bio roles are lower-paid than that pipeline.
2. Visual & Performing Arts
32 degrees · 19.4%
Typical career outcomes
Graphic Designer $59k Art Director $106k Multimedia Artist / Animator $99k Musician / Singer $39k
Highly variable. Steady-pay roles cluster in design, illustration, production. Performance careers have very wide income distributions.
3. Architecture
31 degrees · 18.8%
Typical career outcomes
Architect $93k Landscape Architect $79k Urban / Regional Planner $82k
Path to becoming a licensed architect requires graduate degree + experience.
4. Business, Management, & Marketing
29 degrees · 17.6%
Typical career outcomes
Financial Analyst $100k Management Analyst (Consultant) $99k Marketing Manager $158k Accountant / Auditor $80k
Broad set of corporate roles. Finance + consulting pay top, accounting + HR pay middle, sales spread is wide.
5. Social Sciences
24 degrees · 14.5%
Typical career outcomes
Economist $118k Political Scientist $130k Sociologist $93k Market Research Analyst $75k
Economics + poli sci sub-disciplines pay much more than sociology + anthropology.

Source: IPEDS Completions (C2023_a), bachelor's-level first majors aggregated to 2-digit CIP family. Share is of these top 5 only — not all majors.

💼 Top programs by earnings

Highest-earning majors at Drury University

Median earnings 4 years after entry, by major (CIP code). From the federal College Scorecard program-level outcomes.

Major (CIP) Credential Cohort 1-yr earnings 4-yr earnings
Accounting and Related Services. Bachelor's Degree 7 $80,200
Architecture. Bachelor's Degree 30 $54,723 $70,134
Business Administration, Management and Operations. Bachelor's Degree 24 $43,374 $52,286
Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies. Bachelor's Degree 7 $24,127 $50,287
Biology, General. Bachelor's Degree 29 $33,699 $49,387
Criminal Justice and Corrections. Bachelor's Degree $38,014 $47,695
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities. Bachelor's Degree $47,160
Sociology. Bachelor's Degree 2 $35,881 $43,676
Psychology, General. Bachelor's Degree 18 $34,095 $42,425
History. Bachelor's Degree 8 $41,996

For full college-vs-major comparison + ROI leaderboards, see /college-outcomes →

⚖️ Compare side-by-side

Drury University vs. another college

Type the college you want to compare against. We'll show admit rates, net price by your family income, top majors with career outcomes, and merit aid — all in one side-by-side view.

Alternatives to Drury University

Matched not just by selectivity, but by strategic goal — what a family actually decides on.

🏆 Better merit-aid options
These similar-selectivity schools have published auto-merit grids that Drury University doesnt — your kids scores could unlock real scholarship dollars.
University of Alabama in Huntsville
AL · Public
39 auto-merit scholarships on file
Texas Tech University
TX · Public
31 auto-merit scholarships on file
The University of Alabama
AL · Public
23 auto-merit scholarships on file
Mississippi State University
MS · Public
19 auto-merit scholarships on file
University of Alabama at Birmingham
AL · Public
19 auto-merit scholarships on file
💰 Better out-of-state value
For families paying $110k+ income tuition, these schools cost meaningfully less than Drury University.
Christian Brothers University
TN · Private nonprofit
$5,843/yr for $110k+ families ($18,615 less)
United States Merchant Marine Academy
NY · Public
$9,168/yr for $110k+ families ($15,290 less)
College of the Ozarks
MO · Private nonprofit
$10,426/yr for $110k+ families ($14,032 less)
Indiana University-Kokomo
IN · Public
$10,593/yr for $110k+ families ($13,865 less)
Texas A & M International University
TX · Public
$10,697/yr for $110k+ families ($13,761 less)
🛡️ Safer in-state options
Same state, similar SAT band, but with a more forgiving admit rate — useful safety / match anchors.
Missouri Southern State University
MO · Public
97% admit rate (vs 59% here)
Missouri State University-Springfield
MO · Public
91% admit rate (vs 59% here)
Northwest Missouri State University
MO · Public
86% admit rate (vs 59% here)
Truman State University
MO · Public
80% admit rate (vs 59% here)
University of Missouri-Columbia
MO · Public
77% admit rate (vs 59% here)

Building a college list?

Use these to fit Drury University into your overall strategy:

See your admit odds → Improve your score → Find merit aid →