What Kind of School It Is, in Terms That Matter
Saint Ambrose University is a private, nonprofit, four-year-or-more institution. The federal system that classifies universities places it among those offering doctoral and professional degree programs, although the highest level it reports offering is, in fact, the doctorate. That is an institutional fact: it does not tell you whether the specific program your child is interested in reaches that level. You confirm that by asking about the exact program.
It is classified as a small and highly residential school: when that measurement was taken, at least half of its undergraduate students lived in housing owned, controlled, or affiliated with the institution, and at least 80 out of every 100 attended full time. Highly residential is not the same as inexpensive. Living on campus is charged separately from tuition, and you will see that figure later.
It also appears, in another separate classification, among institutions that receive many transfer students. If your child plans to come here after studying at another school, that fact is a signal to investigate, not a guarantee. Ask in writing which courses will be accepted and which will not. The label does not say how many credits students bring in or how many are lost along the way.
Saint Ambrose University has none of three specific designations: it is not a historically Black college or university, it is not a tribal college or university, and it is not a land-grant institution. Of the 3,012 universities in this national directory, 138 have at least one of the three. Saint Ambrose's lack of these designations says nothing about which students it serves or how your child will feel there. Ask directly what cultural centers and student organizations exist today.
The school is in Davenport, Iowa, within Scott County, in the Davenport-Moline-Rock Island metropolitan area. If your child plans to live at home while attending, do not rely on the map: drive the route yourself on a weekday at the time your child would have class. The actual travel time is almost never what Google promises.
The Size of the Community Your Child Would Join
Saint Ambrose had 2,703 students enrolled in the most recent official count. It is medium-sized—neither among the largest nor the smallest—compared with similar selective private schools. But that overall figure includes graduate students: 2,114 are undergraduates, and 589 had already completed a degree. If your child is entering now, the number that matters is 2,114, not the total.
Among those undergraduates, 11 out of every 100 students are Hispanic or Latino. That is a small minority, although it ranks above the midpoint among similar selective private schools that report this information. Put plainly: Latino students are few here. That does not remove the school from your list, but it does give you a specific question for your visit: what exists for Latino students, such as a student organization, a cultural center, or someone in the office who speaks Spanish.
The undergraduate population is almost evenly divided between men and women: 55 out of every 100 are women. And something worth noting: fewer than half of first-time students—37 out of every 100—had their permanent residence in Iowa. Most come from elsewhere. That does not directly measure distance or travel costs, but if your family would be among those coming from another state or country, you should compare the full cost of attendance and build your budget around actual trips, not brochure figures.
How the Academic Year Works and What Credit It Accepts
The school uses a semester calendar: two long terms of about 15 weeks each. The school reported that it accepts credit from AP exams as well as what IPEDS calls credit for life experiences—independent study, noncredit adult courses, work experience, portfolios, and prior licenses—in addition to credit for military training. Reporting that it accepts these types of credit does not mean your child will receive them automatically. Ask for a written transfer-credit evaluation before enrolling; do not budget for the savings until you have it in hand. The school does not enroll high school students in college courses for credit, so if your child planned to earn credits early that way, this is not the route here.
In the most recently reported year, Saint Ambrose awarded 554 bachelor's degrees across 22 fields of study. The most popular was business and management, with 22 out of every 100 degrees, but no other field accounts for the bulk of the degrees. It is a broad offering. Compared with similar schools, it ranks in the quarter with the most fields represented in its bachelor's-degree catalog. Be careful: 22 active fields are not 22 specific programs, nor do they guarantee that each one has active students. Verify the exact program your child is interested in.
The student-to-instructional-staff ratio is 11 to 1, a low figure compared with similar schools. That does not tell you the actual size of a classroom or how many instructors are available outside class hours; it is an institutional average, not a promise of individualized attention.
The institution also reports specific structured opportunities: study abroad, undergraduate research outside the classroom, a complete program that can be taken only in the evenings or on weekends, and pathways to teacher certification, including state approval for initial certification. Their being reported is a signal to ask more questions, not a guarantee that they fit what your child wants to study.
How Someone Gets In and How Likely Admission Is
Saint Ambrose does not have open admission. It reviews specific items before saying yes. Of nine considerations reported by the government, three are required: the high school transcript, the high school GPA, and an English proficiency exam for applicants to whom it applies. Other items are not required but are considered if submitted: class rank, completion of the college-preparatory curriculum the university requests, a personal essay, letters of recommendation, a portfolio or competency exam, work experience, and whether a family member attended the school. Your child cannot change that last item—family legacy. If it does not apply, do not spend energy on it; spend it on what is within your child's control, such as the essay or letters.
The published undergraduate application fee is $0.
Now, the figures showing how selective it is in practice. In the most recent cycle, Saint Ambrose received 3,456 first-time applications and offered admission to 2,534 applicants. That is 73 out of every 100 applicants admitted: seven or eight out of ten. It is an accessible admission rate, slightly below the midpoint among similar selective private schools. But do not read that as automatic: 922 applicants in that same cycle did not receive an offer. Your child has reason to apply and also reason not to leave it until the last minute. And remember something important: that 73 out of every 100 is from a single cycle. If there are more applicants when it is your child's turn and the number of places does not grow, the rate will fall on its own. Check it again when the time comes.
Here is a figure that often surprises people: out of every 100 admitted applicants, only 17 enrolled. The other 83 had a place and did not take it. Do not read this as a mark against the school—the federal record does not say why each person made that choice. What it does tell you is that receiving the letter is not the same as deciding to attend, and what others decided does not predict what the school will offer your family. Wait for your own letter with the net price, which is the real figure that determines whether this school stays on the list.
The SAT and ACT are not considered in the admission decision, even if they are submitted. This does not cover scholarships or course placement; ask about those separately.
Regarding transfers: among a cohort of first-time, full-time bachelor's-degree-seeking students who entered in 2017, 30 out of every 100 transferred to another school without completing their degree here. That proportion is on the high side compared with similar schools. Here is the important fact almost no one sees: a student who transfers is not counted as a Saint Ambrose graduate, even if that student completes a degree elsewhere. Keep this in mind when comparing graduation rates across schools, and do not assume that transferring means the student did poorly here. The report counts the move, not the reason or the outcome.
The Price: What Is Published and What Is Actually Paid
At Saint Ambrose University, among 44 first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid and whose EFC records showed family income below $30,000, the average net price was $20,300. Among 62 students from the same population with EFC family income from $48,001 to $75,000, it was $20,111; among 123 students with EFC family income above $110,000, it was $25,806. For dependent students, the income band combines their parents' income with their own.
The difference between the average for the lowest-income band (44 students) and the average for the highest-income band (123 students) is $5,506. Among first-year students who received any scholarship or grant aid, the average was $23,578.
Even after scholarships and grants were deducted, the average net price for families in the lowest-income band was $20,300 in academic year 2022-23. If that figure does not fit your budget, it is better to see it today than in August.
An average does not show how different the cases were within that band; this figure cannot establish that some families were far below or above the published amount. The income bands in this profile describe first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid; at public institutions, they use the in-state or in-district rate. The overall average with scholarship or grant aid, when shown, describes first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal, state, local, or institutional scholarships or grants.
How It Is Paid For: Scholarships, Loans, and What You Still Need to Ask
95 out of every 100 degree-seeking students here receive some scholarship or grant aid that does not have to be repaid. Receiving something is the norm, not the exception. Among those who receive it, the average was $23,725 per year. That is a large figure, but it is not a price: it includes students who received much more and students who received much less. What actually matters is the amount left after aid, and you will know that figure only when your letter arrives.
The Pell Grant—federal aid for low-income families—went to 28 out of every 100 students.
Regarding loans: 67 out of every 100 undergraduate students received a federal loan in the most recently reported year. That is the majority. Among those who borrowed, the average was $7,231 for the year. Compared with similar selective private schools, Saint Ambrose ranks on the high side for this proportion.
Here is the calculation that really matters before signing anything: if your child borrows a similar amount each year during the four years in the program of study, the total comes to about $28,924, not including interest. That figure is determined before the first signature, not at the end of the journey. The fact that borrowing is common here does not determine whether your child will need it—that depends on the financial aid letter and the difference between the net price and what your family can contribute. And keep in mind that this average includes only federal loans in the student's name: it does not include the PLUS loans that parents sometimes end up signing for, debt from banks or credit cards, or the total debt someone has upon graduation.
The institution also reports offering an installment tuition payment plan, in case that helps manage your family's cash flow.
Campus Life, Athletics, and Support
Saint Ambrose does have its own housing, with capacity for 1,601 students on or off campus, and no first-time, full-time student is generally required to live there. It also offers meal plans with a fixed number of meals per week in its largest option. The existence of housing does not guarantee an available bed when your child requests one: confirm the year's rate, the housing application deadline, and whether a place is guaranteed or your child will be placed on a waiting list.
It reported no ROTC opportunities—neither the general category nor any of its three branches—while 926 of the 1,786 four-year institutions in this guide did report one. If your child's plan depends on that scholarship, ask the admissions office directly before ruling out the school: this field shows what was reported, not everything that exists.
It does compete in intercollegiate athletics and is affiliated with the NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics), with reported participation in football, basketball, baseball, and cross-country or track and field. If athletics is part of the plan, write directly to the coach: ask whether there is room on the team, what division it competes in, and whether that sport offers scholarships.
It offers distance education at the undergraduate and graduate levels, although only 7 out of every 100 undergraduate students take all their classes that way; the rest take at least one in-person course. The library operates with employed staff, has physical and digital collections, and participates in interlibrary lending. The school also reports academic and career counseling services, student employment, specific support for veterans and military service members—including participation in Yellow Ribbon—and a disability services page.
How Many Stay and How Many Graduate
Among the first-time, full-time, bachelor's-degree-seeking cohort that entered in the fall of 2022, 84 out of every 100 were still enrolled or had already graduated one year later. That is a high proportion compared with similar selective private schools: more stayed than left. This figure does not distinguish those who are still here from those who have already finished, nor does it say what happened to the rest: not returning does not always mean leaving school altogether; it may mean they transferred and are continuing their studies elsewhere.
As for graduation: of the 541 students who began a bachelor's degree in 2017 as first-time, full-time students, 340 had graduated from this institution within six years. That is 63 out of every 100, a rate above the median among similar schools. At the four-year mark, the figure falls to 54 out of every 100. The difference of 9 points between four and six years is real: some need that additional time.
It is worth looking at the complete breakdown of those 541 students: 340 graduated here, 162 transferred without completing at Saint Ambrose, 2 were still enrolled without having completed, and 37 were classified as "no longer enrolled"—a category that does not explain the reason and may include people who did complete, just after the measured period.
There is an additional eight-year measure, using a different cohort of 714 students who entered between 2015 and 2016. At that point, 67 out of every 100 had earned a degree or certificate from this school. Among Pell Grant recipients, the figure was 58 out of every 100, twelve points below the figure for those who did not receive it. If your family would qualify for Pell today, that gap is a legitimate question to ask the school directly: what counseling, emergency aid, and renewal of internal scholarships are actually available? Ask for the answer in writing.
What This Article Cannot Tell You
There is no information here about what a Saint Ambrose graduate earns after leaving, employment, or how much total debt someone carries upon graduation. That information is not authorized by the sources supporting this article, and you will not find it invented in any paragraph above.
How to Combine This With Your Decision
You now know, in considerable depth, one of the three pieces you need: what Saint Ambrose University actually is and offers, with its figures laid out plainly, without embellishment or obscurity. The other two pieces are still missing, and no federal report has them: what your child wants to study and has built so far, and what your family can and is willing to pay.
If your child is just starting to build a list, ask what your child wants to study and how far away your child can imagine living while doing it. If your child is about to apply, check together whether the school requests the essay or letters of recommendation this cycle, and do not leave the application until the last minute. If your child has already been admitted, do not decide anything until you have the financial aid letter with the exact net price, in writing, with your child's name on it.
It is your child's job to study, explore, write the essay, and decide what to do with life. It is not your job to live that life for your child. But it is your job to understand the family's finances, help navigate the major decisions, and make sure an important opportunity is not missed simply because no one read the map in time. You do not go through this process for your child. You go through it with your child.
Note on sources: The information in this article comes from data reported by Saint Ambrose University to the United States Department of Education's IPEDS system, covering different years and cohorts as indicated in each section. Best College Aid does not represent Saint Ambrose University or any government agency; this article organizes and explains public data for informational purposes.