Based on the success of the Bulldog Promise program, Drake University is lowering the GPA requirement to allow more students to apply.
The Bulldog Promise is a program that was announced last year, which allows students to apply for a full-tuition scholarship. This program is available for Pell Grant-eligible students with a 3.8 GPA to get a full-tuition scholarship so they can attend Drake University for four years to get their bachelor’s degree.
The 2025-26 academic year is the first year that the program has been in effect. For the 2026-27 academic year, the GPA requirement will be lowered to 3.5.
“A 3.8 [GPA] felt high, and we want to be as accessible to as many students as possible while maintaining high-quality students,” said Grace Wenzel, associate director of undergraduate admissions and Bright College recruitment.
Drake is not the first to implement this program. However, other schools in the area, including Simpson College and Grand View University, have a live-on requirement in place, so the school charges students room and board fees. Or, according to Grand View’s website, if the student is commuting, the university will subtract an amount from the scholarship, which would mean the student is still paying a fee.
Drake University created this program without the live-on requirement, as this program is aimed at students who may live close enough to campus that they can commute.
“There’s been a trend of students wanting to stay closer to home, and we wanted to remove any barriers for students with high financial need,” said Ryan Zantingh, director of financial aid.
Wenzel agreed with Zantingh.
“Historically, I don’t think Drake has served the Des Moines population,” Wenzel said. “You should be proud of the school that’s in your backyard.”
An option for students who do not meet the GPA requirements for The Bulldog Promise is to apply for the two-year Bright College Pathway scholarship program.
“Even if you don’t have a high GPA, students deserve access to higher education,” Wenzel said. “The more that we can facilitate that, the better.”
This year, 59 students were eligible for the Bulldog Promise scholarship.
“This doesn’t mean all 59 students actually received a Bulldog Promise award because some of those students are already having their full tuition met with other resources,” Zantingh said. “Those who are actually receiving the Bulldog Promise award this year are 30 to 35.”
According to Zantingh, generally, 75% of Drake’s admitted students have a 3.5 high school GPA. He does not anticipate that the GPA requirement will be lowered again, as it already covers the majority of admitted students.
However, the program is still developing and is subject to change.
“You never know,” Zantingh said. “That is something we evaluate each year.”
All the individual colleges at Drake host their own scholarships, and these resources are available to help make it more accessible for students to attend Drake.
“At the end of the day, it’s all about access,” said Wenzel. “It attracts more people from all different backgrounds in a more equitable way to get here and to make Drake a better place.”
