Every effort will be made to ensure you have the experiences you want while at Drake. The University strengthens academic opportunity with:

• Required courses are regularly available
• Faculty advising is available
• J-Term is maintained
• Experiential learning opportunities are available

At the same time, students have responsibilities to ensure that the Commitment is met. Each student must:

• Have appropriate high school preparation and English language proficiency
• Be a full-time, degree seeking first-year who follows the outlined 4-year course of study plan for graduation published for a single major and maintains that program’s academic progression and requirements.
• Successfully complete all prerequisites and required courses and GPA requirements that may be specified for an internship or undergraduate research.
• Actively engage with an adviser, Professional & Career Development Services, and/or department or college to discuss and determine appropriate internship or research opportunities.
• Register for J-Term during the appropriate designated period and, for travel seminars, pay the required deposit by the due date and fulfill other pre-course responsibilities. (Note: Course enrollment is determined by seniority; preferred courses may not be available.)

It is important to note that these are commitments rather than promises, and you will not receive a refund if one or more is unfulfilled. While we will do everything we can to ensure you have these experiences, students must take an active role in their academic journey. If upon entering your senior year you have not yet done a J-Term course and want to, you will register first to ensure you get a spot. In the instance that you tried in good faith to get an internship and didn’t, we would work with you to provide an internship experience on campus during your senior year.

You must maintain a minimum GPA of 2.0 to remain in good academic standing. You must also successfully complete all prerequisites and required courses and GPA requirements that may be specified for an internship or undergraduate research.

You are not required to participate in each, but we hope you do! By taking advantage of all four commitment areas, you’ll be getting an unforgettable, well-rounded college experience that will prepare you to stride confidently into the world as a Drake Bulldog and find success in your future endeavors.

If you choose not to pursue one or more of the academic commitments, your tuition will not be affected.

Yes, the Drake Commitment is fully applicable to transfer students.

While it doesn't apply to graduate students, Drake's graduate and professional programs are grounded in many of the same principles as undergraduate programs, including hands-on learning, faculty mentorship, and service-learning. 

Those students entering as pre-pharmacy majors will be part of the Drake Commitment.

It does not, although there is a strong possibility that the courses they take at Drake will have some of these experiences—such as service-learning—built in.

That’s totally OK! In fact, we encourage you to explore your interests and make sure you’re in a field that you love. If you change majors, you will be assigned a new faculty adviser/mentor in your major, and can still take advantage of all the academic commitments.

A four-year graduation guarantee is not part of the Drake Commitment, but we’re confident you’ll experience all of the Drake Commitment opportunities in four years. Plus, the vast majority of Drake students graduate in four years—92 percent, to be exact.

No, we cannot guarantee students a job after graduation. We can guarantee students access to robust career services and comprehensive professional development resources such as one-on-one career coaching, resume and cover letter development, interview preparation, career events, graduate/professional school application support, and job search strategies and resources. Drake University boasts an accomplishment rate among the highest in the nation with over 97% of the Class of 2023 graduates being employed or enrolled in graduate school within six months of receiving their degree.

As part of the Drake Commitment, you need to be engaged in your college experience. In order to ensure you receive the best education possible, as outlined by the Drake Commitment, you must:

• Have appropriate high school preparation and English language proficiency
• Be a full-time, degree seeking first-year student who follows the outlined 4-year course of study plan for graduation published for a single major and maintains that program’s academic progression and requirements.
• Successfully complete all prerequisites and required courses and GPA requirements that may be specified for an internship or undergraduate research.
• Actively engage with your adviser, Professional & Career Development Services, and/or department or college to discuss and determine appropriate internship or research opportunities.
• Register for J-Term during the appropriate designated period and, for travel seminars, pay the required deposit by the due date and fulfill other pre-course responsibilities. (Note: Course enrollment is determined by seniority; preferred courses may not be available.)

Formally, faculty advisers/mentors are assigned by the dean’s office of the college that houses your chosen major. You will have an adviser for each of your majors, if you have more than one, and thus you may have advisers in two different colleges. Typically, students do not choose their advisers, although most units work to match advisers/mentors and students based on the student’s academic and career interests. You can work with your department chair or dean’s office to change advisers, as appropriate.

Chances are good that you will actually have a variety of mentors throughout your time at Drake. Faculty mentor students through advising of student organizations and collaborating on extracurricular events, and students often find multiple mentors through favorite course instructors. At Drake, faculty are passionate about teaching and working with students—so you’re not just another number.

At a minimum, faculty will initiate at least one meeting per semester with their advisees. Faculty are also required to establish office hours each week when they are available to their students and advisees. However, it is really up to you to take advantage of this valuable resource: Initiate meetings and conversations with your faculty mentor, ask questions, and consider how he or she can best support you.

While many Drake University undergraduate degree programs embed experiential learning such as service-learning, internships, practicum experiences, and research into the curriculum, students should also focus on completing a major related to their career goals, pursuing leadership positions on campus, getting involved in extracurricular activities (e.g., student clubs and organizations), and volunteering. Academic majors, leadership, involvement, and volunteering are some of the top factors employers value (NACE 2024 Job Outlook, 2023).

Each internship or research experience is unique. We cannot guarantee a paid internship or research experience.

Faculty mentors/advisers will work with each student to find appropriate internship, research, or practicum experiences. Students are also strongly encouraged to work with Career and Development Services, where professional staff assist students and alumni in defining professional goals, obtaining career-related experiences, and creating and implementing job search strategies or plans for graduate and professional school. Visit www.drake.edu/career to learn more.

We do not maintain a comprehensive list, but we know anecdotally that students’ experiences have varied widely. Students intern locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally. We encourage you to peruse www.drake.edu/commitment and www.drake.edu/internships for examples of student intern, research, and practicum experiences.

Students can pursue research or internships at any time, from their first year to senior year.

The J-Term courses vary each year and are typically posted at least nine to ten months in advance. You can find a sampling of J-Term courses being offered in January 2017 at www.drake.edu/dc/j-termexperience. We also encourage you to consider J-Term as a time to tap your adventurous Bulldog spirit; take a course that simply interests you or speaks to your passion—it doesn’t have to directly relate to your major. That’s the beauty of J-Term. Explore!

Yes, students are responsible for the cost of airfare and lodging; costs vary by course and location. Those details will be conveyed in the course descriptions once they are released, so you know exactly how much you will need to pay before you register. However, there is no additional tuition paid for J-Term.

All students who are required or have requested and been approved J-Term housing will be assessed a room-and-board fee of $49/day for all dates during J-Term for on-campus courses. Room and board charges for J-Term courses that are partially on/partially off campus will be computed based on the number of days spent on campus according to the course syllabus.

No. Registration for the upcoming J-Term takes place the previous spring, so incoming first-year students are not eligible.