How to strengthen your Drake application

Sign up + add your profile to see your specific gaps for Drake.

What Drake weights most

Drake weights demonstrated interest and program fit heavily—applicants targeting actuarial science, pharmacy, or journalism with clear pre-major preparation (relevant coursework, competitions, internships) see meaningful admissions lift. At 71% acceptance, GPA matters more than test scores; a 3.7+ is notably safer than gaming the SAT middle 50s. The school rewards Midwest applicants and those who engage with their career-focused culture; generic high achievers without specific program alignment perform worse relative to their stats than peers at comparable schools.

Supplemental essay strategy

Drake's "why us" prompts reward specificity about their professional programs and Des Moines location—mention the actuarial science pipeline to Principal Financial Group, pharmacy partnerships with local hospitals, or journalism internships at Des Moines Register rather than generic statements about "strong academics." If you're applying ED1 (November 2026 deadline), emphasize how Drake's integrated career outcomes align with your 5-year plan, as the school uses demonstrated program commitment as a tiebreaker and ED commitment signal.

Recommended competitions

Where to focus next

If you only have time for one thing this month, do this:

1. Read 2 admitted-student essays from Drake (search official admissions site or Reddit r/drake). Notice the level of specificity — that's the bar.
2. Write the ‘why this school’ supplement first, before anything else. If you can't fill 250 words with school-specific reasons, pick a different school.
3. Find one current student to ask about their experience — admissions offices often connect prospective applicants with current students. The follow-up email becomes specific essay material.