Few investments in life create more possibilities than a college degree. Too often the ability to pay is a barrier to access quality higher education and experiential learning. The Wartburg Commitment is a new pricing model and value proposition that ensures greater access for more undergraduate students through a lower sticker price, targeted scholarship programs, and funding to support experiential education.
Wartburg College is grateful to the Jack and Sarah Salzwedel family for funding Wartburg Commitment scholarships and the Knight’s Experience program for the 2026-27 academic year.
Competitive Price
To help more undergraduate students discover the value of the Wartburg experience, we lowered our published tuition price by 45 percent in 2024. This brings the overall cost closer to what students typically pay and allows us to continue to recognize student achievement through generous scholarships and other financial aid. See how we compare.
Access to Excellence
Access to Excellence reduces the financial barrier of tuition for lower- and middle-income families.
Iowa Students
New full-time undergraduate students from Iowa who qualify for the Iowa Tuition Grant (typically households with an annual adjusted gross income of $95,000 or less) and are admitted to Wartburg will have their tuition covered all four years through institutional, state, and federal gift assistance. Complete the FAFSA to determine your eligibility for the Iowa Tuition Grant, Federal Pell Grant, and other scholarships. Iowa students must live on campus to participate in the program.
Out-of-State Students
All new full-time out-of-state undergraduate students with a 3.5 GPA or better and an adjusted gross income of $95,000 or less will not pay more than $20,000 per year for tuition, fees, housing, and food. Student loans and student employment are available, which could reduce the cost even more. A FAFSA must be completed to qualify.
Knight’s Experience
At Wartburg College, we are committed to experiential learning that occurs inside and outside the classroom. The opportunity to learn about diverse communities and cultures through immersion and shared experiences is a distinct aspect of a Wartburg education. The Knight’s Experience increases access to enriching opportunities by providing students with one-time funding.
Every full-time undergraduate student will receive up to $1,500 that can be used in their second, third, or fourth year. Qualifying programs include study away, international travel, off-campus May Term travel courses, internships, student teaching, research, service trips, and more. Click here for more information about the Knight’s Experience process.
Frequently Asked Questions
We know students often make decisions based on published tuition price, and we want to make sure they consider Wartburg when deciding where to invest in their future. Wartburg lowered the sticker price to bring it closer to what students typically pay after scholarships and financial aid. We hope this helps more students consider Wartburg College and see it as the best choice for exceptional experiences and big opportunities.
Wartburg offers generous scholarships and financial aid that keep the overall net cost to attend as manageable as possible, often much lower than the published price. Each student’s scholarships and financial aid are determined by a number of individual factors, and the amounts awarded are different, meaning the actual cost to attend also varies.
No. Due to generous scholarships and financial aid, most families typically pay a much lower amount than our published tuition. However, we know students often make decisions on colleges based on published tuition price, and we want to make sure they consider Wartburg when deciding where to invest in their future. We hope that by lowering our tuition to bring the overall cost closer to what students typically pay after scholarships and financial aid, we will help more students consider Wartburg.
Like always, Wartburg will continue to recognize student achievement through generous scholarships and financial aid adjusted for the new tuition, helping keep the overall net cost to attend as manageable as possible, in many cases in line with or even lower than state schools.
Because of generous scholarships and financial aid, in many cases Wartburg costs are in line with or even lower than state schools. View cost comparisons with other colleges and access our net cost calculator.
This change will allow you to experience more that Wartburg has to offer. We are not reducing programming, faculty, or staff because of the lowered tuition. The Knight’s Experience fund will allow more students to access immersive learning opportunities they may not otherwise have been able to afford, including study away, internships, research, and service trips.
Please contact the Business Office at businessoffice@wartburg.edu.
Financial Aid FAQs
Absolutely. Wartburg will continue to recognize student achievement in and out of the classroom through generous scholarships and financial aid adjusted for the new tuition.
No. We did not make any adjustments to the criteria for awarding scholarships and financial aid as a result of the tuition decrease outside of the Access to Excellence program. We did adjust the amounts of our scholarships and financial awards to align with the new tuition price.
No. Federal Pell Grants and state grants are awarded based on family income and assets as reported on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Federal student loans are available to all students who complete a FAFSA application. Most private scholarships are based on financial need or merit, not the published tuition cost of a college. Students are encouraged to confirm with their individual grantor.