Wartburg College’s Annual Economic Impact

The contributions of higher education extend far beyond an individual’s degree. Private, nonprofit colleges (like Wartburg) and universities play significant roles in the everyday lives of those living and working in college communities and are important contributors to the nation as a whole. Serving as one of the nation’s primary vehicles for social and economic mobility, private, nonprofit colleges and universities are accelerating economic growth, creating jobs, and boosting the nation’s tax base.

Iowa Private Colleges & Economic Impact

Wartburg College is one of 22 members of the Iowa College Foundation. These institutions:

• Save Iowa taxpayers over $295 million annually by providing higher education to 30,000 students who, if they were attending public institutions, would receive taxpayer subsidies towards tuition costs.
• Employ more than 10,000 Iowans.
• Generate more than $1.8 billion in annual economic impact for the cities and towns across the state in which they reside.

Additional facts:

• While ICF’s member schools enroll only 25% of the total undergraduate students in Iowa, they award 45% of all four-year degrees and 34% of all graduate degrees.
• Only 1% of state dollars appropriated for higher education go to Iowa’s private colleges.
• The average taxpayer cost per student at ICF’s colleges and universities is $2,001 while for Iowa’s public institutions it is $10,588.
• A special bond often exists between Iowa’s private colleges and the communities in which they reside with 56% of their students participated in volunteer activities averaging eight hours per week.

Private, Nonprofit Colleges & Universities National & Regional Economic Impact

Findings from a report released by the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU) are presented below. Data represent all private, nonprofit higher education institutions in the U.S.