Waldorf University

Waldorf University is a friendly, private liberal arts school located centrally in beautiful Forest City, Iowa. For more than 100 years, Waldorf has been the cornerstone in the lives of thousands, setting the solid foundation for success among students, their families and the community.

Since its beginning in 1903, Waldorf has been at the forefront of academic innovation, trailblazing a path for future generations. Offering a litany of certificate, associate, bachelor’s and master’s degree programs, Waldorf has an opportunity for anyone who wants to improve their life academically, personally or professionally.

At Waldorf, we believe that a truly well-rounded education not only involves academic studies, but also participation in the arts, physical education and more. Our vibrant campus is teeming with students from all across the world who have chosen Waldorf to help them achieve their educational goals.

Our faculty and staff work one-on-one with students to ensure they are confident and capable in reaching their full potential, providing encouragement each step of the way. Whether you prefer learning in a traditional classroom setting or the flexibility of earning your degree online, we commend you on your decision to advance your life through education.

These four pillars describe the Waldorf University experience: Tradition, Passion, Community and Success. They are foundational to Waldorf’s history, reflective of Waldorf’s present and aspirational to Waldorf’s future.

Founded in 1903, Waldorf University’s core strengths are its history and a strong value system. Our founders valued service to community—and that hasn’t changed. Our longevity is due to academic excellence, solid traditions in fine arts and a broad program of athletics. But most importantly, we understand this experience as a gift from God that comes with a responsibility to serve the world.

Past and present, our students make Waldorf University what it is today, and what it will be in the future. With students from every state and many countries on campus, Waldorf University appreciates the diversity our students bring to our learning community and the enrichment it brings to us all. We encourage our residential students to pursue all of their passions—extracurricular, faith-based, academics-focused or otherwise—because we know that well-rounded people excel. Many of our online students know this to be true, as they already juggle family, work and now their passion to attain their educational goals.

Our faculty and staff take great pride in teaching and serving our students. They carry and instill the values, traditions and mission of Waldorf University. In or out of the classroom, on campus or online, we take great pride in helping our students pursue their passions, reach their educational goals and leave Waldorf with a solid foundation to begin their careers.

Located in the heart of Forest City, Iowa, the Waldorf University campus is the foundation of our Warrior Nation. With a global reach beyond the campus, our community embraces unity and fellowship. From a first step onto campus or speaking with a staff member on the phone, students instantly encounter that something special that is the Waldorf community. By building shared memories and knowledge, we develop a unique loyalty to the purple and the gold.

Leading the charge for change since its inception, Waldorf University has always had scholastic innovation at its core. Our approach couples the traditional classroom setting with the latest online courses, providing all of our students—whether they’re in Forest City or not—with an academic experience that fits their needs. Our students are Warriors in every respect. We define success as the triumph of the human spirit—and we use our successes to serve others.

Waldorf University seeks to be an engaging community of learning and faith where relationships are formed and opportunities for learning and service abound. Our mission is to educate the whole person emphasizing integrity and equipping students to succeed and to serve the communities where they live and work.

Waldorf University faculty are dedicated to the goals and tenets of liberal arts education. The development of an appreciation of “a life of the mind” ought to begin in the home and school, be further nurtured at Waldorf, continue in studies at Waldorf, and become a lifelong process. Whether as future business leaders, teachers, professors, scientists, entrepreneurs, ordained clergy, psychologists or musicians—it is hoped that Waldorf graduates will aspire to lives of service. The “core” of the liberal arts program has as its goals that students:

• Learn to think, write and speak clearly.
• Begin the process of developing a mature and inquiring mind, with the ability to formulate questions, solve problems and make both intellectual and value judgments.
• Engage in and appreciate the arts.
• Acquire understanding of our historical and scientific heritage.
• Begin to develop an appreciation of other cultures and their ways of knowing.
• And consider their religious commitments for their meaning in life and the world in which they live and serve.