Private nonprofit · University

Bradley University

Peoria, Illinois · Midsize city

76.8%
Admit rate
$22,719
Avg net price
76%
Graduation rate
$66,852
Median earnings

Bradley University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Peoria, Illinois (midsize city setting), enrolling 3,574 undergraduates.

Private nonprofitMidsize · 3,574 undergradsMidsize cityAccessible · 77% admitNCAA Division I without footballCold winters

About Peoria, Illinois

Peoria is a city in Peoria County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. Peoria was the earliest permanent European settlement in what is now Illinois; French explorers first established a presence along the Illinois River in the late 17th century, with the community later evolving into the modern city. Museums in Peoria include the Pettengill-Morron House, the John C Flanagan House of the Peoria Historical Society, and the Wheels o' Time Museum. The Museum Block, opened on October 12, 2012, houses the Peoria Riverfront Museum and the Caterpillar World Visitors Center. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Midsize city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
1 mile to Peoria, IL
To Great Lakes shore
130 miles
Nearest airport
5 miles to General Wayne A. Downing Peoria (PIA)

How Bradley University compares

Selectivity76.8%

More selective than 51% · #29 most selective of 58 in Illinois

Graduation rate76%

Higher than 86% · #6 of 58 in Illinois

First-year retention83%

Higher than 69%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$66,852

Higher than 80% · #17 of 66 in Illinois

Average net price$22,719

Cheaper than 37% · #42 cheapest of 57 in Illinois

Median debt at graduation$27,000

Lower than 11%

Student–faculty ratio11 : 1

Lower than 68%

Undergraduate enrollment3,574

Larger than 72%

Percentiles compare Bradley University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Illinois.

Bradley University campus

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

4,755students
  • Undergraduate3,57475%
  • Graduate1,18125%

Undergraduates by gender

3,574undergrads
  • Women1,89453%
  • Men1,68047%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White59%
  • Black12%
  • Hispanic15%
  • Asian4.6%
  • Other or multiracial8.9%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
3,574
Graduate enrollment
1,181
Student–faculty ratio
11 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
32%
First-generation students
24%
Students over 25
2%
Median family income
$79,479
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$84,681
Endowment
$362,421,752

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Where students come from

Home state of the 833 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Illinois87%
  • Other U.S. states13%

Most first-years stay in state — Bradley University draws overwhelmingly from Illinois.

Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Admissions

Admission rate
76.8%
Test scores
Not considered
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite

Cost

In-state tuition
$42,160
Room & board
$13,500
Books & supplies
$1,300
Total cost of attendance
$54,730
Average net price
$22,719

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
76%
Graduated on time (4 years)
58%
First-year retention
83%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$59,114
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$66,852
Median debt at graduation
$27,000
Students with federal loans
63%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
73%

About 19% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
58%
Low-income (Pell)
62%
First-generation
65%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
2,007
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
56%
Housing charge (year)
$7,350
Meal plan (year)
$5,500
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NCAA Division I without football
Varsity athletes
322 (162 men · 160 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (8)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)160
Baseball36
Soccer33
Basketball32
Softball22
Volleyball16
Golf15
Tennis8

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
3.9 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
29
Property offenses (2022–2024)
27

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 2 campuses (4,777 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

19reported offenses a year
9.7 violent a year9.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Motor vehicle theft
6.3
Rape
4.7
Fondling
4.0
Burglary
2.3
Robbery
0.7
Aggravated assault
0.3
Arson
0.3

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$17,269
$30–48k
$16,539
$48–75k
$18,609
$75–110k
$22,954
$110k+
$30,008

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$81,256

$18,609/year × about 4.4 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

100%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$23,469
average award, among those who get one

Bradley University discounts heavily: 100% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $23,469. For many families the real price lands well below sticker.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 1,036 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$66,852
Typical debt at graduation
$27,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
40%
Out-earn a HS grad
78%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.0 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$59,832
Men
$76,527

Men out-earn women by $16,695 (28%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
86°F
Winter low
18°F
Annual rain
37.5″
Annual snow
26.2″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.44.7JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Peoria Gtr Peoria AP, IL US station (4.1 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Bradley University

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Bradley University side by side →

Colleges near Bradley University

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.