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.
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
More selective than 51% · #29 most selective of 58 in Illinois
Higher than 86% · #6 of 58 in Illinois
Higher than 69%
Higher than 80% · #17 of 66 in Illinois
Cheaper than 37% · #42 cheapest of 57 in Illinois
Lower than 11%
Lower than 68%
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
- Undergraduate3,57475%
- Graduate1,18125%
Undergraduates by gender
- 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)
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)
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.
By offense type, per year
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.
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.
$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.
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.
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.
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
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Peoria Gtr Peoria AP, IL US station (4.1 mi from campus).
What Bradley University graduates study — and earn
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 →
New York Institute of Technology
Old Westbury, New York · Fringe rural · 22 mi to New York
- Students
- 3,440
- Admission
- 81%
- Net price
- $22k
- SAT
- 1311
- GPA
- 3.6
- Earnings
- $70k
Norwich University
Northfield, Vermont · Distant rural · 36 mi to Burlington
- Students
- 2,428
- Admission
- 74%
- Net price
- $22k
- SAT
- 1190
- GPA
- 3.4
- Earnings
- $66k
Rider University
Lawrenceville, New Jersey · Large suburb · 32 mi to Philadelphia
- Students
- 3,106
- Admission
- 79%
- Net price
- $25k
- SAT
- 1227
- GPA
- 3.5
- Earnings
- $62k
University of La Verne
La Verne, California · Large suburb · 24 mi to Riverside
- Students
- 3,050
- Admission
- 71%
- Net price
- $20k
- SAT
- 1083
- GPA
- 3.1
- Earnings
- $65k
Pacific Lutheran University
Tacoma, Washington · Large suburb · 32 mi to Seattle
- Students
- 2,401
- Admission
- 78%
- Net price
- $20k
- SAT
- 1168
- GPA
- 3.4
- Earnings
- $67k
Elmhurst University
Elmhurst, Illinois · Large suburb · 16 mi to Chicago
- Students
- 3,006
- Admission
- 74%
- Net price
- $24k
- SAT
- 1151
- GPA
- 3.3
- Earnings
- $61k
Colleges near Bradley University
Saint Francis Medical Center College of Nursing
Peoria, IL · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 273 students
Tricoci University of Beauty Culture-Peoria
Peoria, IL · Private for-profit · Certificate · 125 students
Oehrlein School of Cosmetology
East Peoria, IL · Private for-profit · Certificate · 65 students
Illinois Central College
East Peoria, IL · Public · Certificate · 5,052 students
Methodist College
Peoria, IL · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 245 students
Eureka College
Eureka, IL · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 522 students
Graham Hospital School of Nursing
Canton, IL · Private nonprofit · Certificate · 40 students
Spoon River College
Canton, IL · Public · Certificate · 774 students
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.













