Public · University

Chicago State University

Chicago, Illinois · Large city

43.3%
Admit rate
$12,335
Avg net price
15%
Graduation rate
$42,778
Median earnings

Chicago State University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Chicago, Illinois (large city setting), enrolling 1,384 undergraduates.

PublicSmall · 1,384 undergradsLarge citySelective · 43% admitNCAA Division I without footballCold wintersSnowy

About Chicago, Illinois

Chicago is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. The first known permanent settler in Chicago was a trader, Jean Baptiste Point du Sable. Du Sable was of African descent, perhaps born in the French colony of Saint-Domingue (Haiti), and he established the settlement in the 1780s. He is commonly known as the "Founder of Chicago". Chicago has the third-largest gross metropolitan product in the United States—about $670.5 billion according to September 2017 estimates. The city has also been rated as having the most balanced economy in the United States, due to its high level of diversification. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
11 miles to Chicago, IL
To Great Lakes shore
4 miles
Nearest airport
9 miles to Chicago Midway (MDW) · major hub

How Chicago State University compares

Selectivity43.3%

More selective than 87% · #7 most selective of 58 in Illinois

Graduation rate15%

Higher than 4% · #57 of 58 in Illinois

First-year retention57%

Higher than 11%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$42,778

Higher than 19% · #62 of 66 in Illinois

Average net price$12,335

Cheaper than 84% · #8 cheapest of 57 in Illinois

Median debt at graduation$30,625

Lower than 4%

Student–faculty ratio9 : 1

Lower than 83%

Undergraduate enrollment1,384

Larger than 47%

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

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

2,121students
  • Undergraduate1,38465%
  • Graduate73735%

Undergraduates by gender

1,384undergrads
  • Women97470%
  • Men41030%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White2.7%
  • Black77%
  • Hispanic9.8%
  • Asian1.1%
  • Other or multiracial9.5%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
1,384
Graduate enrollment
737
Student–faculty ratio
9 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
58%
First-generation students
42%
Students over 25
43%
Median family income
$15,134
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$79,902
Endowment
$8,512,681

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

Admissions

Admission rate
43.3%
Test scores
Not considered
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite

Cost

In-state tuition
$12,754
Room & board
$11,550
Books & supplies
$2,400
Total cost of attendance
$29,764
Average net price
$12,335

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)
15%
Graduated on time (4 years)
8%
First-year retention
57%
Transferred to another college
37%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$33,805
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$42,778
Median debt at graduation
$30,625
Students with federal loans
78%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
18%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
8%
Low-income (Pell)
25%
First-generation
25%

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
275
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
20%
Housing charge (year)
$5,250
Meal plan (year)
$6,300
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NCAA Division I without football
Varsity athletes
249 (119 men · 130 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 (7)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)108
Soccer58
Basketball33
Golf18
Tennis17
Volleyball10
Other Sports5

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
1.0 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
4
Property offenses (2022–2024)
3

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (2,238 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.

2.3reported offenses a year
1.3 violent a year1.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
0.7
Burglary
0.7
Murder
0.3
Aggravated assault
0.3
Motor vehicle theft
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
$9,073
$30–48k
$9,550
$48–75k
$11,334
$75–110k
$13,899
$110k+
$28,427

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
$53,063

$11,334/year × about 4.7 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.

84%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$10,522
average award, among those who get one

A meaningful share of freshmen — 84% — get grant money from Chicago State University itself, averaging $10,522, which softens the sticker price.

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 154 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)
$42,778
Typical debt at graduation
$30,625
Debt vs. one year's pay
72%
Out-earn a HS grad
53%

Typical debt would take roughly 7.2 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Weigh it value

The payoff is less clear-cut here — weigh the debt against the earnings and your intended field before borrowing heavily.

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
$40,823
Men
$47,631

Men out-earn women by $6,808 (17%) 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
85°F
Winter low
19°F
Annual rain
34.4″
Annual snow
38.8″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.04.1JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Chicago Midway AP, IL US station (8.7 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 Chicago State University

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

Colleges near Chicago State 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.