Private nonprofit · University

Judson University

Elgin, Illinois · Midsize city

47.6%
Admit rate
$18,558
Avg net price
60%
Graduation rate
$56,313
Median earnings

Judson University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Elgin, Illinois (midsize city setting), enrolling 708 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). It has a Baptist religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitSmall · 708 undergradsMidsize citySelective · 48% admitNAIA Division I · Mid-States Football AssociationCold wintersSnowy

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Judson University's admitted students.

Admit rate
47.6%
SAT (mid 50%)
816–1118
Avg GPA (est.)
3.08

Enter a test score to see where you land against Judson University's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Judson University's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Elgin, Illinois

Elgin is a city in Cook and Kane counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. Thousands of militiamen and soldiers of Gen. Winfield Scott's army marched through the Fox River valley during the war, and accounts of the area's fertile soils and flowing springs soon filtered east. Elgin is home to the Elgin Symphony Orchestra. Other classical music groups include the Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestra, the Elgin Master Chorale, and the Elgin Children's Chorus. Outdoor music can be heard at the Wing Park Bandshell. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Midsize city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
36 miles to Chicago, IL
To Great Lakes shore
27 miles
Nearest airport
21 miles to Chicago O'Hare (ORD) · major hub

How Judson University compares

Selectivity47.6%

More selective than 85% · #8 most selective of 58 in Illinois

SAT average1039

Higher than 13%

Graduation rate60%

Higher than 60% · #28 of 58 in Illinois

First-year retention59%

Higher than 12%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$56,313

Higher than 58% · #39 of 66 in Illinois

Average net price$18,558

Cheaper than 57% · #27 cheapest of 57 in Illinois

Median debt at graduation$25,000

Lower than 34%

Student–faculty ratio10 : 1

Lower than 76%

Undergraduate enrollment708

Larger than 28%

Percentiles compare Judson 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

950students
  • Undergraduate70875%
  • Graduate24225%

Undergraduates by gender

708undergrads
  • Women43461%
  • Men27439%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White42%
  • Black15%
  • Hispanic26%
  • Asian2.1%
  • Other or multiracial15%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
708
Graduate enrollment
242
Student–faculty ratio
10 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
39%
First-generation students
36%
Students over 25
13%
Median family income
$45,084
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$54,216
Endowment
$7,688,297

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 178 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Illinois57%
  • Other U.S. states33%
  • International9.6%

A regional draw: about 57% of first-years come from Illinois, the rest from elsewhere.

10% came from outside the U.S. 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
47.6%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
816–1118
SAT average
1039
SAT reading
423–550
SAT math
393–568
ACT composite
16–24
Average GPA (estimated)
3.08

Cost

In-state tuition
$31,360
Room & board
$12,320
Books & supplies
$1,270
Total cost of attendance
$43,137
Average net price
$18,558

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)
60%
Graduated on time (4 years)
43%
First-year retention
59%
Transferred to another college
27%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$45,374
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$56,313
Median debt at graduation
$25,000
Students with federal loans
55%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
59%

About 17% 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
43%
Low-income (Pell)
47%
First-generation
48%

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
548
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
77%
Application fee
$50
Athletics
NAIA Division I
Football conference
Mid-States Football Association
Varsity athletes
527 (371 men · 156 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 (11)

Football125
Soccer99
Basketball65
Baseball63
Volleyball53
Bowling35
Softball29
Track and Field (Outdoor)20
Tennis16
Golf11
Cross Country11

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
4.9 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
5
Property offenses (2022–2024)
9

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 2 campuses (960 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.

4.7reported offenses a year
1.7 violent a year3.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
3.0
Rape
1.7

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
$15,701
$30–48k
$18,010
$48–75k
$17,079
$75–110k
$21,124
$110k+
$21,515

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
$75,637

$17,079/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.

94%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$19,437
average award, among those who get one

Judson University discounts heavily: 94% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $19,437. 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 177 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)
$56,313
Typical debt at graduation
$25,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
44%
Out-earn a HS grad
64%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.4 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
$51,384
Men
$64,278

Men out-earn women by $12,894 (25%) 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
84°F
Winter low
14°F
Annual rain
39.9″
Annual snow
32.1″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.55.1JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Elgin, IL US station (0.3 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 Judson University

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

Colleges near Judson 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.