Private nonprofit · University
Rockford University
Rockford, Illinois · Midsize city
- 92.9%
- Admit rate
- $22,436
- Avg net price
- 47%
- Graduation rate
- $54,794
- Median earnings
Rockford University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Rockford, Illinois (midsize city setting), enrolling 972 undergraduates.
Will you get in?
See where your numbers land against Rockford University's admitted students.
- Admit rate
- 92.9%
- SAT (mid 50%)
- 850–1070
- Avg GPA (est.)
- 2.76
Enter a test score to see where you land against Rockford University's admitted students.
A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Rockford University's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.
About Rockford, Illinois
Rockford is a city in Winnebago and Ogle counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. Rockford traces its roots to 1834, as the combined settlements of Midway were founded on both banks of the Rock River. On the west bank, Germanicus Kent and Thatcher Blake (with his slave Lewis Lemon) founded Kentville; the east bank was settled by Daniel Shaw Haight. Compared to Katowice by writer Leopold Tyrmand, Rockford possesses a wealth of notable architecture. The Lake-Peterson House, constructed by alderman John Lake in 1873 and preserved by Swedish industrialist Pehr August Peterson, is a notable example of Gothic Revival. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Midsize city
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 4 miles to Rockford, IL
- To Great Lakes shore
- 61 miles
- Nearest airport
- 7 miles to Chicago Rockford (RFD)
How Rockford University compares
More selective than 18% · #50 most selective of 58 in Illinois
Higher than 4%
Higher than 34% · #43 of 58 in Illinois
Higher than 21%
Higher than 53% · #42 of 66 in Illinois
Cheaper than 38% · #41 cheapest of 57 in Illinois
Lower than 57%
Lower than 76%
Larger than 37%
Percentiles compare Rockford 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
- Undergraduate97279%
- Graduate25821%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women55457%
- Men41843%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White42%
- Black18%
- Hispanic23%
- Asian3.0%
- Other or multiracial15%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 972
- Graduate enrollment
- 258
- Student–faculty ratio
- 10 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 48%
- First-generation students
- 42%
- Students over 25
- 18%
- Median family income
- $38,167
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $59,922
- Endowment
- $31,680,660
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 191 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From Illinois64%
- Other U.S. states29%
- International6.8%
A regional draw: about 64% of first-years come from Illinois, the rest from elsewhere.
7% 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
- 92.9%
- Test scores
- Considered but not required
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- 850–1070
- SAT average
- 956
- SAT reading
- 450–535
- SAT math
- 400–535
- ACT composite
- 17–23
- Average GPA (estimated)
- 2.76
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $37,780
- Room & board
- $11,420
- Books & supplies
- $1,200
- Total cost of attendance
- $49,169
- Average net price
- $22,436
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)
- 47%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 34%
- First-year retention
- 65%
- Transferred to another college
- 19%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $45,847
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $54,794
- Median debt at graduation
- $22,274
- Students with federal loans
- 57%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 54%
About 13% 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
- 411
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 42%
- Housing charge (year)
- $6,170
- Meal plan (year)
- $4,770
- Application fee
- Free
- Athletics
- NCAA Division III with football
- Football conference
- Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference
- Varsity athletes
- 353 (231 men · 122 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 (10)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- B
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 1.9 / 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 (1,241 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.
$22,987/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.
A meaningful share of freshmen — 99% — get grant money from Rockford University itself, averaging $16,953, 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 169 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)
- $54,794
- Typical debt at graduation
- $22,274
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 41%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 67%
Typical debt would take roughly 4.1 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 $6,200 (12%) 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
- 37.2″
- Annual snow
- 37.1″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Rockford Gtr Rockford AP, IL US station (6.6 mi from campus).
What Rockford 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 Rockford University
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Rockford University side by side →
University of Saint Francis-Fort Wayne
Fort Wayne, Indiana · Large city · 2 mi to Fort Wayne
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- Admission
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- Net price
- $18k
- SAT
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- GPA
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- Earnings
- $55k
Avila University
Kansas City, Missouri · Large city · 13 mi to Kansas City
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- Admission
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- Net price
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- SAT
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- Earnings
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Spalding University
Louisville, Kentucky · Large city · 1 mi to Louisville
- Students
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- Admission
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- Net price
- $25k
- SAT
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- Earnings
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St. Thomas Aquinas College
Sparkill, New York · Large suburb · 23 mi to New York
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- Admission
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- Net price
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- SAT
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- Earnings
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Mercy College of Health Sciences
Des Moines, Iowa · Midsize city · 1 mi to Des Moines
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- Admission
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- Net price
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- SAT
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- Earnings
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Ottawa University-Ottawa
Ottawa, Kansas · Distant town · 50 mi to Kansas City
- Students
- 870
- Admission
- 83%
- Net price
- $28k
- SAT
- 1000
- GPA
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- Earnings
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Colleges near Rockford University
Tricoci University of Beauty Culture-Rockford
Rockford, IL · Private for-profit · Certificate · 170 students
Rasmussen University-Illinois
Rockford, IL · Private for-profit · Associate · 1,145 students
Stautzenberger College-Rockford Career College
Rockford, IL · Private for-profit · Certificate · 682 students
Educators of Beauty College of Cosmetology-Rockford
Rockford, IL · Private for-profit · Certificate · 97 students
Rock Valley College
Rockford, IL · Public · Associate · 4,359 students
Saint Anthony College of Nursing
Rockford, IL · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 172 students
First Class Cosmetology School
Beloit, WI · Private for-profit · Certificate · 92 students
Beloit College
Beloit, WI · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 926 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.










