Private nonprofit · University

Saint Xavier University

Chicago, Illinois · Large city

#4 best value in Illinois
84.3%
Admit rate
$10,970
Avg net price
57%
Graduation rate
$58,656
Median earnings

Saint Xavier University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Chicago, Illinois (large city setting), enrolling 3,096 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). It has a Roman Catholic religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitMidsize · 3,096 undergradsLarge cityAccessible · 84% admitNAIA Division II · Mid-States Football AssociationCold 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
13 miles to Chicago, IL
To Great Lakes shore
9 miles
Nearest airport
6 miles to Chicago Midway (MDW) · major hub

How Saint Xavier University compares

Selectivity84.3%

More selective than 36% · #38 most selective of 58 in Illinois

Graduation rate57%

Higher than 54% · #33 of 58 in Illinois

First-year retention76%

Higher than 48%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$58,656

Higher than 64% · #32 of 66 in Illinois

Average net price$10,970

Cheaper than 88% · #4 cheapest of 57 in Illinois

Median debt at graduation$22,223

Lower than 58%

Student–faculty ratio16 : 1

Lower than 28%

Undergraduate enrollment3,096

Larger than 70%

Percentiles compare Saint Xavier 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

3,483students
  • Undergraduate3,09689%
  • Graduate38711%

Undergraduates by gender

3,096undergrads
  • Women2,05967%
  • Men1,03733%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White29%
  • Black12%
  • Hispanic53%
  • Asian1.9%
  • Other or multiracial4.8%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
3,096
Graduate enrollment
387
Student–faculty ratio
16 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
59%
First-generation students
49%
Students over 25
5%
Median family income
$36,398
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$73,116
Endowment
$48,413,323

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 759 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Illinois96%
  • Other U.S. states3.6%

Most first-years stay in state — Saint Xavier 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
84.3%
Test scores
Not considered
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite

Cost

In-state tuition
$37,940
Room & board
$12,860
Books & supplies
$1,200
Total cost of attendance
$43,244
Average net price
$10,970

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)
57%
Graduated on time (4 years)
43%
First-year retention
76%
Transferred to another college
25%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$50,784
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$58,656
Median debt at graduation
$22,223
Students with federal loans
87%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
53%

About 14% 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)
54%
First-generation
56%

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
510
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
16%
Housing charge (year)
$6,720
Meal plan (year)
$5,420
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NAIA Division II
Football conference
Mid-States Football Association
Varsity athletes
699 (441 men · 258 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 (12)

Football98
Track and Field (Indoor)98
Track and Field (Outdoor)98
Baseball85
Soccer71
Volleyball67
Basketball54
Bowling42
Softball37
Cross Country26
Golf12
Other Sports11

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)
9
Property offenses (2022–2024)
1

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (3,485 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.

3.3reported offenses a year
3.0 violent a year0.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
1.7
Fondling
1.3
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
$7,572
$30–48k
$7,702
$48–75k
$9,715
$75–110k
$15,132
$110k+
$17,864

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
$42,374

$9,715/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
$21,264
average award, among those who get one

Saint Xavier University discounts heavily: 100% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $21,264. 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 652 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)
$58,656
Typical debt at graduation
$22,223
Debt vs. one year's pay
38%
Out-earn a HS grad
69%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.8 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
$55,824
Men
$66,970

Men out-earn women by $11,146 (20%) 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
20°F
Annual rain
40.9″
Annual snow
38.8″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.44.8JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Chicago Midway AP 3SW, IL US station (3.8 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 Saint Xavier University

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

Colleges near Saint Xavier 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.