Private nonprofit · University

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois · Large city

#1 most selective in Illinois#1 graduation rate in Illinois#2 for grad earnings in Illinois
4.5%
Admit rate
$14,860
Avg net price
96%
Graduation rate
$91,885
Median earnings

University of Chicago is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Chicago, Illinois (large city setting), enrolling 7,569 undergraduates.

Private nonprofitMidsize · 7,569 undergradsLarge cityHighly selective · 4% admitNCAA Division III with football · Midwest ConferenceCold wintersSnowy

Will you get in?

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

Admit rate
4.5%
SAT (mid 50%)
1510–1580
Avg GPA
4.97

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

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

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
6 miles to Chicago, IL
To Great Lakes shore
1 mile
Nearest airport
8 miles to Chicago Midway (MDW) · major hub

How University of Chicago compares

Selectivity4.5%

More selective than 99% · #1 most selective of 58 in Illinois

SAT average1554

Higher than 99%

Graduation rate96%

Higher than 98% · #1 of 58 in Illinois

First-year retention99%

Higher than 97%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$91,885

Higher than 96% · #2 of 66 in Illinois

Average net price$14,860

Cheaper than 74% · #17 cheapest of 57 in Illinois

Median debt at graduation$15,000

Lower than 90%

Student–faculty ratio5 : 1

Lower than 96%

Undergraduate enrollment7,569

Larger than 85%

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

University of Chicago campus

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

18,537students
  • Undergraduate7,56941%
  • Graduate10,96859%

Undergraduates by gender

7,569undergrads
  • Women3,92952%
  • Men3,64048%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White30%
  • Black6.9%
  • Hispanic17%
  • Asian19%
  • Other or multiracial27%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
7,569
Graduate enrollment
10,968
Student–faculty ratio
5 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
15%
First-generation students
20%
Students over 25
1%
Median family income
$47,140
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$178,254
Endowment
$9,124,340,657

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

Admissions

Admission rate
4.5%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1510–1580
SAT average
1554
SAT reading
740–780
SAT math
770–800
ACT composite
34–35
Average GPA
4.97weighted

Cost

In-state tuition
$70,662
Room & board
$20,109
Books & supplies
$1,800
Total cost of attendance
$90,360
Average net price
$14,860

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)
96%
Graduated on time (4 years)
87%
First-year retention
99%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$80,870
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$91,885
Median debt at graduation
$15,000
Students with federal loans
5%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
83%

About 9% 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
87%
First-generation
86%

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
4,568
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
60%
Application fee
$75
Athletics
NCAA Division III with football
Football conference
Midwest Conference
Varsity athletes
778 (446 men · 332 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)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)336
Football92
Soccer68
Swimming and Diving (combined)61
Baseball43
Wrestling38
Tennis35
Lacrosse34
Basketball32
Volleyball20
Softball19

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
2.0 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
28
Property offenses (2022–2024)
86

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 8 campuses (18,566 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.

38reported offenses a year
9.3 violent a year29 property a year

By offense type, per year

Motor vehicle theft
22
Burglary
6.3
Rape
3.0
Fondling
3.0
Aggravated assault
2.3
Robbery
1.0
Arson
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
-$1,264
$30–48k
$914
$48–75k
$226
$75–110k
$12,602
$110k+
$48,524

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
$935

$226/year × about 4.1 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.

45%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$55,101
average award, among those who get one

University of Chicago discounts heavily: 45% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $55,101. 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 1,729 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)
$91,885
Typical debt at graduation
$15,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
16%
Out-earn a HS grad
81%

Typical debt would take roughly 1.6 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Strong value

Graduates here tend to earn well relative to what they borrow — typical debt pays back fast, and most out-earn a high-school graduate.

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
$81,894
Men
$103,296

Men out-earn women by $21,402 (26%) 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
81°F
Winter low
20°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 Northerly IS, IL US station (4.7 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 University of Chicago

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

Colleges near University of Chicago

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.