What is University of Chicago’s Compass Score?

Exceptional (grade A+). It ranks in the top 1% of rated colleges. The grade comes from outcomes (40%: graduation, retention and earnings), entering students (40%: test scores and selectivity), cost (15%: debt and price after aid) and teaching (5%: class size), all from federal data.

How much does University of Chicago cost after financial aid?

The average net price is $14,860 a year for students who receive federal aid, after grants and scholarships. What your family pays depends on income; the college’s net price calculator gives your own estimate.

How hard is it to get into University of Chicago?

University of Chicago admitted 4% of applicants in the most recent federal data.

How do University of Chicago’s graduates do?

96% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years; the median earnings of former students ten years after entry are $91,885; the median federal debt at graduation is $15,000.

National university

#8 Best colleges in America

University of Chicago

Chicago, IL · Private nonprofit · 4-year

Your real cost

Average price after aid $14,860 a year

Median debt at graduation: $15,000 (all students)

Estimate your own price · the college’s net price calculator

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Rankings

Where this college places on our top lists. Lists are worked out from official data and our own research; places in the top quarter of each list are shown. See every list

In America

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In Illinois

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Academic Excellence

A+

Exceptional · Top 1%

From federal data, on fixed published scales.

Each measure counts for the share shown.

Graduation rate 35% of score96%
First-year retention 20% of score99%
Entering students' test scores 15% of scoreSAT 1,554 · ACT 34.5
Student-to-faculty ratio 15% of score5 to 1
Instructional spending per student 15% of score$96,069

Bars show points on each measure’s scale. How Academic Excellence is computed.

Source: College Scorecard (College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026))

What families pay, by income

Average yearly price after grants and scholarships, for students who receive federal aid.

Average net price by family income
Family income	Price after aid
Up to $30,000	$0 or less
$30,001–$48,000	$914
$48,001–$75,000	$226
$75,001–$110,000	$12,602
Over $110,000	$48,524

Full cost of attendance before aid: $90,360 a year.

Use the college’s net price calculator for your own estimate.

Cost and value

Federal data: what families pay after aid, what graduates earn, and what they owe.

Value and outcomes
Undergraduate students Fall enrollment (IPEDS)	7,643
Men and women College Scorecard, fall 2023	Men 54% · Women 46%
First-generation students College Scorecard	20%
Total students	18,339
Average net price (per year) After grants and scholarships, for students receiving federal aid	$14,860
Cost of attendance (per year)	$90,360
Median federal debt at graduation	$15,000
Graduation rate First-time, full-time students finishing within 150% of normal time	96%
Graduation rate for Pell grant recipients College Scorecard, within 6 years	90%
Graduation rate for first-generation students College Scorecard, within 6 years	89%
Borrowers paying down their loans within 3 years College Scorecard, within 3 years	87%
First-year retention	99%
Median earnings 10 years after entry	$91,885
Admission rate	4%
Application fee IPEDS, 2023–24	$75
Early decision deadline College website, 2026-27	November 2
Second early decision deadline College website, 2026-27	January 4
Early action deadline College website, 2026-27	November 2
Regular decision deadline College website, 2026-27	January 4
Typical rent HUD fair market rent, FY2026	About $1,581 a month for a one-bedroom
Students receiving Pell grants	15%

Admitted students’ middle range:SAT 1510–1580ACT 34–35

Admission test scores (middle 50% of admitted students who submitted scores)
Average SAT	1554
SAT reading & writing	740–780
SAT math	770–800
ACT composite	34–35
Test policy	Considered but not required

Value: Exceptional · Top 2% (how it’s computed)

Sources: College Scorecard · IPEDS College Navigator · Net price calculator
College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026); IPEDS 2024-25 directory and institutional characteristics; fall 2023 enrollment.

Earnings by major

Median earnings of bachelor’s graduates a few years after finishing, by major (College Scorecard).

Median earnings by major
Major	Median earnings
Computer science	$178,068
Mathematics	$172,826
Economics	$159,578
Statistics	$130,189
Liberal arts	$96,510
Public Policy Analysis	$94,237
Political science	$87,869
English	$78,169
Experimental psychology	$73,483
Philosophy	$71,709
History	$64,330
Clinical and counseling psychology	$59,898
Biology	$59,794

Also offered (no earnings published yet): Anthropology, Area studies, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Broadcasting, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Classics, Cognitive Science, East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Engineering Science, Ethnic and gender studies, Film and video, Fine arts, Geography, Geology and earth science, German, International relations, Linguistics, Medieval and Renaissance Studies, Middle/Near Eastern and Semitic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Music, Natural resources and conservation, Neuroscience, Other social sciences, Other visual and performing arts, Physics, Pre-health, Programming, Psychology, Religious studies, Romance languages, Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Social work, Sociology, South Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Systems Science and Theory, Theatre, Theology, Writing and rhetoric.

What students study most

Share of bachelor’s degrees by field, first majors in 2023–24 (IPEDS).

Most common bachelor’s fields
Field	Share of degrees
Social sciences	38%
Biology	10%
Computer and information sciences	9%
Mathematics and statistics	8%
Physical sciences	7%

Campus life

School colors
Setting	City
Part-time undergraduates	0%
Undergraduates aged 25 and older	1%
On-campus room and board (per year)	$20,109
Sports	NCAA Division III · University Athletic Association
ROTC	Army · Air Force
Study abroad	Offered
Students per faculty member	5 to 1
Undergraduates registered with the disability office	About 17%IPEDS, 2023–24
Faculty who are full-time	85%College Scorecard, fall 2023
Endowment per student	$497,191IPEDS, 2023, per student
Dorm space	For about 60% of studentsBeds per undergraduate; not who lives on campus
Nearest airport with airline service	Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW)About 8 miles away · about 25 minutes by car
Town population	2,711,226Census, 2020–2024
Nearest city of 250,000 people or more	ChicagoAbout 6 miles away · about 15 minutes by car
Typical weather	26°F in January · 74°F in JulyNOAA, 1991–2020, from Chicago Northerly Is, IL, about 5 miles away

Federal data (IPEDS and College Scorecard), except school colors.

Campus safety reports

On-campus crimes reported in 2024, per 1,000 students.

On-campus crimes per 1,000 students
Category	This campus	U.S. rate
Rape	0.01	0.07
Robbery	0.00	0.01
Aggravated assault	0.01	0.04
Burglary	0.04	0.08
Motor vehicle theft	0.30	0.15

Numbers reflect what each campus reported. They differ with campus size and how reporting is done, so compare with care. U.S. rate: total reported offenses divided by total students at every institution in the report.

Source: Official data: U.S. Department of Education

Questions families ask

What is University of Chicago’s Compass Score?: Exceptional (grade A+). It ranks in the top 1% of rated colleges. The grade comes from outcomes (40%: graduation, retention and earnings), entering students (40%: test scores and selectivity), cost (15%: debt and price after aid) and teaching (5%: class size), all from federal data.
How much does University of Chicago cost after financial aid?: The average net price is $14,860 a year for students who receive federal aid, after grants and scholarships. What your family pays depends on income; the college’s net price calculator gives your own estimate.
How hard is it to get into University of Chicago?: University of Chicago admitted 4% of applicants in the most recent federal data.
How do University of Chicago’s graduates do?: 96% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years; the median earnings of former students ten years after entry are $91,885; the median federal debt at graduation is $15,000.

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About this school’s data

IPEDS unit ID 144050
Carnegie classification: Doctoral university (very high research)
Accreditation: Higher Learning Commission (U.S. Department of Education DAPIP)
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