More selective than 17% of Illinois colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $43,891. College Scorecard.
Higher than 38% of Illinois colleges we cover and 53% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 59% of Illinois colleges we cover and 70% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
Dominican University acceptance rate & admissions
Of 6,536 applicants, Dominican University admitted 5,216 and 651 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class). The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 880–1100 on the SAT or 16–26 on the ACT.
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
Dominican University tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for students who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
What Dominican University costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Dominican University took 4.2 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in Illinois. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $9,759 | $41,378 | 1.7 years |
| $30–48k | $9,014 | $38,219 | 1.6 years |
| $48–75k | $11,891 | $50,418 | 2.1 years |
| $75–110k | $16,851 | $71,448 | 2.9 years |
| $110k+ | $17,963 | $76,163 | 3.1 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.2 years, the average time graduates took (49% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($60,327) minus $35,797 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in IL (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $24,530 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.
Dominican University majors, earnings & careers
Dominican University offers 58 bachelor's majors across 10 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Business & Finance · 9
- Humanities & Languages · 9
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 8
- Science & Math · 7
- Arts & Design · 6
- Health & Medicine · 6
- Technology & Computing · 5
- Education · 4
- Communications & Media · 3
- Trades & Applied Technology · 1
Highest-earning majors at Dominican University
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Computer Science | $86,730 | $27,000 |
| Nursing | $80,703 | $23,083 |
| Accounting | $77,878 | $26,000 |
| Business Administration | $66,871 | $26,000 |
| Spanish / French / Romance Languages | $60,311 | $26,246 |
| Nutrition Science | $57,532 | — |
| Natural Sciences | $56,555 | $25,054 |
| Sociology | $54,686 | $27,000 |
Quick list of all 58 majors
- Accounting$77,878
- Area Studies—
- Biological and Physical Sciences—
- Biology$46,040
- Business Administration$66,871
- Chemistry—
- Communications—
- Computer and Information Sciences—
- Computer Science$86,730
- Criminology$52,775
- Culinary Arts and Related Services—
- Data Science—
- Dietetics—
- Economics—
- Education—
- Education (Elementary / Secondary)$53,810
- Education (Subject Teaching)—
- English$46,780
- Entrepreneurship—
- Environmental Science / Conservation—
- Ethnic / Gender Studies—
- Film and Photography—
- Finance—
- Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services—
- Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design$47,930
- Health Sciences—
- History—
- Human Resources—
- Human Services—
- Information Science / Studies—
- International Business—
- International Relations—
- Journalism—
- Legal Studies / Paralegal—
- Liberal Arts / General Studies—
- Marketing—
- Mathematics—
- Mathematics and Computer Science—
- Music—
- Natural Sciences$56,555
- Neuroscience—
- Nursing$80,703
- Nutrition Science$57,532
- Pastoral Counseling / Ministry—
- Philosophy—
- Political Science—
- Pre-Med / Pre-Health—
- Psychology$51,093
- Public Relations and Advertising—
- Social Sciences—
- Sociology$54,686
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages$60,311
- Special Education—
- Specialized Sales, Merchandising and Marketing Operations$47,078
- Studio Art—
- Theatre—
- Theology / Ministry—
- Visual and Performing Arts—
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Business Administration → Management analyst
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 10.1% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Nursing → Registered nurse
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 5.6% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Chicago
Overall prices in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $2,011. Housing costs 12% above the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 41 inches of rain a year, 38 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: tornado (very high); river flooding (very high); heat wave (very high); winter weather (very high).
FEMA National Risk Index, Cook County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Cook County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare Dominican University with similar schools
Similar private colleges in Illinois by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dominican University | 90% | $11,745 | 55% | $60,327 | This school |
| Saint Xavier University | 84% | $10,970 | 57% | $58,656 | |
| Benedictine University | 95% | $22,313 | 50% | $63,446 | |
| Trinity Christian College | 85% | $19,125 | 58% | $55,700 | |
| Rockford University | 93% | $22,436 | 47% | $54,794 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Dominican University would cost you $775 more per year than Saint Xavier University, on average.
- Higher sticker price at Dominican University, mostly from higher tuition & fees (+$1,038).
- Saint Xavier University gives aided families $128 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Illinois resident | Dominican University | Saint Xavier University | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $38,978 | $37,940 | +$1,038 |
| Books & supplies | $1,200 | $1,200 | $0 |
| Housing & meals | $12,552 | $12,480 | +$72 |
| Personal & travel | $850 | $2,328 | −$1,478 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$9,689 | −$10,704 | +$1,015 |
| Sticker price | $43,891 | $43,244 | +$647 |
| Average grants | −$32,146 | −$32,274 | +$128 |
| You pay | $11,745 | $10,970 | +$775 |
“+” means Dominican University costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about Dominican University
What is the Dominican University acceptance rate?
Dominican University accepts 90% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 5,216 of 6,536 applicants were admitted. The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 880–1100 on the SAT or 16–26 on the ACT.
How much does Dominican University cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $43,891 a year. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $11,745 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $9,759 and families earning $110k+ pay $17,963.
How much do Dominican University graduates earn?
Former Dominican University students earn a median $60,327 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the Dominican University graduation rate?
55% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 78% return for their second year.
How long does a Dominican University degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Dominican University costs about $50,418 after grants ($11,891 a year for 4.2 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $60,327 ten years after starting, $24,530 more than high school graduates in Illinois ($35,797), so the cost is repaid in 2.1 years of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).
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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Dominican University: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/dominican-university (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).