More selective than 54% 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 $54,679. College Scorecard.
Higher than 79% of Illinois colleges we cover and 78% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 61% of Illinois colleges we cover and 73% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
Elmhurst University acceptance rate & admissions
Of 6,254 applicants, Elmhurst University admitted 4,737 and 607 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class). The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 990–1260 on the SAT or 23–30 on the ACT.
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
Elmhurst 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 Elmhurst University costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Elmhurst University took 4.3 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 | $17,892 | $76,399 | 3.0 years |
| $30–48k | $18,377 | $78,470 | 3.1 years |
| $48–75k | $23,098 | $98,628 | 3.8 years |
| $75–110k | $25,419 | $108,539 | 4.2 years |
| $110k+ | $30,232 | $129,091 | 5.0 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.3 years, the average time graduates took (50% 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 ($61,462) minus $35,797 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in IL (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $25,665 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.
Elmhurst University majors, earnings & careers
Elmhurst University offers 59 bachelor's majors across 10 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Humanities & Languages · 13
- Business & Finance · 7
- Arts & Design · 6
- Science & Math · 6
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 6
- Communications & Media · 5
- Education · 5
- Health & Medicine · 5
- Technology & Computing · 5
- Trades & Applied Technology · 1
Highest-earning majors at Elmhurst University
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Computer Science | $101,273 | — |
| Accounting | $79,654 | $18,125 |
| Nursing | $79,372 | $25,000 |
| Business Administration | $76,678 | $19,750 |
| Finance | $76,433 | $18,250 |
| Marketing | $72,286 | $19,000 |
| Kinesiology / Exercise Science | $66,244 | $23,375 |
| Biology | $60,161 | $24,287 |
Quick list of all 59 majors
- Accounting$79,654
- Area Studies—
- Arts and Entertainment Management$41,122
- Biochemistry—
- Biology$60,161
- Business Administration$76,678
- Chemistry—
- Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other—
- Communications$53,618
- Computer and Information Sciences—
- Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services, Other—
- Computer Science$101,273
- Criminal Justice$49,480
- Economics—
- Education—
- Education (Elementary / Secondary)$52,106
- Education (Subject Teaching)$56,411
- Education, Other—
- English$46,021
- Environmental Science / Conservation—
- Finance$76,433
- Foreign Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other—
- Geography—
- German—
- Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design—
- Graphic Communications—
- Health Sciences—
- History—
- Information Science / Studies—
- Information Technology—
- Intelligence, Command Control and Information Operations—
- Intercultural / Multicultural and Diversity Studies—
- International Business—
- Journalism—
- Kinesiology / Exercise Science$66,244
- Liberal Arts / General Studies—
- Management Science / Analytics—
- Marketing$72,286
- Mathematics—
- Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other—
- Music$32,448
- Nursing$79,372
- Philosophy—
- Physics—
- Political Science—
- Psychology$52,264
- Public Health—
- Public Relations and Advertising—
- Religious Studies—
- Sociology$53,075
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages$56,282
- Special Education—
- Speech-Language Pathology / Communication Disorders$60,158
- Studio Art—
- Theatre—
- Theology / Ministry—
- Urban Studies / Affairs—
- Visual and Performing Arts—
- Writing$47,052
— 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. 39 inches of rain a year, 42 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: tornado (very high); river flooding (relatively high); winter weather (relatively high).
FEMA National Risk Index, DuPage County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
DuPage County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare Elmhurst 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elmhurst University | 74% | $24,185 | 70% | $61,462 | This school |
| School of the Art Institute of Chicago | 77% | $49,790 | 67% | $40,151 | |
| Bradley University | 77% | $22,719 | 76% | $66,852 | |
| Lewis University | 71% | $17,028 | 67% | $66,099 | |
| North Central College | 77% | $21,044 | 64% | $60,123 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Elmhurst University would cost you $25,605 less per year than School of the Art Institute of Chicago, on average.
- Lower sticker price at Elmhurst University, mostly from lower tuition & fees (−$13,465).
- Elmhurst University gives aided families $4,659 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Illinois resident | Elmhurst University | School of the Art Institute of Chicago | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $42,955 | $56,420 | −$13,465 |
| Books & supplies | $1,240 | $2,380 | −$1,140 |
| Housing & meals | $11,858 | $16,100 | −$4,242 |
| Personal & travel | $4,710 | $4,180 | +$530 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$6,084 | −$3,455 | −$2,629 |
| Sticker price | $54,679 | $75,625 | −$20,946 |
| Average grants | −$30,494 | −$25,835 | −$4,659 |
| You pay | $24,185 | $49,790 | −$25,605 |
“+” means Elmhurst 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 Elmhurst University
What is the Elmhurst University acceptance rate?
Elmhurst University accepts 74% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 4,737 of 6,254 applicants were admitted. The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 990–1260 on the SAT or 23–30 on the ACT.
How much does Elmhurst University cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $54,679 a year. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $24,185 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $17,892 and families earning $110k+ pay $30,232.
How much do Elmhurst University graduates earn?
Former Elmhurst University students earn a median $61,462 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the Elmhurst University graduation rate?
70% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 80% return for their second year.
How long does a Elmhurst University degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Elmhurst University costs about $98,628 after grants ($23,098 a year for 4.3 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $61,462 ten years after starting, $25,665 more than high school graduates in Illinois ($35,797), so the cost is repaid in 3.8 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: “Elmhurst University: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/elmhurst-university (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).