More selective than 58% 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 $47,313. College Scorecard.
Higher than 69% of Illinois colleges we cover and 72% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 73% of Illinois colleges we cover and 81% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
Lewis University acceptance rate & admissions
Of 5,291 applicants, Lewis University admitted 3,848 and 620 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class). The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 960–1210 on the SAT or 20–27 on the ACT.
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
Lewis 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 Lewis University costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Lewis 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 | $10,382 | $44,124 | 1.5 years |
| $30–48k | $11,712 | $49,776 | 1.6 years |
| $48–75k | $12,178 | $51,757 | 1.7 years |
| $75–110k | $19,908 | $84,609 | 2.8 years |
| $110k+ | $25,035 | $106,399 | 3.5 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.3 years, the average time graduates took (48% 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 ($66,099) minus $35,797 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in IL (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $30,302 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.
Lewis University majors, earnings & careers
Lewis University offers 62 bachelor's majors across 11 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 11
- Business & Finance · 9
- Health & Medicine · 7
- Humanities & Languages · 7
- Arts & Design · 6
- Science & Math · 6
- Technology & Computing · 5
- Communications & Media · 4
- Education · 3
- Engineering · 2
- Trades & Applied Technology · 2
Highest-earning majors at Lewis University
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Air Transportation | $87,197 | $24,873 |
| Management Information Systems | $86,275 | — |
| Information Technology | $86,015 | $27,000 |
| Nursing | $85,320 | $27,000 |
| Computer Science | $82,159 | $23,250 |
| Human Resources | $76,485 | $27,000 |
| Physics | $76,122 | — |
| Accounting | $72,812 | $23,162 |
Quick list of all 62 majors
- Accounting$72,812
- Air Transportation$87,197
- Allied Health (Imaging / Therapy / Tech)$60,515
- Arts and Entertainment Management—
- Biochemistry—
- Biology$59,075
- Broadcasting / Digital Media$52,722
- Business Administration$71,987
- Business Economics—
- Chemistry$67,006
- Communications—
- Community Organization and Advocacy—
- Computer and Information Sciences—
- Computer Engineering—
- Computer Science$82,159
- Criminal Justice$62,640
- Data Science—
- Dental Support Services and Allied Professions—
- Education (Elementary / Secondary)$51,794
- Education (Subject Teaching)—
- Electrical Engineering—
- English—
- Environmental Science / Conservation—
- Finance$71,831
- Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design$45,704
- Health Administration—
- History—
- Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting and Related Protective Services, Other—
- Human Resources$76,485
- Information Technology$86,015
- International Business—
- International Relations—
- Journalism—
- Kinesiology / Exercise Science$51,021
- Legal Support Services—
- Liberal Arts / General Studies—
- Management Information Systems$86,275
- Management Science / Analytics—
- Marketing$65,895
- Mathematics$56,168
- Music—
- Nursing$85,320
- Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution—
- Philosophy—
- Physics$76,122
- Political Science—
- Psychology$52,029
- Public Administration—
- Public Health—
- Public Relations and Advertising$59,981
- Religious Studies—
- Security / Homeland Security—
- Social Work$51,859
- Sociology—
- Software and Media Applications—
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages—
- Special Education$51,522
- Speech-Language Pathology / Communication Disorders—
- Studio Art—
- Theatre—
- Transportation and Materials Moving, Other—
- 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 →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
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
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, 33 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: tornado (very high); river flooding (relatively high); winter weather (relatively high).
FEMA National Risk Index, Will County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Will County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare Lewis 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lewis University | 71% | $17,028 | 67% | $66,099 | This school |
| Elmhurst University | 74% | $24,185 | 70% | $61,462 | |
| Aurora University | 81% | $18,838 | 60% | $58,709 | |
| School of the Art Institute of Chicago | 77% | $49,790 | 67% | $40,151 | |
| Bradley University | 77% | $22,719 | 76% | $66,852 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Lewis University would cost you $7,157 less per year than Elmhurst University, on average.
- Lower sticker price at Lewis University, mostly from lower tuition & fees (−$3,755).
- Elmhurst University gives aided families $209 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Illinois resident | Lewis University | Elmhurst University | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $39,200 | $42,955 | −$3,755 |
| Books & supplies | $1,500 | $1,240 | +$260 |
| Housing & meals | $12,140 | $11,858 | +$282 |
| Personal & travel | $2,190 | $4,710 | −$2,520 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$7,717 | −$6,084 | −$1,633 |
| Sticker price | $47,313 | $54,679 | −$7,366 |
| Average grants | −$30,285 | −$30,494 | +$209 |
| You pay | $17,028 | $24,185 | −$7,157 |
“+” means Lewis 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 Lewis University
What is the Lewis University acceptance rate?
Lewis University accepts 71% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 3,848 of 5,291 applicants were admitted. The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 960–1210 on the SAT or 20–27 on the ACT.
How much does Lewis University cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $47,313 a year. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $17,028 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $10,382 and families earning $110k+ pay $25,035.
How much do Lewis University graduates earn?
Former Lewis University students earn a median $66,099 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the Lewis University graduation rate?
67% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 79% return for their second year.
How long does a Lewis University degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Lewis University costs about $51,757 after grants ($12,178 a year for 4.3 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $66,099 ten years after starting, $30,302 more than high school graduates in Illinois ($35,797), so the cost is repaid in 1.7 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: “Lewis University: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/lewis-university (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).