# University of Chicago

Private nonprofit college in Chicago, IL. IPEDS ID 144050.
Source page: https://educationguide.com/colleges/university-of-chicago · Data: https://educationguide.com/data/colleges/university-of-chicago.json · Method: https://educationguide.com/how-we-score

## Key numbers
- Acceptance rate: 5% (Fall 2024, College Scorecard)
- Average net price after grants: $14,860 per year (AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25)
- Graduation rate (6 years): 96%; beats 100% of IL colleges and 99% nationwide
- Median earnings 10 years after starting: $91,885; beats 100% of IL colleges and 97% nationwide
- Median debt at graduation: $13,368

## Net price by family income (per year, after grants)
| Family income | Net price |
|---|---|
| 0-30k | $0 |
| 30-48k | $914 |
| 48-75k | $226 |
| 75-110k | $12,602 |
| 110k+ | $48,524 |

Average after grants for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid. Negative values mean grants exceed cost.

## Cost to finish and years to pay back (EducationGuide calculation)
Graduates took 4.11 years on average (86% finished in 4 years; Fall 2017 entrants, IPEDS). Earnings gain = $91,885 (median earnings of former students 10 years after starting college (College Scorecard)) minus $35,797 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in IL (Census ACS 2020-2024).

| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | $0 | $0 | under 1 year |
| 30-48k | $914 | $3,757 | under 1 year |
| 48-75k | $226 | $929 | under 1 year |
| 75-110k | $12,602 | $51,794 | under 1 year |
| 110k+ | $48,524 | $199,434 | 3.6 years |

Method: https://educationguide.com/how-we-score#value

## Sticker price
- Cost of attendance: $90,360
- Tuition and fees: $70,662
- Housing and meals: $19,221; books: $1,800

## Admissions
- SAT reading & writing: 740–780; SAT math: 770–800; ACT: 34–35 (25th–75th percentile, Fall 2024)
- Fall 2023: 38,631 applicants, 1,849 admitted, 1,626 enrolled; test scores considered but not required
- Fall 2024: acceptance 5%, ACT 34–35 (College Scorecard)
- Fall 2023: acceptance 5%, ACT 34–35 (IPEDS Admissions)

### Common Data Set 2025-26 (Fall 2025)
- Very important: rigor, essay, recommendations, extracurriculars, talent, character; important: none; considered: class rank, gpa, test scores, first generation, alumni relation, geography, state residency, religion, volunteer, work experience
- Early decision: yes; early action: yes; waitlist: yes
- Average high school GPA of enrolled first-years: 4.54
- Aid (full-time first-years): average ?% of need met; ? of ? with need fully met; merit aid to students without need: 57 students, average $16,333
- Source: https://data.uchicago.edu/files/2026/08/CDS_2025-2026_to_publish-1.pdf

## Majors (52 bachelor's majors)
| Major | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Science | $117,578 | $178,068 | not reported |
| Mathematics | $100,421 | $172,826 | $12,000 |
| Economics | $92,075 | $159,578 | $13,197 |
| Statistics | $82,681 | $130,189 | not reported |
| Liberal Arts / General Studies | not reported | $96,510 | not reported |
| Public Policy Analysis | $60,057 | $94,237 | $17,492 |
| Political Science | $56,022 | $87,869 | $18,500 |
| English | $44,397 | $78,169 | not reported |
| Psychology (Research) | $31,986 | $73,483 | $17,500 |
| Philosophy | not reported | $71,709 | $22,641 |
| History | $46,616 | $64,330 | not reported |
| Psychology (Clinical / Counseling) | $39,808 | $59,898 | $12,000 |
| Biology | $35,275 | $59,794 | $13,500 |
| Environmental Science / Conservation | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Area Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Ethnic / Gender Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Broadcasting / Digital Media | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Computer Programming | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Chemical Engineering | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Engineering Science | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Linguistics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| East Asian Languages (Chinese / Japanese / Korean) | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| German | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| South Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Spanish / French / Romance Languages | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Middle / Near Eastern and Semitic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Classics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Writing | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Neuroscience | $37,246 | not reported | not reported |
| Systems Science and Theory | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Medieval and Renaissance Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Cognitive Science | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Religious Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Theology / Ministry | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Astronomy and Astrophysics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Chemistry | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Geology / Earth Science | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Physics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Psychology | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Social Work | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Anthropology | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Geography | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| International Relations | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Sociology | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Social Sciences, Other | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Theatre | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Film and Photography | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Studio Art | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Music | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Visual and Performing Arts, Other | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Pre-Med / Pre-Health | not reported | not reported | not reported |

## Major to career
- Computer Science → Software developer: median wage $134,380 (Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN), $132,110 (IL), $135,980 (U.S.)
- Biology → Biological technician: median wage $57,700 (Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN), $55,790 (IL), $57,510 (U.S.)

## Sources and years
- Net price: AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; cost of attendance: AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; tuition: AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25
- Graduation: Fall 2018 or AcadYr 2018-19 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; earnings: Treasury AY2009-10, AY2010-11 pooled cohort measured in CY2020, CY2021, inflation adjusted to 2022 dollars; debt: NSLDS FY2020, FY2021 pooled cohorts
- Major earnings (4 yr): Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars

Free to reuse with attribution: cite "EducationGuide.com" with a link to the page URL. Most figures are U.S. government data (public domain); loan default rates and athletics come from the Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By 1.0, attribution required) and founding years from Wikidata (CC0).