$91,885
median earnings, 10 years after starting
University of Chicago is a private nonprofit 4-year college in Chicago, Illinois with 7,569 undergraduates and 10,968 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $14,860 a year (tuition and fees $70,662). It admits 4.5% of applicants and 96% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $91,885 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $15,000 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$14,860
US median $17,138
Tuition and fees
$70,662
US median $11,837
Admission rate
4.5%
US median 78%
Completion rate
96%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$15,000
About $159 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$91,885
Rank 92 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $14,860
- Tuition and fees
- $70,662
- Cost of attendance
- $90,360
- Students with a need-based grant
- 15%
- Students with federal loans
- 4.7%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- -$1,264
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $914
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $226
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $12,602
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $48,524
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $51,351 in 2015-16 to $70,662 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- 4.5%
- Average SAT
- 1,554
- SAT reading, middle
- 760
- SAT math, middle
- 785
- ACT, middle
- 34
- Undergraduates
- 7,569
- Graduate students
- 10,968
- Part-time students
- 0.1%
- Women
- 46%
- Students per teacher
- 5
- Completion rate
- 96%
- Retention rate
- 99%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 187
- Endowment
- $9.1B
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 92 of 5,094 US colleges and 2 of 189 in Illinois (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | IL median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $14,860 | $15,156 | $22,320 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $70,662 | $13,291 | $31,170 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 4.5% | 77% | 74% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 96% | 59% | 57% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 99% | 72% | 77% | 75% |
| Median debt | $15,000 | $10,297 | $24,287 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $80,870 | $34,234 | $44,392 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $91,885 | $39,544 | $52,928 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US private nonprofit 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 87% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 87% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
187 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Management Sciences and Quantitative MethodsMaster's | Master's | 1,236 | $52,045 | $190,915 | Withheld | - |
| Social Sciences, GeneralMaster's | Master's | 706 | $43,505 | $53,788 | $74,690 | $65,443 |
| EconomicsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 622 | $13,395 | $92,075 | $159,578 | $82,686 |
| Data AnalyticsMaster's | Master's | 251 | - | - | Withheld | - |
| Applied MathematicsMaster's | Master's | 228 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $116,060 |
| Computer ScienceMaster's | Master's | 217 | $80,205 | $135,918 | $169,765 | $145,571 |
| LawProfessional | Professional | 213 | $188,691 | $199,603 | $279,203 | $107,773 |
| Social WorkMaster's | Master's | 187 | $75,691 | $52,551 | $71,980 | $65,123 |
| MathematicsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 181 | $12,000 | $100,421 | $172,826 | $69,562 |
| Computer Systems AnalysisGraduate certificate | Graduate certificate | 164 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Computer ScienceBachelor's | Bachelor's | 156 | Withheld | $117,578 | $178,068 | $107,009 |
| Finance and Financial Management ServicesGraduate certificate | Graduate certificate | 147 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesMaster's | Master's | 137 | $64,299 | $26,094 | $60,106 | $65,716 |
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 127 | $13,500 | $35,275 | $59,794 | $57,214 |
| Political Science and GovernmentBachelor's | Bachelor's | 111 | $18,500 | $56,022 | $87,869 | $63,293 |
| Research and Experimental PsychologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 99 | $17,500 | $31,986 | $73,483 | $55,695 |
| Public Policy AnalysisBachelor's | Bachelor's | 90 | $17,492 | $60,057 | $94,237 | $73,721 |
| International Relations and National Security StudiesGraduate certificate | Graduate certificate | 88 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| ChemistryBachelor's | Bachelor's | 87 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $65,120 |
| MedicineProfessional | Professional | 87 | $141,166 | $70,564 | $101,675 | $112,460 |
| Computer ProgrammingMaster's | Master's | 80 | Withheld | $105,265 | $179,964 | $148,974 |
| EconomicsMaster's | Master's | 78 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $100,743 |
| Legal Research and Advanced Professional StudiesMaster's | Master's | 77 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $101,000 |
| International Relations and National Security StudiesMaster's | Master's | 75 | $37,867 | $66,182 | $83,492 | $95,627 |
| Research and Experimental PsychologyMaster's | Master's | 73 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Chicago and Illinois on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in Illinois
- Homes: Homes for sale in Illinois
Questions and answers
How much does University of Chicago cost?
$14,860 a year is the average net price at University of Chicago after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $70,662, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $90,360. Families earning under $30,000 pay -$1,264 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at University of Chicago?
4.5% of applicants are admitted to University of Chicago. The average SAT score of admitted students is 1,554 and the middle ACT score is 34. The median admission rate of colleges in Illinois is 77%.
How much do University of Chicago graduates earn?
$91,885 a year is the median pay of former University of Chicago students who work, 10 years after they started ($80,870 after 6 years). That ranks 92 of 5,094 US colleges and 2 of 189 in Illinois. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Law (Professional) at $199,603.
How much student debt do University of Chicago graduates have?
$15,000 is the median federal student loan debt of University of Chicago graduates, about $159 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 4.7% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at University of Chicago?
96% of first-time, full-time students at University of Chicago finish within 6 years. 99% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of private nonprofit 4-year colleges is 57%.
What are the most popular majors at University of Chicago?
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (1,236 master's graduates), Social Sciences, General (706 master's graduates), Economics (622 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 187 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.