Acceptance Rate
4%
Avg. SAT
1580
75th percentile
“The intellectual playground where quirky minds wrestle big ideas amid Chicago's gritty skyline, earning its 'where fun goes to die' badge with pride.”
Chicago, IL
Location
Large City
Campus Setting
You arrive at the University of Chicago, founded in 1890 by oil baron John D. Rockefeller as a Baptist-affiliated research powerhouse that quickly ditched its religious roots for uncompromising secular inquiry. Its Gothic quads and hulking limestone buildings evoke Oxford or Hogwarts, plunked improbably in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood—a leafy enclave amid the city's South Side hustle. Here, you thrive if you're the type who geeks out over Socratic seminars at 2 a.m., collects obscure philosophies like Pokémon, and treats debate as foreplay; the school attracts eccentric overachievers who prioritize ideas over Instagram likes. But tradeoffs hit hard: the relentless rigor weeds out casual scholars, winters bury you under lake-effect snow and wind-chill despair, and the urban edge means navigating CTA trains and occasional neighborhood tensions rather than a cushy suburban bubble.
Photo Gallery
+30
+22
Admissions
Acceptance Rate
Test Policy
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Average GPA
Application Fee
Academics
Student-Faculty Ratio
Programs Offered
Full-Time Faculty
Women Faculty
Research Spending
Degree Levels Offered
In UChicago classrooms, expect professors who treat undergrads like junior colleagues, sparking heated debates in small seminars where your hot take on Kant might reshape the syllabus—thanks to that stellar 5:1 student-faculty ratio, rarer than at all but a handful of peers. The infamous Core Curriculum demands you devour 15 intensive courses in humanities, social sciences, and civilization studies before specializing, forging versatile thinkers who double-major across silos like economics and classics. Economics reigns supreme with more Nobel laureates than most countries, while physics and social sciences lure undergrads into labs uncovering DNA secrets or market mysteries; you'll snag research gigs early, unlike the lecture-hall drudgery elsewhere. Yet honesty check: the workload crushes—think 300-page weekly readings and curveball exams that humble even straight-A machines, making it a poor fit if you crave vocational tracks over pure intellect.
Student Body
Total Enrollment
7,598 undergrad • 10,968 grad
Undergraduate
Graduate
International
White
30%
Black / African American
5%
Hispanic / Latino
11%
Asian
16%
Other / Multi-racial
38%
Campus Life
Campus Setting
Chicago, IL
Varsity Athletics
NCAA Athletics
Campus pulses with nerdy fervor across six residential colleges housing 38 themed houses, where you pick your vibe—from artsy Pierpont to rowdy Broadstudy—and bond over house feasts, intramural Quidditch, or midnight pizza runs. A typical week? Mornings buried in Regenstein Library's cavernous stacks, afternoons debating in Cobb Gate, evenings at Scav Hunt plotting pranks for the world's largest treasure hunt, and weekends hitting house parties or Lake Michigan beaches before Chicago's dive bars and improv scenes. Traditions like the annual Panty Raid (now tamer) and Preregistration revelry keep spirits high amid the grind. Socially, it's intimate and idea-driven rather than Greek-row raucous—great if you love quirky housemates solving Rubik's Cubes at bars, challenging if you're wired for mainstream athletics or endless ragers; the city's vibrancy tempts with museums and deep-dish, but brutal winters and urban safety savvy demand resilience.
Housing
On-Campus Housing
Housing Capacity
Meal Plan Available
Average Room & Board
Athletics
Athletic Association
University Athletic Association
ROTC & Veteran Support
Army
Yes
Navy
No
Air Force
Yes
Veteran’s Programs Available
Yellow Ribbon Program (Post-9/11 GI Bill)
Yes
Dedicated point of contact for veteran support services
Yes
Recognized student veteran organization
Yes
Member of DoD Voluntary Educational Partnership MOU
Yes
Cost & Aid
In-State Tuition
Out-of-State Tuition
Room & Board
Estimated Cost
Financial Aid
Students Receiving Aid
Receiving Pell Grants
Average Grant
Average Federal Loan
Net Annual Cost by Household Income
Household Income
Avg. Net Cost
$0 – $30K
$2,993
$30K – $48K
$3,316
$48K – $75K
$7,432
$75K – $110K
$13,648
$110K+
$41,816
Apply for Financial Aid
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Outcomes & Earnings
Retention Rate
99%
4 Years Graduation Rate
91%
6 Years Graduation Rate
96%
Median 10-Year Earnings
$91,885
99% of first-time, full-time students complete their freshman year at University of Chicago and return in the fall. 91% of first-time, full-time students graduate in 4 years, and 96% graduate within 6 years.
Graduation Rate
4-year grads
91%
4-6 years
5%
Non-grad
4%
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Key Statistics
Type
Private
Tuition
$61,179
Acceptance
4%
Undergrads
7,598
4-Year Grad Rate
91%
Endowment
$7.7B
Chicago, IL 60637
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