College dataData from U.S. Dept of EducationUpdated May 2026 · 4 min read
Data: 2026-05 Next refresh: Nov 2026

University of Chicago: Cost, Graduate Salary, Acceptance Rate and Return on Investment

University of Chicago is a private nonprofit college in Chicago, IL. Students pay about $14,860 a year in net price, and the median graduate earns $91,885 ten years after enrolling. By our Degree-ROI measure the degree pays back in about 1.6 years and adds $377,410 over a decade, ranking it #24 of 918 (top 4%) by value added.

Avg net price / yr
$14,860
Median salary (10 yrs)
$91,885
10-yr value added
$377,410
Acceptance rate
4.5%

What is University of Chicago's acceptance rate?

University of Chicago has an acceptance rate of 4.5%, which makes it highly selective. It is a private nonprofit institution in Chicago, IL enrolling about 7,569 students, with a 95.4% graduation rate.

How much does University of Chicago cost?

University of Chicago costs about $14,860 per year in average net price, what a typical student actually pays after grants and scholarships. Over four years, including typical borrowing, that totals roughly $74,440. Published sticker cost of attendance is $90,360 per year.

How much do University of Chicago graduates earn?

Ten years after enrolling, the median University of Chicago student earns $91,885 per year. That is $45,185 more than the $46,700 that the typical worker with only a high-school diploma earns.

Is University of Chicago worth it? Degree ROI and payback period

University of Chicago pays back its roughly $74,440 cost in about 1.6 years, then keeps returning the earnings premium. Over the first decade the degree adds about $377,410 net of cost, a 6.07x return on the money invested. That ranks it #24 of 918 (top 4%) by value added. Its top-tier value is driven mainly by a low net price and strong graduate earnings.

Top 10% value

University of Chicago graduation rate and student debt

95.4% of University of Chicago students complete their degree, and the median graduate leaves with $15,000 in federal student debt. That debt is about 16% of one year of median graduate earnings.

University of Chicago by the numbers (vs the typical college)

How University of Chicago compares to the median four-year college in our snapshot. Percentile is its rank among the 918 colleges that report both earnings and cost (higher is better).

MetricThis schoolMedian collegePercentile
Avg net price / yr$14,860$20,299cheaper than 76%
Median earnings (10 yrs)$91,885$54,76896th
Graduation rate95.4%57.0%99th
Acceptance rate4.5%75.7%more selective than 100%
10-yr value added$377,410-$28,19297th
ROI multiple (per $1)6.07x0.73x99th
Payback period1.6 yrs8.8 yrsfaster than 99%
How we compute Degree value-add & ROI. Investment basis = average net price × 4 years + median debt (net price preferred; published sticker cost used as a fallback). Earnings premium = median earnings 10 years after entry minus the $46,700 typical earnings of a worker with only a high-school diploma (BLS Current Population Survey, median annual earnings for workers with a high-school diploma and no college (~$899/week, 2023)). Degree value-add = premium × 10 years minus total cost, the net return of the degree itself over a high-school career (it can be negative). ROI multiple = 10-year premium ÷ cost. Payback = cost ÷ annual premium. Ranked by value-add among the 918 four-year colleges in this snapshot that report both earnings and cost; 226 of them do not pay back at ten years. Missing values are excluded, never estimated.
Open data: these figures come from the public College Scorecard (public domain). Our computed Degree value-add, ROI multiple, and payback are free to cite/reuse under CC-BY 4.0.

Frequently asked

Is University of Chicago worth the cost compared to other colleges?

By value added net of cost, University of Chicago ranks #24 of 918 (top 4%) of the 918 four-year colleges we rank, and returns about 6.07x the money invested over a decade.

Is University of Chicago expensive compared to other colleges?

Its $14,860 average net price is below the $20,299 median for the colleges in this snapshot, making it cheaper than 76% of them.

Do University of Chicago graduates earn more than average?

Median earnings of $91,885 ten years out are above the $54,768 median, higher than 96% of the colleges here.

How hard is it to get into University of Chicago compared to other colleges?

Its 4.5% acceptance rate is below the 75.7% median, making it more selective than 100% of the colleges in the snapshot.

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