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Chicago, IL · Public · 1,384 undergraduates · urban

Chicago State University

Selective

Chicago State is a public university on Chicago's South Side with a practical mix of liberal arts, business, education and health-focused study.

Institutional profile

Established Solid in academic standing, and steady in affordability.
Academic Solid Affordability Steady Career Steady Mobility Emerging Experience Emerging
Academic standing Solid
Affordability Steady
Career outcomes Steady
Mobility Emerging
Student experience Emerging
Admission
40.5% admitted

9,458 applicants in the reported year

Price by income
Resident and nonresident prices differ

Compare recent average annual costs by household income

Completion
36.3%

$42,778 median earnings 10 years after enrollment

What sets Chicago State University apart

Academic design

Its academic structure brings together arts and sciences, business, education, and health sciences and pharmacy within one urban public university.

Campus pattern

Student life is centered on a self-contained South Side campus organized around academic buildings, the library and the student union.

Career & value signal

The Gwendolyn Brooks Library is a defining campus landmark and reflects the university's connection to Chicago's literary and cultural history.

Can I get in?

40.5% admitted

Start with the academic record, then make the intended direction and school-specific fit concrete.

Recent applicant pool

9,458

About 41 in every 100 applicants were admitted.

Admission rate 40.5%
Entering class

Record over scores

No score range is published for the entering class, so the transcript, the course rigor, and the required materials carry the file.

Testingoptional
Return for a second year52.1%
Finish the degree36.3%

In the season card

Where your GPA sits in the entering class

The full entering-class GPA distribution for Chicago State University, in nine bands from 4.0 down, with your own record marked on it.

See where I land

In the season card

What Chicago State University weighs when it reads a file

See how this college describes the role of grades, testing, essays, recommendations, activities, and demonstrated interest.

  • Course rigor  
  • GPA  
  • Test scores  
  • Essay  
  • Recommendations  
  • Extracurriculars  
  • Demonstrated interest  
See what counts here

What moves the application

The evidence that separates a strong file

01

Show preparation for this curriculum

Its academic structure brings together arts and sciences, business, education, and health sciences and pharmacy within one urban public university.

02

Make institutional fit specific

Chicago State is a public university on Chicago's South Side with a practical mix of liberal arts, business, education and health-focused study.

03

Use the application route carefully

Keep academic direction and school-specific choices coherent across the application.

How to apply

Rounds, route, and required materials

Build the calendar around the earliest realistic application round and assemble each required item once.

Early ActionNov 1
Regular DecisionJun 1
Fee and waiver$25 application fee

Fee waiver: u.s. only

Major and program admission

Some fields have their own entry path.

The college admit rate above covers the university as a whole. These requirements apply only to the named program.

NursingAdmits separately

What this program asks for, and when it closes.

Can I afford it?

Compare annual cost by household income.

Start with the average net price for your income range, then set that estimate beside your other realistic options.

Published annual cost$34,640
Average annual cost after aid, in-state$12,000
Affordability profileSteady

In the season card

Average annual cost by household income at Chicago State University

Compare recent average net prices across five federal income ranges and estimate a 4-year cost for yours.

  • $0–30k 
  • $30–48k 
  • $48–75k 
  • $75–110k 
  • $110k+ 
Open the price by income

Is it worth it?

Completion, debt, and earnings

Read completion, borrowing, field mix, and earnings together. One university-wide earnings figure does not describe every student path.

Complete within 8 years36.3%

Degree completion across the reported entering cohort

Return after year one52.1%

First-year students who return for year two

Median federal debtWhat students owe on the way out

And what that comes to against what they earn.

Median earnings$42,778

Reported 10 years after enrollment

Academic portfolio

Largest bachelor’s fields

How many students finish in each field, and median earnings four years after completing the program.

Psychology, General

Recent graduates51
Median earnings$47,168

Business Administration, Management and Operations

Recent graduates43
Median earnings$53,181

Criminal Justice and Corrections

Recent graduates33
Median earnings$57,691

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities

Recent graduates28
Median earnings

What is campus life like?

Chicago State University beyond the classroom

Student life is centered on a self-contained South Side campus organized around academic buildings, the library and the student union.

Academics

A defining academic feature

Its academic structure brings together arts and sciences, business, education, and health sciences and pharmacy within one urban public university.

Campus setting

What shapes an ordinary week

Student life is centered on a self-contained South Side campus organized around academic buildings, the library and the student union.

Career & value

Where the degree can lead

The Gwendolyn Brooks Library is a defining campus landmark and reflects the university's connection to Chicago's literary and cultural history.

1,384 undergraduatesMidwesturban settingCampus housing available