River Forest, IL · Private · 2,561 undergraduates · suburban
Dominican University
Less selective
Dominican’s location allows students to pair a compact Catholic university with practical access to Chicago.
Institutional profile
Established Solid in mobility, and solid in career outcomes.- Admission
- 79.8% admitted
- Price by income
- Varies across five income ranges
- Completion
- 59.4%
6,536 applicants in the reported year
Compare recent average annual costs by household income
$60,327 median earnings 10 years after enrollment
What sets Dominican University apart
Academic design
Students can mix liberal arts and sciences with career-focused majors, pre-professional preparation and graduate pathways. Dominican’s Sinsinawa Dominican tradition gives ethics, service and social responsibility a visible place in the curriculum.
Campus pattern
The campus is in leafy River Forest just west of Chicago. Students get a quieter residential setting while remaining close to the city’s hospitals, schools, businesses, museums and nonprofits.
Defining feature
Dominican’s location allows students to pair a compact Catholic university with practical access to Chicago.
Can I get in?
79.8% admitted
Start with academic preparation, then show why this particular academic and campus environment fits you.
Recent applicant pool
6,536About 80 in every 100 applicants were admitted.
Academic range
Of admitted students, 14% submitted an SAT, and 1% submitted an ACT. Scores were rare in this class, so the SAT and ACT ranges say more about who volunteered one than about who was admitted.
In the season card
Where your GPA sits in the entering class
The full entering-class GPA distribution for Dominican University, in nine bands from 4.0 down, with your own record marked on it.
See where I landIn the season card
What Dominican 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
What moves the application
The evidence that separates a strong file
Show preparation for this curriculum
Students can mix liberal arts and sciences with career-focused majors, pre-professional preparation and graduate pathways. Dominican’s Sinsinawa Dominican tradition gives ethics, service and social responsibility a visible place in the curriculum.
Make the fit specific
Dominican’s location allows students to pair a compact Catholic university with practical access to Chicago.
Account for the tradeoff
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 make the school-specific case concrete.
Check eligibility for a fee waiver
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.
In the season card
Average annual cost by household income at Dominican 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+
Is it worth it?
Completion, debt, and earnings
Dominican’s location allows students to pair a compact Catholic university with practical access to Chicago.
Degree completion across the reported entering cohort
First-year students who return for year two
And what that comes to against what they earn.
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
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
Admits separately
Natural Sciences
Marketing
Biology, General
What is campus life like?
Dominican University beyond the classroom
The campus is in leafy River Forest just west of Chicago. Students get a quieter residential setting while remaining close to the city’s hospitals, schools, businesses, museums and nonprofits.
A defining academic feature
Students can mix liberal arts and sciences with career-focused majors, pre-professional preparation and graduate pathways. Dominican’s Sinsinawa Dominican tradition gives ethics, service and social responsibility a visible place in the curriculum.
What shapes an ordinary week
The campus is in leafy River Forest just west of Chicago. Students get a quieter residential setting while remaining close to the city’s hospitals, schools, businesses, museums and nonprofits.
What changes the experience
Dominican’s location allows students to pair a compact Catholic university with practical access to Chicago.