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University of Chicago: Rankings, Admissions, Cost & Majors

1316 awards Ranking Badges
Fair Price Value for Your Money
4% Acceptance Rate

University of Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution in Chicago, Illinois enrolling 7,569 undergraduates. It accepts 4% of applicants and has an on-time graduation rate of 96%, above the national average of 33%. College Factual ranks it #7 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in its 2027 Best Colleges ranking (top 1%), and its Value for Your Money analysis rates it a Fair Price.

Source: IPEDS 2025; College Scorecard July 2026; College Factual rankings 2027. Data as of: July 2026.

How Is University of Chicago Ranked?

University of Chicago ranks #7 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in College Factual’s 2027 Best Colleges ranking, placing it in the top 1%.

#7 Best Colleges in Nation
#2 Best Colleges in IL
University of Chicago ranking badge

2027 Rankings

In its yearly rankings, College Factual analyzes over 2,000 colleges and universities to determine which ones are the best in a variety of categories, such as overall value, quality, diversity, which schools are the best for each major, and much more.

University of Chicago was awarded 1316 badges in the 2027 rankings.

Overall Quality

According to College Factual’s 2027 analysis, UChicago is ranked #7 out of 5,159 schools in the nation that were analyzed for overall quality. This puts it in the top 1% of all schools in the nation!

Within the state, UChicago holds the #2 spot on the Best Colleges in Illinois ranking.

See all of the rankings for University of Chicago.

Is It Hard to Get Into University of Chicago?

4% Acceptance Rate
4% Of Accepted Are Women
49% Submit SAT Scores

Acceptance Rate

University of Chicago has a very low acceptance rate of 4%, making it one of the most selective out of all the colleges and universities in the nation. It’s probably a good idea to apply to other schools in addition to UChicago just in case you don’t make the cut.

Average Test Scores

About 49% of students accepted to UChicago submitted their SAT scores. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing scores ranged between 740 and 780. Math scores were between 770 and 800.

SAT Reading and Writing Scores for University of Chicago  ( 740 to 780 )
200
800
SAT Math Scores for University of Chicago  ( 770 to 800 )
200
800

UChicago received ACT scores from 27% of accepted students. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, ACT Composite scores ranged between 34 and 35.

ACT Composite Scores for University of Chicago  ( 34 to 35 )
1
36

Learn more about University of Chicago admissions.

What Is the Student-to-Faculty Ratio at University of Chicago?

5 to 1 Student to Faculty
85% Full Time Teachers

Student to Faculty Ratio

The student to faculty ratio at UChicago is an impressive 5 to 1. That’s quite good when you compare it to the national average of 15 to 1. This is a good sign that students at the school will have more opportunities for one-on-one interactions with their professors.

Percent of Full-Time Faculty

Another measure that is often used to estimate how much access students will have to their professors is how many faculty members are full-time. The idea here is that part-time faculty tend to spend less time on campus, so they may not be as available to students as full-timers.

The full-time faculty percentage at University of Chicago is 85%. This is higher than the national average of 47%.

Full-Time Faculty Percent  85 out of 100
0
100

What Are the Graduation and Retention Rates at University of Chicago?

99% Freshmen Retention
96% On-Time Graduation Rate

Freshmen Retention Rate

University of Chicago has a freshmen retention rate of 99%. That’s a good sign that full-time students like the school and their professors enough to want to stick around for another year. It’s also a sign that the admissions team did a good job in choosing applicants who were a good fit for the school.

Freshmen Retention Rate  99 out of 100
0
100

Graduation Rate

The on-time graduation rate for someone pursuing a bachelor’s degree is typically four years. This rate at UChicago for first-time, full-time students is 96%, which is better than the national average of 33.3%.

On-Time Graduation Rate  96 out of 100
0
100

Find out more about the retention and graduation rates at University of Chicago.

How Diverse Is University of Chicago?

7,569 Undergraduate Students
50.0% Racial-Ethnic Minorities*
45.9% Percent Women

In the current academic year, there are 7,569 undergraduates at UChicago.

Get more detailed information on the diversity at University of Chicago.

How Much Does University of Chicago Cost?

$17,140 Net Price
5% Take Out Loans
$24,588 Total Student Loans

The overall average net price of UChicago is $17,140. The affordability of the school largely depends on your financial need since net price varies by income group. See the table below for the net price for different income groups.

Net Price by Income Group for UChicago

$0-30 K $30K-48K $48-75 $75-110K $110K +
$-1,264 $914 $226 $12,602 $48,524

The net price is calculated by adding tuition, room, board and other costs and subtracting financial aid. Note that the net price is typically less than the published price for a school. For more information on the sticker price of UChicago, see our tuition and fees and room and board pages.

Student Loan Debt

While almost two-thirds of students nationwide take out loans to pay for college, the percentage may be quite different for the school you plan on attending. At UChicago, approximately 5% of students took out student loans averaging $6,147 a year. That adds up to $24,588 over four years for those students. The student loan default rate is 1.2%. This is significantly lower than the national default rate of 10.1%, which is a good sign that you’ll be able to pay back your student loans. Get more details about paying for University of Chicago.

How Much Do University of Chicago Graduates Earn?

$91,885 Avg Salary of Grads
High Earnings Boost

Although some majors pay more than others, students who graduate from University of Chicago with a bachelor’s degree go on to jobs where they make an average salary of $91,885 in their early years. This is good news for future University of Chicago graduates since it is 87% more than the average college graduate’s salary of $49,219 per year. Average Salary for University of Chicago Graduates

See which majors at University of Chicago make the most money.

Where Is University of Chicago Located?

Illinois State
7,569 Undergraduate Students
Large City Campus Setting

University of Chicago is an private not-for-profit institution found in Chicago, Illinois. The surrounding area of the school is a good match for students who enjoy city life. Get more details about the location of University of Chicago.

Location of University of Chicago

Contact details for University of Chicago can be found below.

Contact Details
Address: 5801 S Ellis Ave, Chicago, IL 60637
Phone: 7737021234
Website: WWW.UCHICAGO.EDU
Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Chicago
Facebook: www.facebook.com/uchicago
Twitter: twitter.com/UChicago

What Majors Does University of Chicago Offer?

24 Majors With Completions
15,938 Undergraduate Degrees

During the most recent year for which we have data, students from 24 majors graduated from University of Chicago. The following table lists the most popular undergraduate majors along with the average salary graduates from those majors make.

Most Popular Majors Completions Average Salary of Graduates
Multi-Disciplinary Studies 7,969 NA
Management Sciences & Methods 1,297 NA
Economics 956 $82,564
General Social Sciences 829 $39,749
Computer Science 510 $101,201
Mathematics 258 $81,753
Data Analytics. 251 NA
Law 215 $181,006
Applied Mathematics 198 $107,203
General Biology 196 $24,335

Learn more about the majors offered at University of Chicago along with which ones have the highest average starting salaries.

Curious how schools stack up against UChicago? Pit them head to head with College Combat, our free interactive tool that lets you compare colleges on the features that matter most to you.

Notes and References

Footnotes

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

References

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