Judson University
Private College in Elgin, IL. Six-year graduation rate 60%. Median 10-year earnings $56,313.
Ten years after entry, the median Judson University student earns $56,313 — a solidly middle-of-the-pack result for an undergraduate institution. 60% finish within six years — respectable, though a meaningful share still leave without a credential. Graduates carry a median of $25,000 in debt — in line with the national norm.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
Admissions
At 48%, the acceptance rate makes Judson University a school worth applying to with alternatives in hand. With 830 applicants, admissions statistics here move a lot on small changes. Yield sits at 39% — the remainder of admitted students enroll elsewhere or not at all. 17% of enrolled first-years submitted an SAT score. The bands below describe the middle half of that group, not of the class.
Test score bands (middle 50% of submitters)
These bands describe the enrolled first-years who submitted a score, not the entering class. Where most students apply test-optional the submitters are a self-selected, higher-scoring group.
| Test | 25th–75th percentile | Submitted |
|---|---|---|
| SAT Evidence-Based Reading | 423–550 | 26 (17%) |
| SAT Math | 393–568 | |
| ACT Composite | 16–24 | 56 (36%) |
IPEDS Admissions · 2024
Apply at Judson University →Academics
60% graduate within six years — average, but that average still hides a large group who do not. Retention is weak: only 59% of full-time first-years return, so roughly two in five leave after one year. 28% transfer out. IPEDS does not follow them, so whether they finished elsewhere is not recorded either way. At 10:1, students get materially more instructor contact than at a typical public university. Judge these figures against other institutions of the same type — sector explains more of the variation in completion than any single campus factor.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 780 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Students pay an average of $18,673 annually once grants are applied. Net price varies modestly by income — $15,701 at $0–30k against $21,515 at $110k+ — so the average is a fair guide for most families. Grant aid is widespread — 93% of students receive it, averaging $19,700. Most students borrow — 56% take federal loans to cover the gap.
Entering first-year students
A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 178 students
Net price by family income
The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.
| Family income band | Average net price |
|---|---|
| $0–30k | $15,701 |
| $30–48k | $18,010 |
| $48–75k | $17,079 |
| $75–110k | $21,124 |
| $110k+ | $21,515 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 437 of these 780 students, totalling $1,886,702 — an average of $4,317 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Kane County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
Heightened Cash Monitoring (Financial Responsibility); School placed on Heightened Cash Monitoring
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)