National Louis University
Private College in Chicago, IL. Six-year graduation rate 30%. Median 10-year earnings $45,799.
Students who entered National Louis University land at a median of $45,799 a decade later, close to what most four-year schools deliver. The six-year graduation rate is 30% — low enough that finishing cannot be treated as the default outcome. Debt at graduation runs to a median of $19,750, neither a bargain nor a burden.
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
- ! Graduation rate 30% — below national average
Admissions
National Louis University admits 95% of applicants — effectively open admission, so the application is a formality rather than a hurdle. 4,063 students applied in the most recent cycle — a mid-sized pool drawn mostly from the surrounding region. Yield is low at 18%, so most admitted students do not end up enrolling.
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 | — | — |
| SAT Math | — | |
| ACT Composite | — | — |
IPEDS Admissions · 2024
Apply at National Louis University →Academics
A six-year graduation rate of 30% means finishing is closer to the exception than the rule. 50% first-year retention is low enough to be the defining risk of enrolling here. Retention and graduation track closely, so most of the attrition shows up in the first year rather than after it. A 17% transfer-out rate accounts for part of that gap: those students left for another institution rather than dropping out, and the graduation rate above counts them as non-completers here. Retention drops to 26% for part-time students, a gap worth weighing if full-time study is not realistic.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 4,100 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Average net price is $13,150 a year after grant aid — low for a four-year institution, though your own figure depends on aid eligibility. The gap between the $0–30k and $110k+ bands is narrow ($12,462 versus $17,956), meaning aid is not strongly need-weighted. Most students get help: 85% receive grants worth $15,486 on average. 22% borrow federally — a low rate, though it covers federal loans only.
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 · 718 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 | $12,462 |
| $30–48k | $11,567 |
| $48–75k | $12,996 |
| $75–110k | $15,447 |
| $110k+ | $17,956 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 921 of these 4,100 students, totalling $9,018,402 — an average of $9,792 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Cook County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)