VanderCook College
of Music
Private College in Chicago, IL. Six-year graduation rate 67%. Median 10-year earnings $47,863.
Students who entered VanderCook College of Music land at a median of $47,863 a decade later, close to what most four-year schools deliver. 67% graduate within six years, so most students who start here finish here. Debt is the pressure point: a median of $27,000 at graduation.
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
Admission is not the constraint here: 89% of applicants are accepted. The applicant pool is small at 38, which makes year-over-year comparisons unreliable. A 44% yield rate puts this school in the upper range for admits who follow through.
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 VanderCook College of Music →Academics
67% of students finish within six years, putting completion well above the national norm. Retention is strong at 88%, and first-year attrition is where most degrees are lost. Retention and graduation track closely, so most of the attrition shows up in the first year rather than after it. A 5:1 ratio points to small classes and accessible faculty. As a private nonprofit four-year college, the relevant comparison is other four-year schools rather than the national average across all institutions.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 70 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Average net price after grant aid is $21,306 a year — mid-range for a four-year institution. The income table below is the number that matters — $16,308 at $0–30k versus $31,777 at $110k+. Most students get help: 93% receive grants worth $21,140 on average. Most students borrow — 60% 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 · 17 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 | $16,308 |
| $30–48k | $20,977 |
| $48–75k | $17,968 |
| $75–110k | $20,485 |
| $110k+ | $31,777 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 42 of these 70 students, totalling $292,501 — an average of $6,964 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)