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CG College Guides College guides 2026

College data resource

Compare Chicago College Tuition, Financial Aid & Net Price (2026)

Chicago has 66 universities and colleges to compare by tuition, cost per year, financial aid, scholarships, net price, acceptance rate, SAT/ACT signals, GPA and admissions requirements, application deadline, how to apply, majors, graduation rate, salary after graduation and ROI.

Executive Summary

Chicago, IL College Cost & Outcomes Benchmark (2026)

Target Audience: Prospective Students & Families

Evaluating higher education options in Chicago, Illinois requires comparing published sticker price (instructional tuition) with average net price after grants and scholarships. Sourced directly from federal data releases (U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard & NCES IPEDS Data Repository), this guide analyzes 66 higher education institutions across Chicago.

Average Published Tuition

Published tuition across Chicago institutions averages $23,735 per year, compared to the Illinois state average of $21,678.

Average Net Price

After Pell Grants and scholarships, average net price for Chicago colleges is $18,048 per academic year.

Selectivity & Graduate ROI

Average acceptance rate in Chicago is 75.17%, with 10-year median earnings averaging Not available.

Primary Use Cases: Use this city guide to compare local campus tuition, identify low-cost net price schools, review SAT/ACT test score signals, and compare graduate salary outcomes before submitting application materials.

Chicago includes universities, colleges and career-focused institutions per College Scorecard. Use this page to compare Chicago tuition, cost per year, acceptance rate, SAT requirements, ACT requirements, GPA requirements, admissions requirements, application deadline, how to apply resources, financial aid, scholarships, net price, ranking context, majors, best programs, graduation rate, salary after graduation and ROI before opening individual school profiles.

Illinois Higher Education Context for Chicago

Chicago represents 66 of the 238 higher education institutions tracked for Illinois. Compare Illinois tuition averages or explore nearby cities like Rockford, Springfield, Quincy before choosing a school profile.

Local college market

Chicago tuition, admissions and ROI view

Compare local universities, colleges and career-focused schools in Chicago by tuition, cost per year, acceptance rate, SAT/ACT, financial aid, scholarships, majors, graduation rate, salary and ROI before opening individual school pages.

Tuition records35
Cost per year30
Net price44
Acceptance rate20
SAT / ACT6 / 6
Salary / ROI0
University campus building and walkway

Average tuition

$23,735

35 schools covered

Average cost per year

$34,167

30 schools covered

Average net price

$18,048

44 schools covered

Average acceptance rate

75.17%

20 schools covered

Average SAT requirement signal

1,272

6 schools covered

Average ACT requirement signal

28

6 schools covered

Graduation rate

49.68%

20 schools covered

Salary after graduation

Not available

0 schools covered

Quick answer

Chicago College Cost, Selectivity and ROI Highlights

City keyword research map

Chicago Tuition, Admissions Requirements, Financial Aid, Majors and ROI Research Matrix

Use these paths to move from city-level averages into school-specific pages for tuition, cost per year, acceptance rate, SAT requirements, ACT requirements, GPA requirements, application deadline, how to apply, financial aid, scholarships, net price, ranking context, majors, best programs, graduation rate, salary after graduation and ROI.

Local campus clusters

Chicago School Concentration by ZIP Code

This city-specific view helps separate Chicago school clusters instead of repeating the same state-level table. Use it to compare where colleges concentrate and how reported net price changes across local campus ZIP codes.

ZIP 60605 5 schools Avg net price: $23,508
ZIP 60601 4 schools Avg net price: $7,220
ZIP 60602 4 schools Avg net price: $20,556
ZIP 60604 4 schools Avg net price: $31,720
ZIP 60616 4 schools Avg net price: $18,224
ZIP 60625 4 schools Avg net price: $12,614

Chicago Schools for Tuition, Admissions, Majors, Graduation, Salary and ROI

Open each school guide for tuition, cost per year, acceptance rate, SAT requirements, ACT requirements, GPA requirement notes, admissions requirements, application deadline prompts, how to apply resources, financial aid, scholarships, net price, ranking context, majors, best programs, graduation rate, salary after graduation and ROI.

Relay Graduate School of Education - Chicago Admissions, majors and ROI guide Tuition: Not reportedNet price: Not reported Admissions: Not reportedSAT / ACT: N/A / N/A Salary: Not reportedGraduation: Not reported SAE Institute of Technology-Chicago Admissions, majors and ROI guide Tuition: $17,027Net price: Not reported Admissions: Not reportedSAT / ACT: N/A / N/A Salary: $39,544Graduation: Not reported Spertus College Admissions, majors and ROI guide Tuition: Not reportedNet price: Not reported Admissions: Not reportedSAT / ACT: N/A / N/A Salary: Not reportedGraduation: Not reported Toyota Technological Institute at Chicago Admissions, majors and ROI guide Tuition: Not reportedNet price: Not reported Admissions: Not reportedSAT / ACT: N/A / N/A Salary: Not reportedGraduation: Not reported Triton College - Intl Union of Operating Engr Local 399 Trning Fac. Admissions, majors and ROI guide Tuition: $2,000Net price: Not reported Admissions: Not reportedSAT / ACT: N/A / N/A Salary: $41,728Graduation: Not reported University of Notre Dame - Admissions, majors and ROI guide Tuition: Not reportedNet price: Not reported Admissions: Not reportedSAT / ACT: N/A / N/A Salary: $99,980Graduation: Not reported

Chicago University FAQ

What is the average university tuition and cost per year in Chicago?

The average reported tuition for Chicago, Illinois schools is $23,735, and the average cost per year is $34,167 where attendance cost is available.

Where can I compare Chicago acceptance rate, SAT requirements, ACT requirements and GPA requirements?

The average acceptance rate for Chicago universities that report admissions data is 75.17%. SAT and ACT signals are shown where available; GPA requirements, application deadlines and how to apply instructions should be verified through official admissions pages.

How do Chicago financial aid, scholarships and net price compare?

The average net price for Chicago colleges with reported net price data is $18,048. Compare net price with tuition, financial aid, scholarship notes and cost per year before deciding which school is affordable.

Which Chicago college has strong graduation rate, salary after graduation and ROI signals?

Earnings outcome data is not available for enough Chicago schools per College Scorecard.

Nearby Cities for Tuition, Admissions, Financial Aid, Majors and ROI

Use nearby city links to continue researching tuition, cost per year, acceptance rate, SAT/ACT requirements, financial aid, scholarships, net price, majors, graduation rate, salary after graduation and ROI near Chicago.