National Louis University
Chicago, IL · Private · Large city · NLU
Private institution in Chicago, IL · 4,100 undergraduates · 93% acceptance rate · $45,799 median earnings 10 years after entry.
- Top 11%Pell Grant share
- Top 20%Out-of-state tuition & fees
Stats
College Scorecard figures, each with where this school sits nationally among institutions that report the same measure. A dash means the school does not report it.
Cost
- Average net price
- $16,157759th cheapest of 1,985 reporting
- In-state tuition & fees
- $12,345784th cheapest of 2,042 reporting
- Out-of-state tuition & fees
- $12,345407th cheapest of 2,042 reporting
- Cost of attendance
- $25,350711th cheapest of 1,985 reporting
- Median graduate debt
- $19,750620th lowest of 1,880 reporting
Outcomes
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $45,7991,317th highest of 1,969 reporting
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $43,562981st highest of 1,964 reporting
- Graduation rate (4-year)
- 36.9%1,599th highest of 2,031 reporting
- Full-time retention
- 56.4%1,678th highest of 1,853 reporting
Admissions
- Acceptance rate
- 93.1%1,346th most selective of 1,608 reporting
- Average SAT
- —
- Median ACT
- —
Campus
- Undergraduates
- 4,100576th largest of 2,162 reporting
- Student-faculty ratio
- 17.0:11,598th smallest of 2,159 reporting
- Pell Grant share
- 57.3%243rd highest of 2,140 reporting
Nearest large-hub airport: 9 mi (MDW)
On 1 of our 111 lists
Every published ranking this school appears on, with its rank there.
Applying
- Common App member
- Yes
- Application fee
- Free
- Personal essay
- Optional / not required
- Writing supplement
- No
Deadlines and essay flags come from the Common App Requirements Grid, joined by school name. Always confirm against the school’s own admissions page before applying.
Best-paying fields of study
Median earnings one and two years after graduating, by field. Showing 12 of 23 reported programs.
| Field | Level | 1 yr | 2 yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health and Medical Administrative ServicesHealth Professions | bachelors | $59,485 | $45,696 |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative MethodsBusiness | bachelors | $58,402 | $56,234 |
| Hospitality Administration/ManagementBusiness | bachelors | $42,682 | $40,140 |
| Business/Commerce, GeneralBusiness | bachelors | $37,208 | $35,060 |
| CriminologySocial Sciences | bachelors | $36,674 | $42,682 |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, OtherMultidisciplinary Studies | bachelors | $36,002 | $34,882 |
| Public Administration and Social Service Professions, OtherPublic Administration | bachelors | $35,416 | $36,077 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsEducation | bachelors | $31,846 | $33,480 |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related ServicesFamily & Consumer Sciences | bachelors | $31,133 | $32,032 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBusiness | bachelors | — | — |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied PsychologyPsychology | bachelors | — | — |
| Communication and Media StudiesCommunications | bachelors | — | — |
Campus facts
Key links
- Official websitenl.edu
- College ScorecardFederal source for every figure above (UNITID 147536)
- Compare colleges in ILRe-score with your weights
- The Most Selective Colleges in IllinoisEvery eligible four-year in this state, ranked by published admission rate
- Showdown: National Louis University vs Aurora UniversityHigher-or-lower on real Scorecard metrics — round 1 is these two
- Build an admissions plan8th–12th grade actions for this college — sports, activities, timeline
- MethodologyWhat these figures do and do not capture
- How to read a school page end to endStats, standings, lists, athletics, news — one profile, many jobs. Know which panel answers which question.
- Sticker price is a trapPublished tuition is a starting rumor. Net price is closer to what families actually pay.
- What acceptance rate actually measuresSelectivity is a competition statistic — not a quality score, and not your personal odds.
- A plan from eighth grade — without fake certaintySchool-anchored milestones, sports scarcity honesty, and EC playbooks — not invented admit odds.