Skip to content
Best College Rankings

Public · Urban campus · verified rankings · federal data

Chicago State University

Students comparing Chicago State University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

CompareOfficial site
Chicago, Illinois1,384 undergraduatesMean consensus percentile 57Public universitySmall enrollmentUrban campus

The short answer

Chicago State University: Washington Monthly ranks it #1116 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #1058 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 2.5 stars. It enrolls 1,384 undergraduates, admits 43.3% of applicants, and posts a 15.5% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $12,754; aid recipients pay $12,335 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $42,778.

The six numbers that matter most

Acceptance rate
43.3%

Below the dataset median of 76%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Average net price
$12,335

49% below the $24,304 published price

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardAverage for full-time first-time aid recipients, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median earnings, 10 yrs
$42,778

Below the dataset median of $54,053

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian earnings 10 years after entry, working and not enrolled, College Scorecard June 2026 release

6-year graduation rate
15.5%

Below the dataset median of 56%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent six-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median debt at graduation
$30,625

Below the dataset median of $23,250

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian federal loan debt of completers, College Scorecard June 2026 release

SAT middle 50%
Not reportedChicago State University reports that it neither requires nor recommends admissions test scores, and does not report a score range to the Department of Education.

U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard

Where Chicago State ranks, and why the answers differ

Each publisher's position, the list it belongs to, and how many institutions it was drawn from.

SourceListRank
US News2026National universities, liberal arts, regional and specialty listsNot ranked by this source
Forbes2026America's Top CollegesNot ranked by this source
Washington Monthly2026Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars#1116of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)
WSJ2026Best Colleges in the U.S.Not ranked by this source
Niche2026Best Colleges (Overall)#1058of 2,605Overall (Niche)
Money2026Best Value Colleges2.5 starsListedBest value (Money)
Princeton Review2026Best Colleges (Overall)Not ranked by this source
QS2026World University RankingsNot ranked by this source

Methodology sensitivity: Chicago State's position moves 34 percentile points depending on which published list you read. That is a wide spread, so which list you consult substantially changes the impression you get. How we compute this

Ranking positions are the editorial property of their publishers and are reproduced here with attribution for comparison and commentary. Follow each source link for its full list and methodology.

About Chicago State

Chicago State University is a public institution in Chicago, Illinois. Federal data show 57.3% first-year retention and a 10:1 student-faculty ratio. Figures on this page come from College Scorecard and IPEDS; publisher rankings shown here are transcribed from named sources and checked in our dataset.

Strengths and honest considerations

Strengths

  • Cost and outcome metrics on this profile come directly from federal collections, not self-reported marketing sheets.
  • Net price $12,335 reflects what aid recipients actually paid in the most recent federal reporting year.

Considerations

  • This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
  • Compare $24,304 sticker cost against $12,335 net price before ruling a school in or out on price alone.
  • Publishers we have not loaded yet, or lists that omit this school, show as “not ranked by this source” — that is expected.

Who this school genuinely fits

Students comparing Chicago State University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

What it costs

Published price, then what families actually pay after grants and scholarships.

In-state tuition & fees
$12,754

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Out-of-state tuition & fees
$12,754

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Room & board
$11,550

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Published cost of attendance comes to roughly $24,304 a year, but the average family pays $12,335 — a 49% difference. 57.9% of undergraduates receive Pell grants, the federal marker of low family income.

Net price varies enormously by income band, so run Chicago State's net price calculator for your own household before drawing conclusions. Why net price is the only cost number that matters.

Programs and academics

Most popular majors

  1. 1Business
  2. 2Biology
  3. 3Psychology
  4. 4Computer Science
  5. 5Economics

Standout programs

    Student-faculty ratio
    10:1

    IPEDS / National Center for Education StatisticsIPEDS 2023 fall enrollment

    First-year retention
    57.3%

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent first-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Undergraduate enrollment
    1,384

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Chicago State: questions families ask

    Out-of-state tuition is $12,754 and on-campus room and board is $11,550, for a published total of $24,304 before aid. The average net price for first-time full-time students receiving aid is $12,335.

    The most recent federal admissions rate reported to the Department of Education is 43.3%. Test policy as reported in IPEDS: see the admissions section on this page for the institution's own category.

    Similar colleges

    Matched on institutional character, overlapping majors and comparable cross-source standing.

    Harris-Stowe State University

    Saint Louis, MOPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Harris-Stowe State University: U.S. News ranks it #67 on Regional Colleges (Midwest) (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #893 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #809 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 960 undergraduates, admits not reported of applicants, and posts a 27.6% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $11,640; aid recipients pay $9,922 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $31,088.

    Acceptance rate
    Not reported
    Average net price
    $9,922
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $31,088
    6-yr graduation rate
    27.6%
    US News · Regional colleges (Midwest)#67 of 94Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#893 of 1,504Niche · Overall (Niche)#809 of 2,605

    960 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 54 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Worcester State University

    Worcester, MAPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Worcester State University: U.S. News ranks it #97 on Regional Universities (North) (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #565 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #964 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 3.5 stars. It enrolls 3,930 undergraduates, admits 88.0% of applicants, and posts a 61.5% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $17,866; aid recipients pay $13,381 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $60,624.

    Acceptance rate
    88.0%
    Average net price
    $13,381
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $60,624
    6-yr graduation rate
    61.5%
    US News · Regional univ. (North)#97 of 170Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#565 of 1,504Niche · Overall (Niche)#964 of 2,605+1 more on profile

    3,930 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 44 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    University of Illinois Springfield

    Springfield, ILPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    University of Illinois Springfield: U.S. News ranks it #28 on Regional Universities (Midwest) (2026); Forbes ranks it #387 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #518 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #551 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 4.5 stars. It enrolls 2,263 undergraduates, admits 85.9% of applicants, and posts a 53.2% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $22,017; aid recipients pay $9,833 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $57,103.

    Acceptance rate
    85.9%
    Average net price
    $9,833
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $57,103
    6-yr graduation rate
    53.2%
    US News · Regional univ. (Midwest)#28 of 165Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#387 of 500Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#518 of 1,504+2 more on profile

    2,263 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 37 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Compare Chicago State against these