Skip to content
Best College Rankings

Private nonprofit · Suburban campus · verified rankings · federal data

Elmhurst University

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

CompareOfficial site
Elmhurst, Illinois3,006 undergraduatesMean consensus percentile 39Private nonprofitSmall enrollmentResearch university

The short answer

Elmhurst University: U.S. News ranks it #7 on Regional Universities (Midwest) (2026); Forbes ranks it #403 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #917 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); Niche ranks it #287 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 3.5 stars. It enrolls 3,006 undergraduates, admits 73.6% of applicants, and posts a 70.0% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $42,955; aid recipients pay $24,185 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $61,462.

The six numbers that matter most

Acceptance rate
73.6%

About the dataset median

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

Average net price
$24,185

58% below the $57,483 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
$61,462

Above 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
70.0%

Above 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
$20,489

Above 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%
990–1260

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardSum of reported reading and math section percentiles for the most recent entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release. Section percentiles added together approximate, but do not exactly equal, the composite score range.

Where Elmhurst University 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 News2026Regional Universities (Midwest)#7of 165Regional univ. (Midwest)
Forbes2026America's Top Colleges#403of 500Top colleges (Forbes)
Washington Monthly2026Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars#917of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)
WSJ2026Best Colleges in the U.S.Not ranked by this source
Niche2026Best Colleges (Overall)B+#287of 2,605Overall (Niche)
Money2026Best Value Colleges3.5 starsListedBest value (Money)
Princeton Review2026Best Colleges (Overall)Not ranked by this source
QS2026World University RankingsNot ranked by this source

Methodology sensitivity: Elmhurst University's position moves 76 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 Elmhurst University

Elmhurst University is a private nonprofit institution in Elmhurst, Illinois. Federal data show 79.9% first-year retention and a 14:1 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 $24,185 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 $57,483 sticker cost against $24,185 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 Elmhurst 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.

Tuition & fees
$42,955

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

Undergraduates on Pell grants
36.8%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardShare of undergraduates, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Room & board
$14,528

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

Published cost of attendance comes to roughly $57,483 a year, but the average family pays $24,185 — a 58% difference. 36.8% of undergraduates receive Pell grants, the federal marker of low family income.

Net price varies enormously by income band, so run Elmhurst University'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
    14:1

    IPEDS / National Center for Education StatisticsIPEDS 2023 fall enrollment

    First-year retention
    79.9%

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

    Undergraduate enrollment
    3,006

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

    Elmhurst University: questions families ask

    Out-of-state tuition is $42,955 and on-campus room and board is $14,528, for a published total of $57,483 before aid. The average net price for first-time full-time students receiving aid is $24,185.

    The most recent federal admissions rate reported to the Department of Education is 73.6%. 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.

    Kettering University

    Flint, MIPrivate nonprofit

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Kettering University: U.S. News ranks it #7 on Regional Universities (Midwest) (2026); Forbes ranks it #218 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #1279 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #180 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #587 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 3 stars; Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 1,205 undergraduates, admits 78.7% of applicants, and posts a 70.8% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $48,470; aid recipients pay $34,660 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $94,823.

    Acceptance rate
    78.7%
    Average net price
    $34,660
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $94,823
    6-yr graduation rate
    70.8%
    US News · Regional univ. (Midwest)#7 of 165Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#218 of 500Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#1279 of 1,504+4 more on profile

    1,205 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 38 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Bradley University

    Peoria, ILPrivate nonprofit

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Bradley University: U.S. News ranks it #183 on National Universities (2026); Forbes ranks it #305 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #849 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #118 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #526 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 4.5 stars; Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 3,574 undergraduates, admits 76.8% of applicants, and posts a 76.2% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $42,160; aid recipients pay $22,719 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $66,852.

    Acceptance rate
    76.8%
    Average net price
    $22,719
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $66,852
    6-yr graduation rate
    76.2%
    US News · National universities#183 of 436Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#305 of 500Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#849 of 1,504+4 more on profile

    3,574 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 41 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Lawrence University

    Appleton, WIPrivate nonprofit

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Lawrence University: U.S. News ranks it #69 on National Liberal Arts Colleges (2026); Forbes ranks it #312 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #257 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #453 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #280 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 3.5 stars; Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 1,396 undergraduates, admits 63.9% of applicants, and posts a 76.8% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $56,982; aid recipients pay $23,401 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $55,789.

    Acceptance rate
    63.9%
    Average net price
    $23,401
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $55,789
    6-yr graduation rate
    76.8%
    US News · Liberal arts colleges#69 of 210Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#312 of 500Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#257 of 1,504+4 more on profile

    1,396 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 43 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Compare Elmhurst University against these