College Azimuth

Research brief & institution hub

Loyola University Chicago

ILLarge private nonprofit institution · Overall rank #527 nationally

Data snapshot Updated

Azimuth ranks Loyola University Chicago #527 nationally.

Who it’s a good fit for

Loyola University Chicago is a private nonprofit university in Chicago whose degree mix is led by Business, Biological Sciences, and Health Professions. Return is well above average.

Graduates out-earn what predicts for students like them. The model attributes more of that to the factors it measures — field of study, enrollment and the local labor market — than to what it cannot explain.

Pell recipients complete below the rate for the entering cohort as a whole, and mobility is well above average. Families at the bottom of the income scale pay well below the published cost, while those at the top pay closer to it.

The admission rate is above the median for comparable institutions, and most graduates are estimated to go into work rather than further study. A student drawn to the largest programs should know that the best-paid ones are smaller.

Loyola Chicago at a glance

Admissions and outcomes

Admission rate[1]
81.6%
Six-year completion[2]
73.0%
Four-year earnings[3]
$73,865

Cost and family borrowing

Average annual net price · $48–75K family income[6]
$32,432
Median student debt[4]
$24,157
Median Parent PLUS debt[7]
$54,045

Loyola Chicago rankings: how Azimuth assesses value[5]

Loyola University Chicago is a private nonprofit university in Chicago, Illinois, enrolling 11,737 undergraduates. Its composite standing in the Azimuth ranking sits in the middle of the field among 1,467 nonprofit four-year institutions (64th percentile).

The four are spread across the ranking, with return the strongest and affordability the weakest. The university admits 81.6% of applicants, a rate slightly above the 47.1% median for comparable institutions of the same type and size.

Of students who start full time, 81.7% return for a second year and 73.0% finish within six years. The median rates at comparable institutions are 90.1% for retention and 80.0% for completion.

An estimated 13.7% of entrants arrive as transfers or part-time students, so the six-year rate describes the first-time full-time cohort and not the full student body. The pillars are far apart: return sits near the top of the field (87th percentile) while affordability is near the bottom (6th percentile).

Mobility and access fall between them (77th and 63rd percentiles, respectively). The shape is a private university with return near the top of the field and affordability near the bottom.

The strongest pillar at Loyola University Chicago is return on investment, which sits in the 87th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. That shows earnings that run well ahead of what the model expects for similar students, alongside a median four-year figure of $73,865.

Mobility lands in the 77th percentile and access in the 63rd percentile, while affordability is the weakest pillar, in the 6th percentile. The return and mobility pillars point the same way, but the affordability position means the net price is high relative to nonprofit four-year institutions.

The middle 50% of submitted SAT scores fell between 1,170 and 1,360. For the ACT, the middle 50% ranged from 27 to 32.

23.8% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants, a measure of financial access at the university. Azimuth ranks Loyola University Chicago #541 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Pell Grant recipients complete at a rate of 65.7%, which is 7.3 percentage points below the overall six-year graduation rate (73.0%). The access pillar is shaped by both the share of students receiving Pell Grants and how their completion rate compares to the cohort as a whole.

Azimuth ranks the university #340 for mobility. Graduates earn about $12,022 more than the model expects for similar students, a result that coincides with the mobility pillar's position.

The mobility pillar combines financial access with the earnings outcomes of those students.

How value-added outcomes are assessed · How to interpret program rankings

Loyola Chicago rankings in context
GeographyRank
National#527
Illinois#21
Midwest#101

Azimuth overall value rankings within each geographic comparison group.

National pillar percentiles

Economic mobility
National percentile: 77
Access & reach
National percentile: 63
Affordability
National percentile: 6
Return on investment
National percentile: 87

01 / Loyola Chicago briefing

Loyola Chicago cost & financial aid[6][7]

Loyola University Chicago publishes a cost of attendance of $67,408, an average across living arrangements. Tuition and fees are $53,710 and room and board are $17,010.

The average net price for aid recipients—what families pay after grants and scholarships—is $36,079, a savings of $31,329 against the sticker total. That sits below the peer median of $36,211 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $132.

Azimuth ranks the university #1,330 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. Aid covers about 46% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, and the net price is higher for families with more income.

For families earning under $30,000 the average net price is $28,992, while families earning over $110,000 see an average of $42,346—a spread of $13,354 between the lowest and highest bands. Affordability is the university's weakest pillar in the Azimuth framework.

The published cost of attendance at Loyola University Chicago is $67,408 (an average across living arrangements). Azimuth ranks the university #1,330 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

After grants and scholarships, aid recipients in the lowest family-income band (under $30,000) average $28,992, those in the middle band ($48,001–$75,000) average $32,432, and those in the highest band (over $110,000) average $42,346. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $13,354.

Tuition and fees are $53,710. Aid covers about 46% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, leaving an average net price—what students pay after grants and scholarships—of $36,079 across all bands.

That figure sits $132 below the $36,211 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Borrowers who finish carry a median of $24,157 in federal student loans, $989 above the peer median of $23,168.

90.2% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Parents who borrow through Parent PLUS hold a separate median of $54,045.

If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $275 a month.

Your family income

Choose a household income range to see estimated net price.

Reported average annual net price · $48–75K$32,432

After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ.

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Borrowing and repayment at Loyola Chicago

At Loyola University Chicago, federal debt at completion sits above the comparable-institution median, but federal borrowing reaches 90.2% of federal aid recipients. Among federal-loan borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $24,157.

Comparable institutions (same type and size) have a peer median of $23,168, making Loyola’s figure $989 above it. For the separate parent-borrower population, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $54,045.

In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that 58% of graduates borrowed from any source, averaging $42,570 in cumulative borrowing per borrower. That group included 56% of graduates with federal loans, averaging $25,365. It also included 16% of graduates with private loans, averaging $64,709.

Graduates of Loyola University Chicago earn about $12,022 more than the model expects for similar students, an outcome in the 87th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Four years after completion, the median earnings for working graduates are $73,865, a figure in the 82nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

That median is below the $83,615 median for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $9,750. Earnings scenarios derived from the university's program mix show a typical earnings level of $73,865, with a downside scenario of $55,294 and an upside scenario of $92,103.

For borrowers, the median federal student debt at completion is $24,157, which is above the $23,168 peer median. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $275 a month if repaid over ten years.

The return picture is mixed: earnings beat the model but sit below the peer median, while debt runs close to the peer norm.

Median Parent PLUS borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $54,045. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $275.

How Financial GPS measures payment burden · The four risk-and-reward zones

Financial GPS

What does repayment look like?

Institution median student debt
$24,157
Institution Parent PLUS debt
$54,045

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

Estimated student payment · monthly
$275/mo
Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
$687/mo

Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.

Payment assumptions

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.

Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS
Read the full cost & aid brief

02 / Loyola Chicago briefing

Loyola Chicago career outcomes & earnings[3][8][9]

Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $73,865, in the 82nd percentile. That is $9,750 below the $83,615 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Graduates earn about $12,022 more than the model expects for similar students. That puts the gap at the 87th percentile.

Azimuth places the return pillar at the 87th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures adds $7,692. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain adds $4,330.

Four years after completion, graduates of Loyola University Chicago earn a median of $73,865, a figure that places the university in the 82nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The four-year earnings cohort includes 2,914 completers.

That median runs below the median of $83,615 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $9,750. Graduates earn about $12,022 more than the model expects for similar students, a result that ranks in the 87th percentile nationally.

Earnings scenarios anchored on the university's program mix show a typical outcome matching that median, with a downside scenario of $55,294 and an upside scenario reaching $92,103. An estimated 33.7% continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix.

The spread between the downside and upside scenarios reflects the variation across the university's 36 programs with published earnings data four years after completion.

Four years after completion, Loyola University Chicago graduates earn a median of $73,865, which places the university in the 82nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. That figure sits below the peer median—the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size)—which is $83,615, a gap of $9,750.

Yet graduates earn about $12,022 more than the model expects for similar students, a result in the 87th percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $7,692.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain adds $4,330. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $1,655.

Azimuth ranks the university #197 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Earnings scenarios grounded in the program mix show a downside of $55,294 and an upside of $92,103.

The largest program, Nursing, awarded 415 degrees and shows median earnings of $87,922 four years after completion. Marketing and Business Administration and Management also combine scale with strong earnings: 170 degrees awarded at $86,662 and 121 degrees at $89,745, which is 1.31x the national median for its field.

The highest-earning program, Management Information Systems and Services, reaches $103,884 with 86 degrees awarded. Business and health-related fields anchor the program mix: the Business family accounts for 22.1% of degrees awarded, while Health Professions contributes 14.2%.

Together with Biological Sciences at 14.6%, these three families shape the earnings profile that the model credits for part of the university's above-expected outcomes.

The earnings scenarios at Loyola University Chicago span from a downside of $55,294 to an upside of $92,103, with the typical scenario at $73,865. That range reflects the variation in program-level outcomes four years after completion.

The highest-earning programs illustrate the upper end of the spread. Management Information Systems and Services completers earn a median of $103,884, Computer and Information Sciences graduates reach $99,112, and Accounting completers earn $97,667.

At Loyola University Chicago, graduates earn about $12,022 more than the model expects for similar students. That earnings strength coincides with a median federal student debt of $24,157 for borrowers who complete a degree.

That figure runs above the median of $23,168 for comparable institutions (same type and size). If repaid over ten years, the estimated monthly payment on that debt is $275.

The average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $36,079, which is below the median for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $132. Parent PLUS borrowers, a separate population, carry a median of $54,045.

The return picture is mixed: earnings beat the model and the debt runs slightly below the median among comparable institutions, but the average net price runs above that same benchmark. The university's strongest pillar is return, while affordability is its weakest.

What explains value-added earnings?
Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.
+$7,692
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
+$4,330
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
+$12,022

These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

Read the full outcomes brief

03 / Loyola Chicago briefing

Loyola Chicago acceptance rate & admissions[1][10][11]

Loyola University Chicago admits 81.6% of applicants, a rate that sits close to the median of 47.1% for comparable institutions (same type and size). In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported 43,778 applicants, 32,998 admitted students, and 2,605 enrolled first-year students.

SAT: approximate enrolled-student range
Admission rate
81.6%
Approximate lower endpoint
1170
Reported average
1297
Approximate upper endpoint
1360

Enrolled students who submitted scores. This range is not an admission cutoff. The endpoints add section percentiles; they are not verified composite-score percentiles. A separate SAT-equivalent average is not plotted as a median. Source: College Scorecard; sum of section 25th/75th percentiles; enrolled score-submitters.

Read the full admissions brief

04 / Loyola Chicago briefing

What are the largest majors at Loyola Chicago?[12]

Loyola University Chicago's highest-earning bachelor's programs cluster in technical and quantitative fields. Management Information Systems and Services leads at $103,884 four years after completion, with 86 degrees awarded.

Computer and Information Sciences follows at $99,112 on 49 degrees awarded, and Accounting reaches $97,667 with 72 degrees awarded. Among the largest programs, earnings are more moderate.

Nursing, the biggest by degrees awarded at 415, shows a median of $87,922. Marketing earns $86,662 on 170 degrees awarded.

Biology shows a median of $62,821 on 305 degrees awarded. Psychology reaches $56,658 with 269 degrees awarded.

The contrast between the top-earning technical fields and the larger, moderate-earning programs in health and science is the central story of the university's return profile.

Loyola University Chicago publishes earnings data for 36 bachelor's programs. The five largest by degrees awarded are Nursing (415 degrees awarded, median earnings of $87,922 four years after completion), Biology (305 degrees awarded, $62,821), Psychology (269 degrees awarded, $56,658), Marketing (170 degrees awarded, $86,662), and Political Science (160 degrees awarded, $63,437).

The highest-earning programs include Management Information Systems and Services at $103,884 (86 degrees awarded) and Computer and Information Sciences at $99,112. Accounting follows at $97,667.

The three largest program families are Business (22.1% of degrees awarded), Biological Sciences (14.6%), and Health Professions (14.2%).

The bachelor's degree mix at Loyola University Chicago is spread across three main families: Business accounts for 22.1% of degrees awarded, Biological Sciences for 14.6%, and Health Professions for 14.2%. Among the 36 programs with published four-year earnings data, the largest by degrees awarded is Nursing at 415 degrees awarded, followed by Biology with 305 and Psychology with 269.

The highest-earning program is Management Information Systems and Services, where graduates earn a median of $103,884 four years after completion, from 86 degrees awarded. Computer and Information Sciences follows at $99,112, with 49 degrees awarded.

Nursing, the largest program, reports median earnings of $87,922, while Marketing, a smaller program at 170 degrees awarded, comes in at $86,662. The pattern is one of breadth rather than concentration, with no single family dominating the degree mix.

The largest programs in health and business sit alongside a smaller, higher-earning tier in technology and quantitative fields, where Management Information Systems and Services graduates reach a six-figure median. 20.0% of degrees awarded are in STEM fields.

An estimated share of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix, so four-year earnings for fields that commonly precede further education understate later trajectories.

Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 415 degrees awarded
$87,922
Biology, General 305 degrees awarded
$62,821
Psychology, General 269 degrees awarded
$56,658
Marketing 170 degrees awarded
$86,662
Political Science and Government 160 degrees awarded
$63,437
Finance and Financial Management Services 146 degrees awarded
$89,001

Fields selected by reported completions. Counts describe credentials awarded, not unique students or the earnings sample. Bars show median four-year earnings.

Read the full majors brief

05 / Loyola Chicago briefing

How does Loyola Chicago serve students from different backgrounds?

The mobility pillar is in the 77th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The six-year graduation rate for the first-time full-time cohort is 73.0%, while Pell recipients complete at 65.7% — below the overall rate by 7.3 percentage points.

Graduates earn about $12,022 more than the model expects for similar students, a result that places the earnings beyond expectations measure in the 87th percentile.

Loyola University Chicago enrolls 11,737 undergraduates as a private nonprofit university in Chicago, admitting 81.6% of applicants. That rate sits above the peer median of 47.1%, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), while 23.8% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants and an estimated 13.7% of students enter as transfers or part-time students.

Azimuth places the access pillar in the 63rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

06 / Loyola Chicago briefing

What colleges are similar to Loyola Chicago?[15]

Azimuth groups alternatives by admissions, location, cost and earnings, then orders candidates within each group. Peer earnings use the matched four-year cohort. How matching works.

A shortlist for different decisions

Choose a row to compare the figures with Loyola Chicago.

Admissions peerMarquette University81.3% admitted
Comparison with Loyola Chicago
MeasureLoyola ChicagoMarquette University
Peer earnings · 4 years$73,865$80,228+$6,363 vs Loyola Chicago
Average annual net price$36,079$31,487-$4,592 vs Loyola Chicago · lower cost
Admission rate81.6%81.3%
Explore Marquette University →
Higher-admission alternativeBenedictine University95.2% admitted
Comparison with Loyola Chicago
MeasureLoyola ChicagoBenedictine University
Peer earnings · 4 years$73,865$72,460-$1,405 vs Loyola Chicago
Average annual net price$36,079$22,313-$13,766 vs Loyola Chicago · lower cost
Admission rate81.6%95.2%
Explore Benedictine University →
Nearby alternativeDePaul UniversityNearby option · IL
Comparison with Loyola Chicago
MeasureLoyola ChicagoDePaul University
Peer earnings · 4 years$73,865$73,466-$399 vs Loyola Chicago
Average annual net price$36,079$30,902-$5,177 vs Loyola Chicago · lower cost
Admission rate81.6%75.9%
Explore DePaul University →
Higher-earnings alternativeDrexel University$91,041 earnings
Comparison with Loyola Chicago
MeasureLoyola ChicagoDrexel University
Peer earnings · 4 years$73,865$91,041+$17,176 vs Loyola Chicago
Average annual net price$36,079$38,509+$2,430 vs Loyola Chicago · higher cost
Admission rate81.6%79.4%
Explore Drexel University →
Lower-cost alternativeUniversity of Illinois Chicago$10,974 average net price
Comparison with Loyola Chicago
MeasureLoyola ChicagoUniversity of Illinois Chicago
Peer earnings · 4 years$73,865$72,839-$1,026 vs Loyola Chicago
Average annual net price$36,079$10,974-$25,105 vs Loyola Chicago · lower cost
Admission rate81.6%77.4%
Explore University of Illinois Chicago →
Similar profileDePaul UniversityMatched across several measures
Comparison with Loyola Chicago
MeasureLoyola ChicagoDePaul University
Peer earnings · 4 years$73,865$73,466-$399 vs Loyola Chicago
Average annual net price$36,079$30,902-$5,177 vs Loyola Chicago · lower cost
Admission rate81.6%75.9%
Explore DePaul University →

Each school is the first-ranked match in its category, not a recommendation across every measure. The same college may lead more than one category. Figures use the matching snapshot; earnings reflect the matched four-year cohort. — means unavailable.

Read the full similar schools brief

Data scope & methodology

Structured payloads generated Governed hub narrative Governed spoke corpus

Four-year earnings describe cohorts of completers. Figures for other horizons describe different cohorts and are not joined into a career-growth projection.

Azimuth's overall rank and pillar percentiles come from the school profile. Absolute pillar ranks, city, enrollment and official-site links are shown only when structured data supplies them.

Detailed earnings, cost, admissions and program values come from the endpoint responsible for each measure. Missing values are not replaced with zero. Value-added estimates are model associations, not causal effects.

Figures are refreshed with each data release, at most a quarter apart. The underlying source dates can be earlier than the release.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.

Read the ranking methodology, data definitions and limitations · About College Azimuth

Read the analysis behind value-added earnings and the change to four-year graduate earnings. These articles are published on collegeazimuth.com.

Data notes & source fields

Scorecard field codes identify the underlying measure; Azimuth-derived values are labeled separately. Snapshot dates are not measurement years. Source populations and reporting periods differ across measures. Field definitions are in the U.S. Department of Education · College Scorecard documentation; notes with a different source link it below.

  1. Admission rate. Reported applicants admitted; not a transfer-specific or individual admission probability.

    Source fields: ADM_RATE

  2. Six-year completion. First-time, full-time students completing at the institution within 150% of normal time, typically six years for a bachelor’s degree.

    Source fields: C150_4

  3. Four-year institutional earnings. Median earnings of graduates in the reported cohort who are working and not enrolled, four years after completion.

    Source fields: MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

  4. Median federal student debt. Federal student-loan debt among completers in the reported borrowing cohort. Excludes Parent PLUS and is not total debt across all students.

    Source fields: GRAD_DEBT_MDN

  5. National, regional and state ranks; pillar percentiles; major ranks. Derived scores within the stated eligible comparison set, not raw Scorecard fields. Major ranks compare institutions within a field; their denominators differ.

    Source fields: Azimuth rankings

    College Azimuth · Ranking methodology

  6. Annual net price by family income. Average annual cost after grants and scholarships for the eligible first-time, full-time aid-recipient cohort. Public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. Includes living costs; these are averages, not medians or individual offers.

    Source fields: NPT4_PUB/PRIV; NPT41_PUB/PRIV through NPT45_PUB/PRIV

  7. Parent PLUS debt, payments and GPS illustration. Stored payments use Financial GPS loan and repayment assumptions. The adjustable spectrum applies the published framework to annual student payments divided by earnings minus an expense allowance; its initial allowance is 150% of the federal poverty guideline for one person, for the year the API serves. It is an illustration rather than a school rating. The parent table is the 10-year payment on the median Parent PLUS as a share of household income above 200% of the guideline for a household of three: under 6% Safe, 6–10% Caution, over 10% High pressure. Parent PLUS uses the completer median where available, otherwise the all-borrower median; these describe different borrowing populations.

    Source fields: PLUS_DEBT_ALL_COMP_MD; fallback PLUS_DEBT_ALL_MD; Azimuth Financial GPS calculations

    College Azimuth · Financial GPS methodology

  8. Downside and upside earnings; yellow band. The band spans the modeled lower and higher scenarios. It is not the P25–P75 interval for individual graduates. The median marker is the separately reported institutional median.

    Source fields: Azimuth modeled program-mix scenarios

    College Azimuth · Earnings scenario methodology

  9. Value added and its components. Observed-factor attribution plus the unexplained remainder equals total modeled value added. These are associations, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

    Source fields: Azimuth statistical model

    College Azimuth · Value-added methodology

  10. SAT score range and reported midpoint. Reported scores of enrolled score-submitters, not admission cutoffs. The midpoint field is not necessarily the middle of the displayed range.

    Source fields: SATVR25 + SATMT25; SATVR75 + SATMT75; SAT_AVG

  11. First-year retention. Retention of the reported full-time cohort at four-year institutions.

    Source fields: RET_FT4

  12. Program earnings, completion counts and major-mix dots. Included bachelor’s programs have at least five reported completions. Counts are aggregated credentials, not unique people or an earnings sample. Major-mix dots group those counts by field of study; excluded programs are not zero activity.

    Source fields: EARN_MDN_4YR; IPEDSCOUNT1; CIPCODE

    College Scorecard · Field-of-study technical documentation

  13. Pell recipients. Share of undergraduates receiving a Pell Grant in the reported academic year.

    Source fields: PCTPELL

  14. Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group. This is not an observed transfer-in rate. It includes part-time entrants and other entering-student attendance patterns.

    Source fields: 1 − PFTFTUG1_EF

  15. Peer earnings and signed differences. Differences are peer minus this school, from the same matching snapshot. A positive earnings difference does not mean the peer is better on every measure.

    Source fields: Azimuth peer model using MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

    College Azimuth · Comparison methodology

How to interpret program rankings