University Of Chicago

University of Chicago's published cost of attendance is $90,360, but need-based aid reshapes that figure substantially across income levels. Low-income families see a net price of approximately −$1,264 — meaning institutional aid exceeds or nearly eliminates full cost for qualifying families — while middle-income families pay around $226, and higher-income families pay approximately $48,524.

Azimuth ranks University of Chicago #248 for post-graduation affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. Net prices by income band are medians within those bands; individual aid packages vary, so some families in each band pay more and some less than the figures shown.

University of Chicago's published aid guidance commits to meeting demonstrated financial need in full under current financial aid policies, per the financial aid page. The aid structure is scoped to demonstrated financial need — there is no merit component — and work-study is available as part of the aid package.

Among first-year students awarded need-based aid, University of Chicago reports 100% of demonstrated need met, with an average aid package of $82,308 and an average need-based scholarship of $78,383. Families apply using the FAFSA and CSS Profile; the [net price illusion](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) analysis explains why published cost and actual cost can diverge so sharply at institutions with deep endowments.

Median federal student loan debt at graduation is $15,000, and families using Parent PLUS borrow a median of $33,297; private or institutional loans may add further borrowing that falls outside these federal-only figures — see the [Parent PLUS risk framework](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) for how household context shapes PLUS decisions. For a graduate at the institution's median four-year earnings of $127,757, median federal debt of $15,000 projects to a monthly payment of about $169 under standard ten-year repayment.

For personalized projections across earnings scenarios — including Parent PLUS planning — use [Azimuth's Financial GPS tool](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/).

Graduates of University of Chicago earn median earnings of $127,757 four years after enrollment, placing University of Chicago in the 99.8 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. That figure runs well above the $67,139 median at comparable institutions (same control and size band).

Graduates earn about $28,389 more than similar students at comparable institutions, placing University of Chicago in the 98.5 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks University of Chicago #4 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The earnings pattern is anchored in quantitative and analytical subfields. Economics is the largest program with 634 graduates earning median earnings of $159,578 four years after enrollment, and Azimuth ranks it #1 among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The Mathematics program graduates 169 students with median earnings of $172,826, and Azimuth ranks it #2 among nonprofit four-year institutions. The Biology, General program graduates 136 students earning median earnings of $59,794.

Social Sciences accounts for 36% of degree output, with other STEM fields contributing 7% — a concentration that helps explain the institution's strong overall earnings profile.

University of Chicago's program mix is anchored in Social Sciences, which accounts for 36% of graduates — a concentration more typical of policy-oriented research universities than of STEM-heavy peers. Economics is the largest program with 634 graduates annually, followed by Mathematics (169 graduates), Biology, General (136 graduates), and Computer Science (126 graduates).

Other STEM fields represents 7% and Arts represents 3%, rounding out a portfolio that spans quantitative, analytical, and life-science fields across 40 programs serving roughly 2,415 students annually. The rankings pattern is unusually concentrated at the top.

Azimuth ranks Mathematics #2 nationally for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions, with graduates earning $172,826 — the program that combines the largest cohort scale with the strongest pay, making it the institution's [highest aggregate-return major per the program-ranking methodology](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/). Azimuth ranks Computer Science #19 nationally for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions, with graduates earning $178,068 — the highest four-year earnings at the institution.

Azimuth ranks Computer Science #19 nationally for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions, and Azimuth ranks Public Policy Analysis #4 nationally for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. The Griffin Department of Economics, which describes itself as preparing "students for a future in world-changing research," offers tracks including a Standard Economics Track, Business Economics Specialization, Data Science Specialization, and a BA/MA pathway, per the department's curriculum page.

Named research infrastructure includes the Griffin Incubator and the Becker Friedman Institute for Research in Economics, per the department's research page. The Social Sciences division offers Joint BA/MA Degrees supported by the Social Sciences Research Center.

Several of these programs are grad-school-dependent pathways — notably Mathematics, Public Policy Analysis, and Biology, General — where four-year earnings undercount lifetime trajectory because a meaningful share of graduates continue to graduate or professional school. Computer Science and Mathematics, by contrast, are high-mobility programs where graduates enter the workforce directly and four-year earnings of $178,068 and $172,826 respectively reflect national labor-market outcomes.

The [supply-demand map for college graduates](/analysis/supply-demand-map-college-degrees/) provides context for how these fields align with national wage trends. ```