Chicago State University is a public institution in Chicago, IL with an acceptance rate of 43% and 1,495 students. The average net price after financial aid is $10,133 per year.
About Chicago State University
A public 4-year urban university in Chicago, IL.
Chicago State University is a college in Chicago, IL. It enrolls roughly 1,495 students. The most recent acceptance rate is 43%.
Your chances at this school
What admitted students look like here. Sign in to see how your own profile compares.
Selective — strong academics get you in the conversation.
What strengthens an application here
- Depth in one or two activitiesSustained commitment, a leadership role, or a result in a few activities says more than a long list of memberships.
Your chances estimate is based on your academic profile and activities — it is a guide, not a guarantee of admission. Decisions weigh essays, recommendations, and fit factors that aren't in the data.
Admissions
What it actually takes to get into Chicago State University. Test scores, GPA, application requirements, and deadlines.
Application requirements
- Test-optional
- $25 application fee
Deadlines (2026-27)
- Early Action
- Nov 1, 2026
- Regular Decision
- Jun 1, 2027
Source: Common App 2026-27 requirements grid (verified Aug 2026). Always confirm on the college's own site.
Cost & financial aid
Published costs can be misleading. Here's what families actually pay at Chicago State University after grants and scholarships.
Net price by family income
Average amount paid out of pocket — tuition, fees, and room & board minus all grant aid.
Net price represents the average cost after grants and scholarships for students receiving federal financial aid.
Academics & majors
Where students at Chicago State University concentrate, and how the classroom experience scales.
Student body
Who attends Chicago State University. Enrollment, diversity, and where students come from.
Race & ethnicity
- White2%
- Asian21%
- Hispanic4%
- Black39%
- Two or more races33%
- International2%
Gender
- Female70%
- Male30%
Outcomes after graduation
What Chicago State University graduates do next — and what they earn.
Is it worth it?
Earnings, debt, and price side by side — context for the cost-vs-payoff question, not a ranking.
- Median earnings
- $42.8k
- Typical debt
- $21.5k
- Avg. net price
- $10.1k/yr
- These numbers reflect who enrolls, not the value the school adds. A college's earnings can look high simply because it admits wealthier, higher-scoring students — not because of what happens there.
- Earnings vary far more by major and career path than by school. A school-wide median blends engineers and artists into one number that may match no real student.
- Federal earnings and debt figures cover only students who received federal aid, so they leave out full-pay students and can skew the picture.
- Net price is an average across aided students and debt is the median for borrowers only — many students borrow nothing. Your actual cost depends on your own aid package.
What this means
$43k is below the national bachelor's-graduate median at the 10-year mark, and a 17% graduation rate is below the national average.
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