🎯 Parent/student verdict

Likely

Accessible for most applicants. Affordable on average — net price runs around $18,436/yr.

✅ Best for

  • Students drawn to Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness or Education (the two biggest majors)
  • Families wanting a small liberal-arts experience

Verdict is composed from this college's structured data (admit rate, SAT bands, net price by income, Carnegie classification, scholarship grids) using transparent rule thresholds — not a chat-bot's opinion.

🏛️ Institutional snapshot

What kind of college is this?

Carnegie classification
M1: Master's - Larger Programs
Total enrollment
1,323
5,000 - 9,999
In-state tuition
$37,488
sticker, before aid
Tuition
$37,488
flat rate (no in/out-of-state split)
Admit rate
93.4%
Accepts the majority
Test policy
Test-optional
2023
10-yr earnings
$54,089
median, after entry

Source: federal IPEDS Admissions 2023 for scores + admit rate; federal College Scorecard (20260606 vintage) for earnings + outcomes. SAT/ACT bands are the 25th–75th percentile of enrolled submitters.

📊 Outcomes & cost

What graduates actually earn, finish, and owe.

Federal College Scorecard data. Earnings are median annual income measured years after entering. Debt is for federal-aid borrowers only (cash-pay students aren't counted).

Earnings, 6 yrs after entry
$44,405
Earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$54,089
4-year completion
36%
Median debt (completers)
$23,000
Cost of attendance
$45,383
sticker price, not net
Pell-eligible students
46%

💰 True ROI

7.3× return

What families actually pay (after aid) vs. the sticker — and how 10-yr earnings stack against the real cost. Most sites quote sticker; we quote what families really pay.

What families actually pay (4 yrs)
$73,744
$18,436/yr avg net
Aid that hides behind the sticker
$107,788
vs sticker $181,532
10-yr earnings total
$540,890
$54,089/yr median, 10 yrs out
Years to recoup actual cost
1.4 yrs
at the median earnings rate

"True ROI" = (10-yr median earnings × 10) ÷ (actual 4-yr net price). The actual net is from Scorecard (average across all families); your family's net price will vary by income — see the breakdown above. Earnings are 10 years after enrollment (Scorecard PP-FOS, all majors combined).

💰 What families actually pay

Net price by family income

Net price = sticker price minus grant aid. This is what families actually pay out-of-pocket after scholarships and need-based aid — the most honest affordability signal there is. At Concordia University-Chicago, the average net price is $18,436/yr across all families.

Family income $0-30k
$16,795/yr
Family income $30-48k
$16,397/yr
Family income $48-75k
$15,768/yr
Family income $75-110k
$20,046/yr
Family income $110k+
$23,907/yr

🔎 Earning over $110K? The federal brackets above lump every family from $110K to $1M+ into one row.

Need-based aid usually phases out somewhere between $200K and $300K at private colleges — but the exact threshold varies a lot. For a precise estimate based on your family's actual income, assets, and your student's academic profile, use Concordia University-Chicago's official Net Price Calculator:

Get your family's estimate from Concordia University-Chicago →

Opens on Concordia University-Chicago's site. Takes about 10–15 minutes; have your most recent tax return handy.

Source: College Scorecard (NPT41-NPT45). Net price = total cost of attendance minus federal, state, institutional, and other grants. Some brackets may be suppressed for student-privacy reasons (small cohorts). Title IV first-time, full-time undergraduates only. The $110K+ ceiling is a federal data limitation — Department of Education hasn't refreshed these brackets since the early 2010s.

📚 What students study here

Most popular majors at Concordia University-Chicago

Top 5 fields of study by bachelor's degrees awarded (most recent IPEDS Completions). Use this to see what Concordia University-Chicago actually graduates — not just what it markets.

1. Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness
85 degrees · 34.8%
Typical career outcomes
Athletic Trainer $58k Fitness Trainer / Coach $46k Recreation Director $65k
Coaching, athletic training, public-sector recreation, fitness industry.
2. Education
52 degrees · 21.3%
Typical career outcomes
Elementary School Teacher $64k Secondary School Teacher $65k School Principal $101k Special Education Teacher $66k
Teaching is the largest path. Salary depends heavily on district + state.
3. Business, Management, & Marketing
52 degrees · 21.3%
Typical career outcomes
Financial Analyst $100k Management Analyst (Consultant) $99k Marketing Manager $158k Accountant / Auditor $80k
Broad set of corporate roles. Finance + consulting pay top, accounting + HR pay middle, sales spread is wide.
4. Psychology
31 degrees · 12.7%
Typical career outcomes
HR Specialist $68k Market Research Analyst $75k Clinical Psychologist (post-PhD) $93k Social Worker $58k
Most undergrad psych grads go into non-clinical roles. Clinical/counseling psych requires a master's or doctoral.
5. Health Professions
24 degrees · 9.8%
Typical career outcomes
Registered Nurse $86k Physician Assistant $130k Pharmacist $136k Physical Therapist (post-DPT) $100k
Highest-paying group on this list, but most careers require additional training beyond a 4-year degree.

Source: IPEDS Completions (C2023_a), bachelor's-level first majors aggregated to 2-digit CIP family. Share is of these top 5 only — not all majors.

💼 Top programs by earnings

Highest-earning majors at Concordia University-Chicago

Median earnings 4 years after entry, by major (CIP code). From the federal College Scorecard program-level outcomes.

Major (CIP) Credential Cohort 1-yr earnings 4-yr earnings
Health and Medical Administrative Services. Bachelor's Degree 33 $65,314 $73,256
Human Resources Management and Services. Bachelor's Degree 16 $51,763 $72,050
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness. Bachelor's Degree 93 $29,231 $55,309
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas. Bachelor's Degree 20 $44,601 $55,212
Business Administration, Management and Operations. Bachelor's Degree 15 $44,581 $54,533
Criminology. Bachelor's Degree 6 $41,724 $50,897
Psychology, General. Bachelor's Degree 21 $27,304 $46,590
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods. Bachelor's Degree 38 $44,618 $45,532
Communication and Media Studies. Bachelor's Degree 6 $43,071

For full college-vs-major comparison + ROI leaderboards, see /college-outcomes →

🤖 AI program signal

AI + computing education at Concordia University-Chicago

CS degrees (annual)
11
CIP 11.0701 + 11.0101

Full multi-lens comparison: /ai-colleges →

⚖️ Compare side-by-side

Concordia University-Chicago vs. another college

Type the college you want to compare against. We'll show admit rates, net price by your family income, top majors with career outcomes, and merit aid — all in one side-by-side view.

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