Benedictine University
Lisle, Illinois · Private Nonprofit · 95.2% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 65/100 · Fair Value
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Benedictine University earns a Fair Value ROI score of 65, with an unusually strong 8.1-year payback period (top quartile in the dataset) and a 31.9% earnings premium. Median earnings 6 years out are $43,700, climbing strongly to $63,446 at 10 years - the trajectory is one of Benedictine's most attractive features. The 0.515 debt-to-earnings ratio is workable: $22,500 median debt against meaningful earnings. The drag is completion: 50.3% finish, which suppresses the institutional score. Sticker tuition is $35,940, but net price drops to $22,313 thanks to deep discounting. Three-year repayment is 74.5% (mediocre). Benedictine is a 1,942-student Catholic Benedictine private in Lisle, Illinois (Chicago suburb), with a 39.5% Pell rate. Program-level data is rich: nursing posts an A grade ($80K first-year earnings, low debt), and business, accounting, finance, and computer science all post B grades. The school's location matters - Chicago metro placement drives the strong earnings trajectory across professional programs. The honest read: prepared students who finish at Benedictine and choose strong tracks see genuinely good outcomes; the institutional score is held back by the half who don't finish on time.
Benedictine University
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $35,940/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $35,940/yr |
| Average net price | $22,313/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $89,252 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $63,446 |
| Median earnings (6yr post-entry) | $43,700 |
| Median debt at graduation | $22,500 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $239 |
| Estimated payback period | 8.1 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 50.3% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 1,942 |
Data as of 2024-2025. Source: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education).
The Full Financial Picture
The first number you'll see is the sticker price: $35,940/year. Here's the part that matters - almost nobody pays that. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $22,313/year, or roughly $89,252 over four years. That's the number to plan around.
What you actually pay depends a lot on what your family earns. Families making under $30,000/year pay an average of $20,168/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $27,454/year.
Most students borrow to get here. The median graduate leaves owing $22,500 in federal loans, which works out to about $239 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Hold that up against the $63,446 the typical graduate earns ten years out: the debt-to-earnings ratio comes to 0.52, within the range advisors call workable but worth keeping an eye on.
Net Price by Family Income
What families actually pay after grants and scholarships, by income bracket.
| Family Income | Avg Net Price/Year |
|---|---|
| $0 - $30,000 | $20,168 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $17,869 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $18,628 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $23,517 |
| $110,001+ | $27,454 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families under $30,000 pay $20,168 net annually, but the $30,001-$48,000 bracket pays less ($17,869) - an inverted pattern likely reflecting how Pell stacks with state MAP grants and Benedictine institutional aid. Over four years that's $81K against $63K median 10-year earnings - the math becomes workable in the strong nursing/business tracks but still tight in less-anchored programs.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
Middle-income families ($48,001-$75,000) pay $18,628 - notably less than the $0-30K bracket, continuing the inverted pattern. This middle bracket is where Benedictine's value is strongest: aid plus discount produces the cleanest net price, and Chicago metro placement supports earnings that justify the borrowing in strong major selections.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Top-bracket families ($110,001+) pay $27,454 - meaningfully more than the bottom three brackets and approaching three-quarters of sticker. Over four years that's $110K. Illinois high-income families weighing Benedictine against in-state publics like UIUC, UIC, or Illinois State face a real value question - the answer depends heavily on whether the student lands in a high-earning Benedictine track.
Earnings by Major
Top 10 most popular majors at Benedictine University with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Business, General | $71,185 | B |
| Health/Medical Preparatory Programs | $50,130 | F |
| Registered Nursing | $97,934 | A |
| Business Administration, Management, and Operations | $65,665 | C+ |
| Psychology | $53,994 | D |
| Accounting | $79,917 | B |
| Biology | $66,960 | D |
| Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services | $46,788 | F |
| Communication and Media Studies | $47,664 | D |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods | $85,904 | B |
Earnings reflect median 4-year post-completion (or 1-year where 4-year unavailable). Grades based on debt-to-earnings ratio.
Program Analysis
Why these programs deliver their earnings outcomes.
Registered Nursing
Nursing (65 graduates) is Benedictine's flagship financial program: $80,136 first-year and $97,934 four-year earnings against just $17,188 median debt produce a 0.214 ratio - an A grade. Chicago metro nursing salaries are among the strongest in the country, and Benedictine's BSN program places into major hospital systems. This is the strongest mainstream ROI play on campus and one of the cleanest profiles in the dataset.
Business, General
Business, General (77 graduates) is the largest program. Median earnings of $56,194 first-year and $71,185 four-year against $25,000 median debt produce a 0.445 ratio (B grade). Strong Chicago metro placement supports the earnings; the program is one of the better small-private business tracks in the Midwest by sheer scale plus outcome quality.
Health/Medical Preparatory Programs
Pre-Health (71 graduates - the second largest cohort) shows the structural pre-professional value trap: $16,051 first-year earnings against $23,250 median debt yields a 1.449 ratio (F grade). Four-year earnings of $50,130 improve the picture only moderately. This program only makes financial sense for students continuing to medical, dental, PA, or pharmacy school; terminal-bachelor's pre-health graduates face years of weak earnings.
Accounting
Accounting (26 graduates) earns a B grade with $54,328 first-year and $79,917 four-year earnings against $23,325 median debt (0.429 ratio). Strong CPA-track outcomes in the Chicago metro corporate accounting market. This is a reliable mainstream financial bet that competes well with peer Illinois publics on net-cost-adjusted basis.
Computer Science
Computer Science (11 graduates) earns a B grade with $62,235 first-year and $91,698 four-year earnings against $24,000 median debt (0.386 ratio). Strong climb from year one to year four reflects rapid advancement in Chicago tech roles. Small program but high quality outcomes; a strong choice for students who can complete the technical curriculum.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Nat'l Avg |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 68.4% | 52.0% |
| 3-year repayment | 74.5% | 62.0% |
| 5-year repayment | 63.9% | 68.0% |
| 7-year repayment | 72.9% | 72.0% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Benedictine University’s cost and outcomes have moved across College Scorecard releases (2009-2023).
Average Net Price
Completion Rate
Median Earnings, 10 Years After Entry (as reported)
Earnings reflect borrowers measured 10 years after entry and publish on an irregular cadence with a multi-year reporting lag, so this series shows only the years the Department of Education reported - the data is never interpolated.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, release years shown. Net price and completion are reported annually.
Admissions Snapshot
| Acceptance rate | 95.2% |
| Enrollment | 1,942 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 39.5% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $8,516 |
Benedictine admits 95.2% of applicants - effectively open admission. SAT and ACT score ranges are not reported, suggesting test-optional or test-blind operation. The 95% admit rate paired with a 50.3% completion rate is the broad-access pattern: the school admits widely and graduates roughly half. Selectivity is not a meaningful screen here; program fit and academic preparation are better predictors of finishing than admit-rate signals.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
Peers include School of the Art Institute of Chicago (a Chicago metro art school - very different program mix), Augustana College (Illinois liberal arts, more selective), Wilkes University, Marymount University, and Utica University. Augustana is the closest functional comparison - a similarly-sized Illinois private with stronger admissions selectivity and somewhat better completion. Marymount (VA) and Wilkes (PA) post comparable ROI scores. Among small Catholic-tradition privates, Benedictine's combination of Chicago metro placement and reasonable net price puts it in the upper half of value.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benedictine University (this school) | 65 | $22,313 | $63,446 |
| Augustana College | 67 | $22,736 | $62,971 |
| Utica University | 66 | $19,108 | $63,277 |
| Wilkes University | 65 | $27,743 | $63,454 |
| Marymount University | 63 | $29,137 | $67,516 |
| School of the Art Institute of Chicago | 21 | $49,790 | $40,151 |
Who Thrives Here
Benedictine's 1,942 enrollment, 39.5% Pell rate, and Chicago suburban Catholic identity define a hybrid commuter-residential student body, with strong representation from first-generation Chicagoland families. Best fit: students entering nursing (the school's anchor program), business/accounting/finance pipelines targeting Chicago employers, or computer science. The 50% completion rate is the central fit risk - prepared students with clear major plans substantially outperform that headline number. Mismatch: pre-health/pre-med tracks where students don't continue to graduate school face severe ROI headwinds (the Health/Medical Preparatory program posts an F grade).
The Verdict: A Reasonable Bet - With Caveats
Benedictine University is a fair-value bet, but how well it pays off depends a lot on you. At $22,313 a year after aid ($89,252 over four years), with the typical graduate earning $63,446 a decade out, the cost takes about 8.1 years to earn back. That's roughly average - not a bargain, not a mistake.
What to keep an eye on: its 50.3% graduation rate.
Median debt of $22,500 against $63,446 in earnings is reasonable, though your major matters a lot here. Graduates in higher-earning fields will see the better end of this.
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Data: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education)
Vintage: 2024-2025 · Last updated: 2026-03-25
Earnings reflect median outcomes for all federal financial aid recipients. Individual results vary by major, effort, and career path.