Roosevelt University
Chicago, Illinois · Private Nonprofit · 97.2% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 35/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Roosevelt University, a private nonprofit in Chicago, IL, scores 35 on the ROI index in Below Benchmark tier. Average earnings at six years are $39,700, rising to a median $48,712 at 10 years. Payback period is 16.1 years, debt-to-earnings is 0.554 against $22,000 median debt - both moderate. Earnings premium is 17%. Enrollment is 2,849 with a 51% Pell rate, signaling a substantial low-income, urban-Chicago student base. Roosevelt has 19 distinct programs reported, with several (nursing, accounting, finance, management, teaching) earning C+/B grades and several arts/music programs earning F. The institutional ROI is therefore highly major-dependent - students choosing the right path see fair-tier outcomes; students in the performance arts programs earn F grades.
How Roosevelt University scores under our methodology
These are the College Scorecard measures that pull this school's CampusROI score down. They describe the published figures, not the quality of the education, and they are our reading of the data. Check them against your own aid offer and intended major.
- ROI Score35/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- 6-year graduation rate35.1% - The national average for four-year schools is 64% (NCES, 2022). Completion is 15% of our score, since a degree that is not finished rarely pays back.
- Payback period16.1 years - The median payback across the schools we score is about 12 years.
Roosevelt University
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $21,315/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $21,315/yr |
| Average net price | $20,194/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $80,776 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $48,712 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $39,700 |
| Median debt at graduation | $22,000 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $233 |
| Estimated payback period | 16.1 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 35.1% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 2,849 |
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: $21,315/year, which covers tuition and fees only. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $20,194/year, or roughly $80,776 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 $18,018/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $27,157/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $22,000, which works out to about $233 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($39,700) and comes to 0.55, under 1.0, meaning median debt is less than a full year of those earnings.
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 | $18,018 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $18,280 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $20,266 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $24,944 |
| $110,001+ | $27,157 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Households at $0-$30,000 pay $18,018 net, while $30,001-$48,000 pays $18,280.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
$48,001-$75,000 pays $20,266 - right at the median net price. $75,001-$110,000 jumps to $24,944, a meaningful step up. The aid curve is normally progressive across these bands.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Households above $110,000 pay $27,157 - the top bracket. Total 4-year cost about $109,000 against $48,712 ten-year earnings. The math is workable for students entering nursing, accounting, or finance and weaker for those entering arts programs.
Earnings by Major
Top 10 most popular majors at Roosevelt University with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Psychology | $52,049 | D |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft | $37,748 | F |
| Teacher Education | $47,134 | C+ |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods | $69,382 | C+ |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | $63,081 | C |
| Biology | $63,274 | D |
| Accounting | $65,839 | C+ |
| Hospitality Administration | $57,617 | C |
| Music | $24,232 | F |
| Marketing | $57,573 | C |
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
Registered Nursing has 9 graduates, $75,231 first-year earnings, $75,716 at four years, $31,000 median debt, 0.412 debt-to-earnings, and a B ROI grade. Strong Chicago-market nursing wages with manageable debt. The flat four-year progression suggests these graduates are mostly settling into staff RN roles rather than progressing into specialties or advanced practice within the data window. Solid choice for Chicago-RN-bound students.
Accounting
Accounting has 26 graduates, $55,350 first-year earnings, $65,839 at four years, $26,667 median debt, 0.482 debt-to-earnings, and a C+ ROI grade. Reasonable Chicago accounting wages with moderate debt. Career paths route through CPA prep, public accounting firms, and corporate finance roles in the Chicago metro economy.
Finance and Financial Management
Finance has 14 graduates, $50,158 first-year earnings, $69,720 at four years, $26,000 median debt, 0.518 debt-to-earnings, and a C+ ROI grade. The four-year earnings growth is solid (39%) and the absolute level is respectable. Chicago is a financial center, which gives Roosevelt finance graduates real placement options at brokerages, banks, and corporate treasury functions.
Teacher Education
Teacher Education has 50 graduates, $47,134 first-year earnings, no four-year earnings reported, $25,000 median debt, 0.53 debt-to-earnings, and a C+ ROI grade. Earnings reflect Chicago Public Schools and suburban Illinois teacher pay scales - decent starting wages by national K-12 standards. Debt is moderate; the C+ grade is fair.
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft
Drama and Theatre has 52 graduates - a substantial cohort - with $21,001 first-year earnings, $37,748 at four years, $26,000 median debt, 1.238 debt-to-earnings, and an F ROI grade. The F grade is structurally honest: Chicago has a real theatre economy but it does not pay a debt-load-clearing wage to most early-career graduates. Students drawn to this program for artistic reasons should know the financial math going in and consider state-school theatre programs at materially lower debt.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 53.0% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 57.3% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 53.9% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 60.7% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Roosevelt University’s cost and outcomes have moved across College Scorecard releases (2009-2024).
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 | 97.2% |
| SAT Math (25th-75th) | 430-575 |
| SAT Reading (25th-75th) | 465-600 |
| ACT Composite (25th-75th) | 18-26 |
| Enrollment | 2,849 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 51.3% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $8,563 |
Admission rate is 97.2%, essentially open admission. SAT mid-range is 430-575 math, 465-600 reading; ACT mid-range 18-26. These scores describe Chicago-area students across a wide preparation band. The near-universal admit rate combined with 35.1% completion is a textbook open-access pattern: many students enroll, fewer than half finish. The SAT and ACT ranges stated above correlate with the 35.1% completion rate.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roosevelt University (this school) | 35 | $20,194 | $48,712 |
| Augustana College | 67 | $22,736 | $62,971 |
| Uta Mesivta of Kiryas Joel | 29 | $4,156 | $31,853 |
| Davenport University | 28 | $17,707 | $45,099 |
| United Talmudical Seminary | 26 | $6,640 | $25,113 |
| School of the Art Institute of Chicago | 21 | $49,790 | $40,151 |
Who Thrives Here
Enrollment of 2,849 is mid-sized; 51% Pell rate confirms heavy low-income enrollment. Outcomes cluster strongly by major: nursing graduates earn $75K, accountants $55K-$66K, music graduates $24K. The university serves working-class Chicago well in pre-professional programs but exposes arts/humanities students to a difficult debt-vs-earnings outcome.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Roosevelt University scores 35/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $20,194 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $48,712 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 16.1 years. In our view that makes the financial case a hard one to make on the numbers alone, but those numbers are averages: your major, your aid package and what you want from a degree all change the picture, so run your own numbers before you commit.
What to keep an eye on: weak earnings relative to cost, its 35.1% graduation rate, a three-year loan repayment rate of 57.3% (median across the schools we score: 73.6%), a long payback period.
Median debt of $22,000 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $39,700 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.55, under the 1.0 point at which debt would equal a full year of those earnings. Your major matters a lot here: graduates in higher-earning fields will see the better end of this.
Roosevelt University: Common Questions
Is Roosevelt University worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Roosevelt University scores 35/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $20,194 a year after aid against $48,712 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 16.1 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Roosevelt University cost after financial aid?
The average net price - the cost of attendance (tuition, fees, books, supplies and average living costs) minus grants and scholarships, for full-time, first-time students receiving federal aid - is about $20,194 a year, or roughly $80,776 over four years. Because it counts living costs, it can run above tuition alone. That is the number to plan around. Actual cost varies by family income, per the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
What do Roosevelt University graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $48,712 ten years after enrolling, roughly $6,912 a year more than the median high-school graduate ($41,800, per NCES, 2022). That earnings gap is what has to cover the cost of the degree.
How long does it take to pay off Roosevelt University?
We estimate the payback period - the time it takes for the earnings bump over a high-school graduate to cover what you spent - at about 16.1 years for Roosevelt University. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Roosevelt University graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $22,000, against average earnings of $39,700 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.55. In our view that is reasonable, though your major matters: higher-earning fields will see the better end of it.
What is the graduation rate at Roosevelt University?
The six-year graduation rate is 35.1%. The national average for four-year schools is 64% (NCES, 2022). Completion is 15% of our ROI score, since a degree you don't finish rarely pays back.
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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.