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National Louis University

Chicago, IL 4,406 Undergrads 47.2% Grad Rate
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Total Cost
$24,154
Sticker Price
Avg Net Price
$12,641
After Aid
Median Earnings
$63,065
4yr Post-Grad

Vs. Peer Institutions

Net Price$12,641
Peer Midpoint: $20,081
Earnings (4yr Post-Grad)Completers only after graduation
$63,065
Peer Midpoint: $60,428
Warning: This school's reported earnings inflated significantly (+38%) when the Dept of Education excluded non-graduates from the dataset. Take caution when comparing.
Earnings (10yr Post-Enroll)All enrolled after enrollment
$45,799
Peer Midpoint: $53,763
Graduation Rate47.2%
Peer Midpoint: 58.9%
Warning: The majority of students at this institution do not graduate. Non-completers typically earn significantly less and face higher debt risks.
Average Starting Age30.2
Warning: High average starting age indicates non-traditional students with prior work experience, which may inflate the median earnings shown.
Socio-Economic Diversity
Pell Grant Recipients58.5%
Enrollment Status
Full-Time65.2%
Economic Outcomes
Earn More than HS70.6%

Admissions Profile

Acceptance
95.0%
SAT Avg
-
SAT Reading
25th: --75th: -
SAT Math
25th: --75th: -
ACT Composite
25th: --75th: -

ROI Sensitivity Analysis
Assuming 4 Years to Graduation

This analysis tests three cost scenarios (Scholarship, Average Net Price, Full Sticker Price) to show how college costs impact your long-term return compared to the average student and a high school graduate.

Lifetime Value Added (NPV)
⚠️ Caution: Underlying earnings data reflects graduates only. This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate this ROI.

Institution Lifetime NPV
Vs Median Peer
Vs HS Grad
Zero Cost (Scholarship)$0
+$560k
+$93k
+$76k
Median Cost$13k/yr
+$515k
+$48k
+$30k
Full Cost$24k/yr
+$473k
+$6k
-$11k

ROI Efficiency Metrics
⚠️ Caution: Underlying earnings data reflects graduates only. This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate this ROI.

Break-Even Age
Return on Inv. %
Zero Cost (Scholarship)$0
34
∞
Median Cost$13k/yr
46
66%
Full Cost$24k/yr
Never
-13%
Analysis Assumptions:
  • Starting Salary: Estimated from the 4-year post-graduation median earnings (assuming 2% annual growth from graduation).⚠️ Warning: The high average starting age or low completion rate may inflate the Median earnings and ROI shown.
  • Comparisons: "Vs Median Peer" compares to the median student nationwide in a similar level program. "Vs HS Grad" compares to a median high school graduate.
  • Break-Even: The age at which the college investment net income exceeds the median high school graduate's lifetime earnings.
  • NPV: Net Present Value of all future earnings minus costs and taxes, discounted at 7.8%.

Social Impact ROINew
⚠️ Caution: Underlying earnings data reflects graduates only. This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate this ROI.

Measures the societal return on a donor's investment. Calculated as the incremental pre-tax lifetime earnings vs. HS grad, divided by the tax-adjusted donation cost.

Donor Return75%

Gov. Pell Grant ROINew
⚠️ Caution: Underlying earnings data reflects graduates only. This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate this ROI.

Measures the government's return on Pell Grants via increased tax revenue. Calculated as the portion of incremental lifetime taxes (discounted at 5.4%) attributed to the Pell Grant investment.

Taxpayer Return-29%
Important Note: Your ROI with any major will depend on the cost you pay to attend the program, and your starting salary. Both vary significantly across institutions. We encourage you to explore the ROI of a specific program variant by selecting the Program title of the credential level you are interested in. You will then have a more detailed return analysis for programs at specific institutions. We also encourage you to use the ROI calculator, or for more sophisticated analysis, the Guided ROI Interview, with your specific estimates of cost and salary.

Program ROI Analysis
⚠️ Caution: Underlying earnings data reflects graduates only. This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate this ROI.

Certificates

Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $47,440
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Associate's Degrees

Median Debt
$12,833
Earnings (4yr)
$45,609
Natl Median: $39,605
Lifetime Value Added
-$19k

Bachelor's Degrees

Median Debt
$16,353
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $68,257
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$45,610
Natl Median: $68,407
Lifetime Value Added
-$121k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $50,523
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $56,359
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Criminology
BachCIP: 4504
Median Debt
$21,036
Earnings (4yr)
$56,989
Natl Median: $55,556
Lifetime Value Added
-$19k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$35,060
Natl Median: $47,668
Lifetime Value Added
-$192k
Median Debt
$25,000
Earnings (4yr)
$64,430
Natl Median: $58,716
Lifetime Value Added
+$41k
Median Debt
$25,248
Earnings (4yr)
$61,413
Natl Median: $56,726
Lifetime Value Added
+$17k
Median Debt
$25,000
Earnings (4yr)
$45,388
Natl Median: $48,568
Lifetime Value Added
-$115k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$48,667
Natl Median: $66,759
Lifetime Value Added
-$71k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $83,290
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$22,507
Earnings (4yr)
$74,144
Natl Median: $86,176
Lifetime Value Added
+$116k
Median Debt
$23,611
Earnings (4yr)
$52,616
Natl Median: $55,693
Lifetime Value Added
-$54k
Psychology, General
BachCIP: 4201
Median Debt
$14,000
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $50,706
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$52,649
Natl Median: $61,630
Lifetime Value Added
-$54k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $53,366
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Social Work
BachCIP: 4407
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $51,790
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $50,499
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$35,742
Earnings (4yr)
$46,398
Natl Median: $47,382
Lifetime Value Added
-$107k

Master's Degrees

Median Debt
$41,000
Earnings (4yr)
$86,139
Natl Median: $103,485
Lifetime Value Added
+$96k
Median Debt
$45,757
Earnings (4yr)
$59,315
Natl Median: $65,184
Lifetime Value Added
-$142k
Median Debt
$21,555
Earnings (4yr)
$70,926
Natl Median: $63,399
Lifetime Value Added
-$38k
Median Debt
$30,750
Earnings (4yr)
$76,905
Natl Median: $71,685
Lifetime Value Added
+$15k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $66,232
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $70,644
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$41,000
Earnings (4yr)
$78,175
Natl Median: $89,981
Lifetime Value Added
+$26k
Median Debt
$35,566
Earnings (4yr)
$61,024
Natl Median: $58,524
Lifetime Value Added
-$126k
Median Debt
$41,000
Earnings (4yr)
$79,490
Natl Median: $83,558
Lifetime Value Added
+$37k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $57,050
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $59,571
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Psychology, General
MastCIP: 4201
Median Debt
$41,000
Earnings (4yr)
$56,286
Natl Median: $64,711
Lifetime Value Added
-$170k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $93,020
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$55,948
Natl Median: $55,035
Lifetime Value Added
-$173k
Median Debt
$41,000
Earnings (4yr)
$65,083
Natl Median: $64,397
Lifetime Value Added
-$89k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $60,111
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$28,041
Earnings (4yr)
$62,529
Natl Median: $59,916
Lifetime Value Added
-$113k
Median Debt
$23,349
Earnings (4yr)
$74,580
Natl Median: $63,707
Lifetime Value Added
-$6k

Graduate Certificates

Psychology, General
Gr-CertCIP: 4201
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $62,083
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $69,444
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Doctoral Degrees

Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $113,566
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$12,623
Earnings (4yr)
$80,648
Natl Median: $99,878
Lifetime Value Added
-$95k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $83,031
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$67,279
Earnings (4yr)
$136,173
Natl Median: $100,573
Lifetime Value Added
+$316k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $81,271
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $85,168
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Other Programs

Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $57,802
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Note: Lifetime Value Added is the Net Present Value (NPV) of estimated career earnings relative to a median high school graduate (for undergraduate programs) or a median bachelor's degree holder (for graduate programs), accounting for this institution's average cost and taxes. Computed over a career to retirement age.

For graduate programs (Master's, Doctoral, etc.), the calculation assumes a starting age of 22 (after undergraduate completion) and does not include the sunk costs of prior degrees. It represents the value added of the graduate decision moving forward. Note that the institution's average undergraduate net price is used as a proxy for annual cost, which may differ from actual graduate tuition. These Lifetime Value Added results for graduate degrees should not be compared with those for Undergraduate Certificates, Associates or Bachelors.

Completers Only: Federal median earnings data strictly reflects outcomes for students who successfully graduated. Students who do not complete their degree typically earn significantly less and face higher risks of debt default.