Dominican University

Private · Moderately Selective · IL

Photo: E bailey (CC0)

School data & stats

TypePrivate

LocationIL · Midwest

SettingSuburban

Undergrads2,561

Student:faculty12:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate45%

6-yr grad rate55.3%

Drop-out rate22.1%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$39k

Out-of-state tuition$39k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity81.8%

Gender diversity69.5%

International0.4%

IdentityRoman Catholic

Overview

Dominican University is a Catholic university in River Forest, Illinois, just west of Chicago, founded by Dominican Sisters and shaped by their tradition of intellectual inquiry paired with social justice. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution with a genuinely diverse student body for a small Catholic college, and its size allows for close, personal undergraduate teaching.

Academics

Undergraduate teaching is personal and discussion-based given the university's small scale, with faculty generally accessible outside class. Dominican's graduate School of Information Studies, focused on library and information science, carries a strong, nationally recognized reputation disproportionate to the university's overall size and visibility.

Campus & student life

The River Forest campus is a quiet, residential suburban setting a short transit ride from downtown Chicago, giving students city access for internships and cultural life without living in the city itself.

Worth knowing

The social-justice and service orientation rooted in the Dominican Sisters' mission runs through campus culture more than at a typical Catholic university, and the strength of the graduate library-science program is a distinctive asset for students considering that field, even though it operates somewhat separately from undergraduate life.

dom.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate90.3%

Enrolled mid-50%SAT 880–1100 · ACT 16–26

Test policyoptional

Rec letters—

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

AdmissionRolling

Applying