Benedictine University

Private · Moderately Selective · IL

School data & stats

TypePrivate

LocationIL · Midwest

SettingSuburban

Undergrads1,942

Student:faculty15:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate38.6%

6-yr grad rate50.3%

Drop-out rate34%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$36k

Out-of-state tuition$36k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity61.2%

Gender diversity48.2%

International3.4%

IdentityRoman Catholic

Overview

Benedictine University is a Catholic university founded by Benedictine monks in Lisle, Illinois, in Chicago's western suburbs, known for a notably diverse student body that includes a significant Muslim student population drawn in part by the university's welcoming interfaith culture.

Academics

Health sciences and pre-professional biology are established strengths, benefiting from the university's Chicago-area location and ties to regional hospital systems, alongside business programs serving a large population of transfer and working-adult students.

Campus & student life

The Lisle campus mixes traditional residential students with a substantial commuter population from the greater Chicago area. Benedictine's interfaith character is a lived feature of campus life, with active Muslim student life alongside its Benedictine Catholic identity.

Getting in

Admissions is holistic and access-oriented, and the university's interfaith and diversity mission shows up concretely in how it recruits and supports students from a wide range of religious and cultural backgrounds.

Worth knowing

The coexistence of a Benedictine Catholic monastic founding with an actively practiced, sizable Muslim student community is unusual among Catholic universities and is a genuine part of Benedictine's identity rather than an incidental detail.

ben.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate95.2%

Enrolled mid-50%1210

Test policyoptional

Rec letters—

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

AdmissionRolling

Applying