Roosevelt University

Private · Moderately Selective · IL

Photo: SimLibrarian (CC0)

School data & stats

TypePrivate

LocationIL · Midwest

SettingUrban

Undergrads2,849

Student:faculty11:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate36.2%

6-yr grad rate35.1%

Drop-out rate38.4%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$21k

Out-of-state tuition$21k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity72.7%

Gender diversity62.9%

International5.9%

Identity—

Overview

Roosevelt University occupies two distinctive buildings in Chicago's Loop, the landmark Auditorium Building, an architectural masterpiece by Louis Sullivan and Dankmar Adler, and a striking modern residential tower on Michigan Avenue. Founded in 1945 with an explicit, then-radical commitment to admitting students regardless of race or religion, the university has kept a social-justice identity as central to its mission as any academic program.

Academics

The Chicago College of Performing Arts is Roosevelt's most distinctive academic unit, drawing on the university's downtown Chicago location for performance and industry connections, and pharmacy is another notable, more recently developed professional program. Business and the social sciences carry the university's social-justice orientation into their coursework more explicitly than at many peer institutions.

Campus & student life

The Loop location puts students in the middle of downtown Chicago, with the Auditorium Building's theater and the surrounding cultural, music, and business district all within walking distance. The residential tower gives students housing directly in the heart of the city, an unusual arrangement compared to a traditional suburban or quad-centered campus.

Getting in

Review is holistic and consistent with the university's founding mission, with genuine attention to essays and personal background rather than a formula-driven process.

After graduation

Performing arts graduates benefit directly from Chicago's professional theater, music, and arts scene for early career connections, and pharmacy graduates place into the Chicago-area health care system.

Worth knowing

The Auditorium Building itself is a National Historic Landmark and a working theater, giving performing arts students access to a genuinely historic venue as part of their normal coursework, not just an occasional field trip.

roosevelt.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate97.2%

Enrolled mid-50%SAT 895–1175 · ACT 18–26

Test policyoptional

Rec letters0

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

AdmissionRolling

Applying