Loyola University Chicago acceptance rate and your odds of getting in
With an acceptance rate near 82%, Loyola University Chicago is an accessible private college in Illinois. Because it admits most qualified applicants, admission turns on the strength of your whole profile rather than any one number.
Use this page to see what Loyola University Chicago weighs, where it ranks among Illinois schools, and how a profile like yours is likely to land. Admitted students post a 75th-percentile SAT around 1330, a useful checkpoint for where your scores sit, though it is a reference range and not a cutoff.
Loyola University Chicago supplemental essays, 2026-27
What do students study at Loyola University Chicago?
Bachelor's degrees awarded by field in 2023 (IPEDS completions). Each field has its own page with the school's numbers, the model's major adjustment, and peers offering it.
Will I get into Loyola University Chicago?
Direct answers to what applicants ask about getting into Loyola University Chicago, plus a free way to calculate your own odds.
What are my chances of getting into Loyola University Chicago?
Loyola University Chicago admits most qualified applicants (around 82%), but that overall rate is not your personal chance. Your real odds depend on how your GPA, course rigor, test scores, and activities compare to its admitted students. Run your profile through the free CollegeCalcAI calculator to get a personalized acceptance percentage for Loyola University Chicago in about three minutes, with no account needed to start.
Is Loyola University Chicago hard to get into?
Loyola University Chicago is accessible: it admits most qualified applicants, with about a 82% acceptance rate. Meeting the academic basics gives most qualified applicants a realistic shot.
What GPA do you need to get into Loyola University Chicago?
There is no hard GPA cutoff at Loyola University Chicago, but admitted students span a wide GPA range, with many in the 2.8 to 3.5 band. Loyola University Chicago reads your GPA alongside the rigor of your courses, so a challenging schedule matters as much as the number itself.
Your chances at Loyola University Chicago by GPA and SAT
Estimated chance of admission at Loyola University Chicago for plain profiles, from the same model as the calculator. Unweighted GPA, 3 AP courses, Regular Decision, no legacy, athletic or first-generation hook. The last column is test-optional (no score sent).
What are my chances at Loyola University Chicago with a 3.1 GPA and a 1270 SAT?
About 97% (Safety), by CollegeCalcAI's deterministic model, for an applicant with a 3.1 unweighted GPA and a 1270 SAT, the middle of Loyola University Chicago's admitted range, applying Regular Decision without a hook. A 3.4 GPA with a 1360 SAT comes out near 98%. Courses, activities, essays and the application round move the number; the free calculator includes them.
Estimates, not guarantees. Get yours with your real courses and activities. Assistants and developers can fetch this table from the free API: /api/v1/colleges/loyola-university-chicago.
How to get into Loyola University Chicago
Built from Loyola University Chicago's admitted class and what it reports weighing. The typical-admit GPA and SAT are CollegeCalcAI's modeled figures, not published cutoffs.
Here is how to get into Loyola University Chicago, built from what its admitted class actually looks like and what the school says it weighs.
CollegeCalcAI's modeled typical admit at Loyola University Chicago carries about a 3.10 core GPA and a 1310 SAT, in the most rigorous schedule available. Meeting it puts you in the admitted range for most applicants.
The admitted middle 50% is 1170 to 1360 SAT (27 to 32 ACT). Submit a score at 1265 or higher; below 1170, apply test-optional if the policy allows.
Loyola University Chicago rates rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and standardized test scores highest in its own Common Data Set. Put your depth there: and a transcript whose rigor rises through junior year.
An early application signals interest and gets your file read before the pool fills. Most early deadlines fall on November 1 and Regular Decision on January 1 to 15; confirm Loyola University Chicago's exact dates at www.luc.edu.
How many students apply to Loyola University Chicago, and how many get in?
For the fall 2023 entering class, Loyola University Chicago received 40,468 applications and admitted 32,937, an acceptance rate of 81.4%. 2,951 enrolled. Only about 9% of admitted students enrolled, so the school admits several students for every seat it expects to fill, which is why its acceptance rate reads higher than its selectivity feels. Loyola University Chicago enrolls about 11,737 undergraduates in total, 69% of them women, with a student-to-faculty ratio of 13 to 1.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS 2023 admissions and enrollment.
What SAT and ACT scores do you need for Loyola University Chicago?
Admitted students at Loyola University Chicago post SAT scores of 1170 to 1360 in the middle 50%, with an average of 1297. On the ACT the middle 50% runs from 27 to 32. A score above 1360 puts you in the top quarter of admits and turns the test into an asset; a score below 1170 puts you in the bottom quarter, where the rest of the application has to carry more weight. Loyola University Chicago is test-optional: scores are considered if you submit them but not required. Send a score at or above the middle of the admitted range; otherwise apply without one and let your transcript lead.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10.
What Loyola University Chicago looks for
What Loyola University Chicago weighs most heavily in its admissions review, informed by its reported Common Data Set.
In its review, Loyola University Chicago leans most on rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and standardized test scores. Solid grades in a challenging schedule do most of the work here, with the rest of the application providing context. These ratings come from Loyola University Chicago's reported Common Data Set, so the full chart below reflects what the school itself says it values, not a generic guess.
SAT score positioning at Loyola University Chicago
How common SAT scores sit relative to the admitted middle. This is context, not a probability. Your full profile determines the real estimate.
How much does Loyola University Chicago cost after financial aid?
The full sticker price at Loyola University Chicago (tuition, fees, housing, food, books) is about $67,408 a year. Tuition and fees alone are $53,710. What families actually pay is different: the average net price after grants and scholarships is $36,079 a year, and it ranges from $28,992 for families earning under $30,000 to $42,346 for families earning over $110,000. 24% of undergraduates receive a federal Pell Grant.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10. Net price is what students receiving aid paid after grants, by family income.
What do Loyola University Chicago graduates earn, and how many graduate?
Median earnings for Loyola University Chicago students ten years after entry are $71,530 ($58,411 at the six-year mark). 73% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 82% return for a second year. Among graduates who borrowed, median federal debt at graduation is $24,157; 45% of undergraduates take federal loans.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10. Earnings cover students who received federal aid.
How Loyola University Chicago compares in Illinois
Loyola University Chicago ranks #28 most selective of 37 schools in Illinois in our database.
Among the 37 Illinois schools we track, Loyola University Chicago ranks #28 most selective by acceptance rate. Schools like University of Chicago (4%) and Northwestern University (8%) sit nearby, which makes Illinois a useful frame for calibrating a balanced list.
Similar to Loyola University Chicago
Schools with a similar selectivity profile, worth comparing as you build a balanced list.
Build around Loyola University Chicago with peers at a comparable selectivity, such as Gonzaga University, Samford University, and St. Bonaventure University. Running the same profile against each one in the free calculator is the fastest way to see where you are a reach, a match, or a likely.
Frequently asked questions
What is Loyola University Chicago's acceptance rate?
Loyola University Chicago admitted 32,937 of 40,468 applicants for the fall 2023 entering class, an acceptance rate of 81.4% (U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS). 9% of admitted students enrolled.
What SAT score do you need for Loyola University Chicago?
The middle 50% of admitted students scored 1170 to 1360 on the SAT and 27 to 32 on the ACT. A score above 1360 is in the top quarter of admits. Loyola University Chicago is test-optional, so only submit a score that helps.
Is Loyola University Chicago test-optional?
Yes. Loyola University Chicago reports that test scores are considered but not required. Submit a score at or above the middle of the admitted range; otherwise apply without one.
How much does Loyola University Chicago cost after financial aid?
The average net price at Loyola University Chicago, what students receiving aid paid after grants and scholarships, is $36,079 a year against a sticker price of about $67,408. Families earning under $30,000 paid about $28,992 on average.
What do Loyola University Chicago graduates earn?
Median earnings ten years after entering Loyola University Chicago are $71,530 a year among students who received federal aid, and 73% of students graduate within six years (College Scorecard).
What does Loyola University Chicago value most in applicants?
Based on its admissions profile, Loyola University Chicago weighs rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and standardized test scores most heavily. The full factor breakdown is on this page.
Does Loyola University Chicago consider legacy or demonstrated interest?
Many private colleges weigh legacy relationships and demonstrated interest. Loyola University Chicago's full factor profile is charted on this page, and CollegeCalcAI models a legacy effect scaled to a school's selectivity.
How can I improve my chances at Loyola University Chicago?
Focus on the highest-leverage parts of your application: course rigor and GPA trajectory first, then test scores, then a focused leadership or activity spike. CollegeCalcAI's Power-Ups quantify how much each change would move your odds at Loyola University Chicago specifically.
What are the admission requirements for Loyola University Chicago?
Loyola University Chicago reviews GPA, course rigor, test scores (where submitted), activities, and essays. With a more accessible acceptance rate, meeting the academic basics gives most qualified applicants a realistic shot.
Acceptance rate, application counts, admitted test ranges, cost, and outcomes reflect publicly reported federal data (U.S. Department of Education: IPEDS 2023 and the College Scorecard) and each school's Common Data Set; figures are rounded and lag the current cycle by one to two years, so confirm deadlines and policies on the school's own site. The typical-admit GPA and SAT are CollegeCalcAI's modeled estimates. Estimates from CollegeCalcAI are a planning tool computed by a fixed, transparent model, not a guarantee of any admission decision.