Concordia University Chicago

Concordia University Chicago logo
#6850 / #1806
Global Influence / U.S. Influence
#833
Most Desirable School
Private Lutheran university in River Forest, Illinois

Concordia University Chicago at a Glance

U.S. influence rank
#1806
Acceptance rate (fall 2024)
93%
Tuition and fees (2025–26)
$38,798
Graduation rate
47%
Undergraduates (fall 2024)
1,323

Reviewed by , Vice President and Academic Editor. Influence ranks come from our InfluenceRanking™ methodology; other figures come from federal data, with the year shown under each section. Report an error

Concordia University Chicago Featured Rankings

About Concordia University Chicago

According to Wikipedia, Concordia University Chicago is a private university in River Forest, Illinois. Formerly a college exclusively for parochial teacher education, Concordia-Chicago now offers more than 100 undergraduate and postgraduate degrees and enrolls more than 5,000 students. The university is a member of the Concordia University System, a nationwide network of colleges and universities affiliated with the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod .

Concordia University Chicago's Online Degrees

MA in Innovation And Entrepreneurship
  • Required Credits: 30
  • Completion Time: 20 months
  • Format: Fully online
DBA in Business Administration
  • Required Credits: 60
  • Completion Time: 3 years
  • Format: Fully online
BS in Human Resource Management
  • Required Credits: 128
  • Format: Fully online
BA in Organizational Management
  • Required Credits: 128
  • Format: Fully online
BA in Sports Recreation Management
  • Required Credits: 128
  • Format: Fully online
BA to MBA in Business Administration Dual Degree
  • Completion Time: 1-2 years
  • Format: Fully online
BA to MA in Sports Leadership Dual Degree
  • Completion Time: 1-2 years
  • Format: Fully online
Graduate Endorsement in Technology Specialist
  • Required Credits: 24
  • Completion Time: 18 months
  • Format: Fully online
Endorsement in Esl
  • Required Credits: 18
  • Format: Fully online
Graduate Endorsement in Gifted Teacher
  • Required Credits: 18
  • Completion Time: 12 months
  • Format: Fully online
Graduate Certificate in Special Education
Degree Concentrations
  • Lbs 1 Endorsement
  • Required Credits: 18
  • Format: Fully online
Graduate Certificate in Tesol
  • Required Credits: 18
  • Format: Fully online
MA in Curriculum And Instruction
Degree Concentrations
  • Esl Endorsement
  • Trauma And Resilience
  • Esl And Bilingual Endorsements
  • Required Credits: 30
  • Completion Time: 1-2 years
  • Format: Fully online
MA in Differentiated Instruction
  • Required Credits: 30
  • Completion Time: 1-2 years
  • Format: Fully online
MA in Early Childhood Education
  • Required Credits: 30
  • Completion Time: 1-2 years
  • Format: Fully online
MA in Educational Administration
  • Required Credits: 30
  • Completion Time: 12 or 24 months
  • Format: Fully online
MA in Educational Technology
Degree Concentrations
  • Curriculum And Instruction
  • Required Credits: 30
  • Completion Time: 1-2 years
  • Format: Fully online
MA in Gifted Education
  • Required Credits: 30
  • Completion Time: 12 or 24 months
  • Format: Fully online
MA in Reading Education
  • Required Credits: 30
  • Completion Time: 24 months
  • Format: Fully online
MA in Special Education Leadership
  • Required Credits: 30
  • Completion Time: 24 months
  • Format: Fully online
MA in Teacher Leadership
  • Required Credits: 30
  • Completion Time: 24 months
  • Format: Fully online
MeD in Teaching And Learning
  • Required Credits: 30
  • Completion Time: 12 or 24 months
  • Format: Fully online
Graduate Certificate in Reading Specialist K-12
  • Required Credits: 30
  • Format: Fully online
MA in Church Music
  • Required Credits: 33
  • Completion Time: 1 year
  • Format: Fully online
MA in Human Services
  • Required Credits: 33
  • Completion Time: 24 months
  • Format: Fully online
MA in Human Services Administration
  • Required Credits: 33
  • Completion Time: 24 months
  • Format: Fully online
MA in Leadership
Degree Concentrations
  • Higher Education
  • Required Credits: 33
  • Completion Time: 12 or 24 months
  • Format: Fully online
MA in Leadership: Organizational Leadership
  • Required Credits: 33
  • Completion Time: 24 months
  • Format: Fully online
BA to MA in Triton College 3+1: Sports And Recreation Management
  • Required Credits: 122
  • Format: Fully online
BA in Healthcare Management
  • Required Credits: 128
  • Format: Fully online
BS in Kinesiology
  • Required Credits: 128
  • Format: Fully online
BA to MA in Triton College 3+1: Sports Leadership
  • Completion Time: 1-2 years
  • Format: Fully online

Concordia University Chicago Admissions, Retention, and Graduation Information

Annual ApplicationsAcceptanceRetention RateGraduation Rate
4,60793%61%47%

Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); acceptance rate for fall 2024; test scores for fall 2024; applications and enrollment for fall 2023; retention for students who started in fall 2023; graduation rate within six years for students who started in 2019.

How Much Does Concordia University Chicago Cost To Attend?

Tuition and fees (in-state)
$38,798
Average Net Price by Family Income (2024–25)
IncomeAverage Net Cost
0 - 30K$15,658
30K - 48K$16,665
48K - 75K$14,488
75K - 110K$17,920
110K+$23,108

Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); tuition and fees for 2025–26; net price for 2024–25, for first-time, full-time students receiving financial aid.

How Much Do Concordia University Chicago Graduates Make?

Ten years after starting college, former Concordia University Chicago students who received federal financial aid earn a median of $56,714 a year, and 93% of those not still in school are working.

Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard; students who started college in 2011–12 or 2012–13, measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars.

Concordia University Chicago's Demographics

Students enrolled at any time during the 2023–24 school year, including part-time and online students.

Student BodyUnder-GradsGraduates
6,7861,6625,124

Source: National Center for Education Statistics; 12-month enrollment for 2023–24.

Where is Concordia University Chicago?

Concordia University Chicago is located at 7400 Augusta, River Forest, IL 60305-1499.

How Safe is Concordia University Chicago?

Like every college that receives federal student aid, Concordia University Chicago publishes an annual security report with its campus crime statistics and safety policies. Its figures can also be looked up in the U.S. Department of Education’s Campus Safety and Security database.

Relative to its enrollment, Concordia University Chicago has a violent crime rate of 0.06% and a property crime rate of 0.06%. River Forest has a violent crime rate of 0.08% and a property (including theft) crime rate of 2.49%. Sources: campus: U.S. Department of Education Campus Safety and Security data, on-campus offenses in 2024 (violent: murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault; property: burglary, motor vehicle theft and arson, which excludes ordinary theft); city: FBI Crime Data Explorer, offenses reported to the city police in 2024.

What Is Concordia University Chicago Known For?

Concordia University Chicago is known for its academic work in the following disciplines:

Concordia University Chicago's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered

Each rank compares how much Concordia University Chicago's faculty and alumni have shaped a field with other schools, using Wikipedia, Wikidata and scholarly citation databases such as Crossref and Semantic Scholar. World and U.S. ranks reflect modern influence; the historical rank counts influence across all time. How we rank influence

Religious Studies
#3225
World Rank
#3238
Historical Rank
#705
USA Rank

Concordia University Chicago ranks #705 in the U.S. and #3225 worldwide for influence in Religious Studies.

religious-studies-hub Degrees
Literature
#3129
World Rank
#3170
Historical Rank
#1046
USA Rank

Concordia University Chicago ranks #1046 in the U.S. and #3129 worldwide for influence in Literature.

literature Degrees
Social Work
#2715
World Rank
#2715
Historical Rank
#1123
USA Rank

Concordia University Chicago ranks #1123 in the U.S. and #2715 worldwide for influence in Social Work.

social-work Degrees
Medical
#4533
World Rank
#4534
Historical Rank
#1322
USA Rank

Concordia University Chicago ranks #1322 in the U.S. and #4533 worldwide for influence in Medical.

medicine Degrees
Education
#5597
World Rank
#5599
Historical Rank
#1378
USA Rank

Concordia University Chicago ranks #1378 in the U.S. and #5597 worldwide for influence in Education.

education Degrees
Business
#5484
World Rank
#5485
Historical Rank
#1513
USA Rank

Concordia University Chicago ranks #1513 in the U.S. and #5484 worldwide for influence in Business.

business Degrees
History
#4971
World Rank
#4980
Historical Rank
#1538
USA Rank

Concordia University Chicago ranks #1538 in the U.S. and #4971 worldwide for influence in History.

history Degrees
Philosophy
#5331
World Rank
#5362
Historical Rank
#1593
USA Rank

Concordia University Chicago ranks #1593 in the U.S. and #5331 worldwide for influence in Philosophy.

philosophy Degrees
Psychology
#4682
World Rank
#4693
Historical Rank
#1778
USA Rank

Concordia University Chicago ranks #1778 in the U.S. and #4682 worldwide for influence in Psychology.

psychology Degrees
Computer Science
#8076
World Rank
#8080
Historical Rank
#2068
USA Rank

Concordia University Chicago ranks #2068 in the U.S. and #8076 worldwide for influence in Computer Science.

computer-science Degrees
Nursing
#5240
World Rank
#5240
Historical Rank
#2078
USA Rank

Concordia University Chicago ranks #2078 in the U.S. and #5240 worldwide for influence in Nursing.

nursing Degrees
Biology
#8455
World Rank
#8472
Historical Rank
#2103
USA Rank

Concordia University Chicago ranks #2103 in the U.S. and #8455 worldwide for influence in Biology.

biology Degrees
Mathematics
#8704
World Rank
#8725
Historical Rank
#2455
USA Rank

Concordia University Chicago ranks #2455 in the U.S. and #8704 worldwide for influence in Mathematics.

math Degrees
Political Science
#10856
World Rank
#10861
Historical Rank
#2586
USA Rank

Concordia University Chicago ranks #2586 in the U.S. and #10856 worldwide for influence in Political Science.

political-science Degrees
Communications
#9538
World Rank
#9553
Historical Rank
#2618
USA Rank

Concordia University Chicago ranks #2618 in the U.S. and #9538 worldwide for influence in Communications.

communications Degrees

Who Are Concordia University Chicago's Most Influential Alumni?

Carl Schalk
An American composer.
Paul Manz
An American musician.