University

University of Chicago

University
#6 / #5
Global Influence / U.S. Influence
#8
Most Desirable School
Private university in Chicago, Illinois

University of Chicago Featured Rankings

About University of Chicago

By James Barham, PhD

The University of Chicago is one of the foremost universities in the world academically, albeit one of the youngest in that august company. In spite of its relatively recent founding, the school has been associated with some of the world’s most important scientific achievements, above all, the first controlled, self-sustaining, nuclear chain reaction (atomic fission), which was achieved in late 1942 by a team led by the legendary Italian physicist, Enrico Fermi, in a laboratory beneath a football field on the Chicago campus.

In another first, in 1952 then-graduate student Stanley Miller, with the assistance of his adviser, the distinguished University of Chicago chemist Harold Urey, demonstrated that organic molecules such as amino acids can be artificially produced in vitro from only inorganic precursor compounds. It is also worth noting that James D. Watson, the co-discover with Francis Crick of the double-helix structure of the DNA molecule at the University of Cambridge—also in 1952—completed his undergraduate education at Chicago.

However, Chicago is famed for far more than its contributions to science. For example, in 1896 renowned philosopher John Dewey founded the “Lab School” on the university’s campus to put his liberal pedagogical principles into practice. For better or for worse, the Chicago Lab School has had an incalculable impact on the course of educational philosophy in America.

In 1952, former University of Chicago President Robert Maynard Hutchins and philosophy professor Mortimer J. Adler teamed up to found the Great Books of the Western World publishing project and accompanying curriculum—one of the most important ancestors of the Great Books programs that are increasing in popularity today throughout the US.

Of the approximately 90 Nobel Prize recipients connected to the University of Chicago, no fewer than 29 have been recognized for their work in economics, including such distinguished names as:

  • Friedrich Hayek
  • Paul Samuelson
  • Kenneth Arrow
  • Herbert Simon
  • Milton Friedman
  • James M. Buchanan
  • George Stigler
  • Robert Lucas
  • Ronald Coase
  • Gary Becker
  • Eugene Fama

Friedman’s free-market views, in particular, have been identified with the university—so much so that he and his close associates (Stigler, Lucas, Coase, Becker, Fama, among others) have come to be known collectively as the “Chicago School” of economics.

The American novelist and Nobelist Saul Bellow was a professor at Chicago, as well as a longtime member of the university’s prestigious Committee on Social Thought.

Of the many other distinguished scholars associated with the Committee on Social Thought, we may mention Hans Jonas, Hannah Arendt, Mircea Eliade, Allan Bloom, and Leon Kass.

In addition, the highly influential political philosopher, Leo Strauss, held the Robert Maynard Hutchins Distinguished Service Professorship at Chicago for 20 years.

Other distinguished Chicago-related individuals include:

  • Astrophysicist, Edwin Hubble
  • Physicists, Luis Walter Alvarez & Carl Sagan
  • Statistician, Nate Silver
  • Novelists, Kurt Vonnegut & Philip Roth
  • Philosopher, Richard Rorty
  • Essayist, novelist, and culture critic, Susan Sontag
  • Historian, Carter G. Woodson
  • Anthropologist, Clifford Geertz
  • Economist, Thomas Sowell
  • Author, radio broadcaster, and oral history pioneer, Studs Terkel
  • Actor, Ed Asner
  • Actor and film director, Mike Nichols
  • Film critic, Roger Ebert
  • Dancer and choreographer, Katherine Dunham
  • Washington Post publisher, Katharine Graham
  • 2020 Democratic Party presidential nomination candidates, Amy Klobuchar & Bernie Sanders

According to Wikipedia, The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. The university has its main campus in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The university is composed of an undergraduate college and four graduate research divisions, which contain all of the university's graduate programs and interdisciplinary committees. It has eight professional schools: the Law School; the Booth School of Business; the Pritzker School of Medicine; the Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice; the Harris School of Public Policy; the Divinity School; the Graham School of Continuing Liberal and Professional Studies; and the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering. The university has additional campuses and centers in London, Paris, Beijing, Delhi, and Hong Kong, as well as in downtown Chicago.

University of Chicago's Online Degrees

University of Chicago Admissions, Retention, and Graduation Information

Annual ApplicationsAcceptanceGraduation RateMedian SAT ScoreMedian ACT Score
37,9746%96%153534

How Much Does University of Chicago Cost To Attend?

Tuition (in-state)
$62,241
Price by Family Income
IncomeAverage Net Cost
0 - 30K$2,500
30K - 48K$4,777
48K - 75K$8,375
75K - 110K$19,895
110K+$46,267

Source: National Center for Education Statistics

How Much Do University of Chicago Graduates Make?

If you graduate from University of Chicago, then you can expect to earn an average of $103,000 per year. You also have a 90% chance of being employed after 10 years.

University of Chicago's Demographics

Demographic data is for full-time, on-campus students.

Student BodyUnder-GradsGraduates
19,9968,39111,605

Where is University of Chicago?

University of Chicago is located at 5801 S Ellis Ave, Chicago IL 60637

How Safe is University of Chicago?

University of Chicago has a violent crime rate of less than .01% and a property crime rate of less than .01%.

What Is University of Chicago Known For?

University of Chicago is known for it's academic work in the following disciplines:

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

Anthropology
#1
World Rank
#2
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#1
USA Rank
anthropology Degrees
Sociology
#1
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#1
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#1
USA Rank
sociology Degrees
Economics
#2
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#2
Historical Rank
#2
USA Rank
economics Degrees
Philosophy
#7
World Rank
#14
Historical Rank
#3
USA Rank
philosophy Degrees
Religious Studies
#14
World Rank
#20
Historical Rank
#3
USA Rank
religious-studies-hub Degrees
Social Work
#3
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#3
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#3
USA Rank
social-work Degrees
Mathematics
#8
World Rank
#14
Historical Rank
#4
USA Rank
math Degrees
Political Science
#5
World Rank
#5
Historical Rank
#4
USA Rank
political-science Degrees
Law
#6
World Rank
#6
Historical Rank
#4
USA Rank
Psychology
#5
World Rank
#5
Historical Rank
#4
USA Rank
psychology Degrees
Education
#6
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#6
Historical Rank
#4
USA Rank
education Degrees
History
#7
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#8
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#4
USA Rank
history Degrees
Earth Sciences
#9
World Rank
#9
Historical Rank
#4
USA Rank
earth-science Degrees
Criminal Justice
#4
World Rank
#3
Historical Rank
#4
USA Rank
criminal-justice Degrees
Physics
#7
World Rank
#9
Historical Rank
#5
USA Rank
physics Degrees
Communications
#8
World Rank
#10
Historical Rank
#5
USA Rank
communications Degrees
Chemistry
#10
World Rank
#20
Historical Rank
#5
USA Rank
chemistry Degrees
Biology
#9
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#16
Historical Rank
#6
USA Rank
biology Degrees
Business
#7
World Rank
#7
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#6
USA Rank
business Degrees
Literature
#8
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#12
Historical Rank
#6
USA Rank
literature Degrees
Medical
#12
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#12
Historical Rank
#8
USA Rank
medicine Degrees
Computer Science
#23
World Rank
#19
Historical Rank
#15
USA Rank
computer-science Degrees
Engineering
#33
World Rank
#39
Historical Rank
#16
USA Rank
engineering Degrees

Who Are University of Chicago's Most Influential Alumni?

University of Chicago's most influential alumni include professors and professionals in the fields of Sociology, Economics, and Anthropology. Here are some of University of Chicago's most famous alumni:

Milton Friedman
Milton Friedman
An American economist, statistician, and writer.
Herbert A. Simon
Herbert A. Simon
An American political scientist, economist, sociologist, and psychologist .
Paul Samuelson
Paul Samuelson
An American economist.
Joseph Stiglitz
Joseph Stiglitz
An American economist, professor, and recipient of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics.
Richard Rorty
Richard Rorty
An American philosopher.
James Watson
James Watson
An American molecular biologist, geneticist, and zoologist, (1928– ), Chicago, Illinois, USA.
Martin Gardner
Martin Gardner
An American recreational mathematician and philosopher .
Thomas Sowell
Thomas Sowell
An American economist, social theorist, political philosopher and author.
George Lakoff
George Lakoff
An American linguist.
John B. Watson
John B. Watson
An American psychologist .
Gary Becker
Gary Becker
An American economist .
Philip Roth
Philip Roth
An American novelist .

Who Are University of Chicago's Most Influential Faculty?

University of Chicago's most influential faculty include professors in the fields of Sociology, Economics, and Anthropology. Here are some of University of Chicago's most famous alumni:

Sendhil Mullainathan
Sendhil Mullainathan
An Indian economist.
Daniel J. Bernstein
Daniel J. Bernstein
An American mathematician, cryptologist and programmer.
Ngô Bảo Châu
Ngô Bảo Châu
A Vietnamese math professor.
Nic Pizzolatto
An American writer.
Robert W. Vishny
An American economist.
Gita Gopinath
Gita Gopinath
An Indian-American economist.
Ian Agol
Ian Agol
An American mathematician.
Konstantin Sonin
Konstantin Sonin
A Russian economist.
Sian Beilock
Sian Beilock
A Professor of Psychology.
Xavier Gabaix
A French economist.
Melissa Harris-Perry
Melissa Harris-Perry
An American journalist.
Jesse Shapiro
An American economist.