Private Nonprofit Graduate Good 57/100

McKendree University

See admissions data, costs, student outcomes, and academic programs, all verified from official US government sources.

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Lebanon, Illinois

About McKendree University

Thinking about McKendree University, a college in Illinois where more students graduate in Business than anything else? The four things worth knowing are what it actually costs after aid, whether you would get in, whether students finish, and what they earn after they do.

McKendree University is a private nonprofit institution offering graduate degrees based in Lebanon, Illinois. It enrolls 1,752 students (a mid-sized student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Every figure on this page is reported by the federal government, not supplied by the college, so it can be compared like for like against anywhere else you are looking.

Acceptance
71.7%
Graduation
54.8%
Net Price
$24,717
Median Earnings (10yr)
$58,572
Enrollment
1,752
Student : Faculty
16:1

Accreditor Higher Learning Commission
Academic Calendar Semester

How It Measures Up

These four scores answer one question: compared with similar colleges, is this one worth the money? Each runs 0 to 100 and is judged only against its peer group (4-Year Selective), so a community college is never marked down for not being Harvard. Everything is computed from federal data. Nobody can pay to move a score, and a pillar with missing data is left unscored rather than guessed.

Good
57/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Selective
Outcomes 31
Value 36
Affordability 41
Selectivity 59

Admissions & Acceptance Rate

McKendree University admits 71.7% of applicants, which makes it moderately selective, and realistic if you meet the academic profile.

Acceptance Rate
71.7%
Moderate
SAT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
ACT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
Test Policy Test Optional Applicants choose whether to submit SAT or ACT scores.

5-Year Admission Trend

Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether McKendree University is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.

Stable ↑ 0.5 pts since 2019
63.3%201970.1%202077.7%202168.4%202263.9%2023

Cost & Financial Aid

Ignore the sticker price. What matters is the net price, which is what a typical family pays here after grants and scholarships come off. At $24,717 a year on average, it sits in line with what private nonprofit colleges charge nationally. Plan for the gap between that and what you can pay without borrowing. Figures are College Scorecard 2023-24.

The average hides a wide spread by household income, so it is worth estimating what a family at your income would actually pay before treating this as the price.

Average Net Price
$24,717
Per year, after typical aid
Receive Pell Grants
34%
Need-based federal aid
Receive Federal Loans
42%
Borrowing to attend

Full Cost Breakdown

Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.

Tuition & Fees
$34,740
Room & Board (on-campus)
$12,742
Room & Board (off-campus)
$9,284
Books & Supplies
$1,000
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$2,710
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$3,980
Total Cost of Attendance
$48,845

Net Price by Family Income

Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.

  • Under $30,000
    $21,928
  • $30,001 – $48,000
    $21,432
  • $48,001 – $75,000
    $21,041
  • $75,001 – $110,000
    $28,333
  • Over $110,000
    $29,066

Debt at Graduation

Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.

$4,000
10% percentile
$7,500
25% percentile
$23,250
Median percentile
$26,500
75% percentile
$34,177
90% percentile

Median Debt by Student Type

Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.

GroupDebtvs Median
Pell recipients $15,878 ↓ $7,372
No Pell $17,000 ↓ $6,250
Dependent students $16,363 ↓ $6,887
Independent students $16,215 ↓ $7,035
Female students $18,000 ↓ $5,250
Male students $13,000 ↓ $10,250
Pell recipients: 16.5% (3,827 students)No Pell: 17.6% (4,098 students)Dependent students: 17.0% (3,944 students)Independent students: 16.8% (3,909 students)Female students: 18.7% (4,339 students)Male students: 13.5% (3,134 students)Overall Median$23,250
Worth knowing: Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $9,500, less than completers ($23,250), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.

Graduation Rate & Retention

55% of students who start here finish within six years, and 68% come back after first year. Roughly half finish on that timeline, so budget for the possibility of a longer run. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

Completion and earnings carry the most weight in this college's score, and how the UCD Score weighs each measure sets out exactly how they are combined.

6-Year Graduation Rate
55%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
68%
Returning for their second year

After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes

Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $58,572 a year, above the national median. That is a healthy return for most cost levels. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.

Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$58,572
Earning > $25K
84%
10 yrs after entry

Earnings Growth After Graduation

Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.

$48,000$51,000$54,000$57,000$60,0006 yrs8 yrs10 yrs

Earnings by Demographic

Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.

By Gender

Female graduates
$47,100

Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.

Male graduates
$53,500

Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.


By Family Income at Entry

Family income (lowest third)
$42,200

Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.

Family income (middle third)
$50,700

Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.

Family income (highest third)
$54,500

Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.

The gender gap: Male graduates earn $6,400, about 12% more than female graduates ten years out. The gap reflects industry mix, role choice, and structural pay differences that exist across most US colleges.

Loan Repayment Progression

Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.

Climbing: graduates increasingly paying down debt ↑ 22.5 pts across 6 years
60.7%1yr64.9%3yr78.1%5yr83.3%7yr
What this signals: Strong. 83% of graduates are actively reducing their debt seven years out.

Who Studies Here

Who you would actually be sitting next to: 1,752 students, a mid-sized community. Worth knowing: 33% are the first in their family to go to college.

Total Enrolled
1,752
Part-Time
7%
First-Generation
33%

Race & Ethnicity Breakdown

Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.

GroupShareStudents
White 53.7% 941
International 10.2% 179
Black 9.1% 160
Other 5.1% 90
Hispanic 4.7% 82
Asian 0.7% 13
White: 53.7% (941 students)International: 10.2% (179 students)Black: 9.1% (160 students)Other: 5.1% (90 students)Hispanic: 4.7% (82 students)Asian: 0.7% (13 students)Total1,752

Student Life & Campus Culture

Where students live, learn, and connect at McKendree University. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.

Setting
Large Suburb Lebanon, Illinois
Housing
Mostly residential 1,056 beds on campus
Adult Learners
13% of students are 25 or older
Athletics
NCAA athletic-conference member
Academic Calendar
Semester scheduling structure
Designation
Religiously affiliated

What You Can Study

After that comes the national picture for Education graduates, which shows what the field pays across every college rather than just this one.

McKendree University offers an extensive catalog of programs: 45 distinct programs across 18 majors. Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings. Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.

7 Programs
5 Programs
1 Program
1 Program
3 Programs
2 Programs

Faculty & Resources

There are 16 students for every instructor here: about average, so expect a mix of small seminars and big lectures.

Student : Faculty
16:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Endowment
$63M
Modest endowment
Avg Faculty Salary
$64,752
9-month equivalent across all ranks

Faculty by Rank

67 instructional faculty across 6 ranks. The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.

Rank Faculty Count Share Avg Salary
Full Professors 22 33% $73,201
Associate Professors 16 24% $68,719
Assistant Professors 17 25% $59,341
Instructors 3 4% $56,097
Lecturers 6 9% $54,003
No Rank 3 4% $42,459

Pros & Cons of McKendree University

No college is right for everyone. Here is where McKendree University is likely to suit you and where it may not, based on the same figures shown above.

Read against a single profile these cut both ways, which is why it helps to put two colleges side by side on the same measures rather than judging one in isolation.

PROS
  • Reasonable class sizes
  • Solid post-graduation earnings
CONS
  • Above-average net price
  • Below-average completion rate
  • First-year retention is below typical

Frequently Asked Questions about McKendree University

The questions families ask most about McKendree University, answered straight from the federal data rather than from the college's own marketing.

Is McKendree University hard to get into?
Admissions at McKendree University are moderately competitive. The acceptance rate is 71.7%, so most applicants who meet the academic minimums are admitted.
What is the acceptance rate at McKendree University?
71.7% of applicants are admitted. Most applicants who meet the basic requirements are admitted. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
How much does McKendree University cost?
Budget around $24,717 a year. That is the net price, what families typically pay once grants and scholarships come off, not the sticker price. Your own figure depends on household income, so treat this as a midpoint rather than a quote. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is McKendree University worth it?
On the numbers, yes: moderate return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $58,572 a year against a net price of $24,717, about 2.4 dollars of earnings for every dollar of annual cost. That ratio ignores whether you finish and what you study, which matter just as much. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is McKendree University known for?
Mostly Business Administration, Business Administration, Psychology. Those are the fields where it awards the most degrees, which is a better guide to where the teaching strength sits than any reputation ranking. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What do McKendree University graduates earn?
About $58,572 a year, measured ten years after students first enrolled. Half earn more and half earn less, and what you study moves that figure far more than where you study. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is McKendree University accredited?
Yes. McKendree University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
How many students attend McKendree University?
1,752 students. Small enough that you will recognize faces across campus, and small enough that course choice can be limited. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What is the graduation rate at McKendree University?
55% finish within six years. That leaves a meaningful share who do not finish on that timeline, so budget for the possibility of a longer run. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Is McKendree University a public or private college?
It is Private Nonprofit. Private nonprofit, so the sticker price is higher but institutional aid is often larger too.
Where is McKendree University located?
McKendree University is located in Lebanon, Illinois.
What programs does McKendree University offer?
45 different programs, most commonly Business Administration, Business Administration, Psychology. If the subject you want is not among them, check the full list before applying rather than assuming it is offered.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at McKendree University?
16 students per instructor. About average, so a mix of seminars and larger lectures. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

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