Concordia University-Chicago

Key Takeaways:

  • Concordia University Chicago (CUC) is a private Lutheran university in River Forest, Illinois, known for its Christian tradition, small class sizes, and commitment to societal issues.
  • The student-to-faculty ratio at Concordia University-Chicago is 12:1, with over 77% of classes having fewer than 20 students.
  • CUC has an acceptance rate of 93%, with a graduation rate of 50%.

Concordia University – Chicago Degree Programs

Concordia University-Chicago appears in our ranking of the Top 5 PhD in Early Childhood Education Online Programs.

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Concordia University – Chicago (CUC) is a small faith-based university located in River Forest, Il, a mere ten miles from downtown Chicago. From a humble but ambitious beginning as a parochial school, CUC has grown to become a comprehensive liberal arts university with over 5,000 students, of which only 1,500 are undergraduates and the remaining pursuing graduate-level studies. The faculty to student ratio is a remarkable 12:1 and classes rarely reach the 20-student levels so common in other schools. CUC offers many of its programs online to reach those students unable to attend the traditional classroom. Today, the school offers over 100 pathways for students to obtain an undergraduate degree as well as masters-level and doctoral degrees. Some endorsements and certifications are available for online and traditional students.

Featured Programs

CUC is efficiently organized into five separate colleges, including:

  • College of Arts and Sciences
  • College of Business
  • College of Education
  • College of Graduate Studies
  • College of Innovation & Professional Programs

Traditional students and upper-division transfer students may participate in CUC’s honors program, which is designed for students that are dedicated to their studies and who wish to relate what they learn in the classroom to the real world. The honors program:

  • Requires that students employ critical thinking skills in and out of the classroom
  • Encourages collaboration between students and faculty in group applications
  • Encourages student community involvement
  • Imposes the concept of interdisciplinary analysis on the student

Students who earn the honors badge on their degree are recognized as those who excel beyond expectations in the classroom and in life.

Though UCU is a university, its mission allows for a reach out to the community through its online presence to offer pre-college studies such as programs that result in an Associate of Arts in Organizational Management or certifications in areas like gerontology and human resource management. CUC goes on to allow students to use the programs they find online to jump-start their academic careers.

The principal aim of CUC’s online program is to allow distance learners to earn their graduate-level degrees. The school does offer some undergraduate degree programs entirely online, such as:

  • Bachelor of Arts in Healthcare Management
  • Bachelor of Arts in Organizational Management
  • Bachelor of Arts in Sports and Recreational Management
  • Bachelor of Science in Human Resource Management
  • Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology
  • Bachelor of Science in Public Safety Administration

Please note that these degrees are designed for those who already work in the area of study and are unavailable to attend the traditional classroom. Most of the more than 100 undergraduate degrees are only available on campus as the university feels that undergraduate students benefit from the campus life and the camaraderie developed in a nurturing environment.

While the 1,670 undergraduates make up a majority of students that take courses on the campus, those who seek graduate studies at UCU make up over 90-percent of the students who take online courses and degrees. The university offers masters-level degrees in a variety of areas like exercise science, education, gerontology, health science, humans services, leadership, religion, business, and women’s studies. CUC breaks down its masters-level offerings further in areas such as business by offering degrees with specialties, including:

  • Master of Business Administration in Accounting
  • Master of Business Administration in Chief School Business Official
  • Master of Business Administration in Digital Marketing
  • Master of Business Administration in Entrepreneurship
  • Master of Business Administration in Finance
  • Master of Business Administration in Health Care Management
  • Master of Business Administration in Leadership and Change Management
  • Master of Business Administration in Not-for-Profit Management
  • Master of Business Administration in School Business Management
  • Master of Business Administration in Sports Management

For students who have completed a masters-level degree but wish to enhance their knowledge in certain areas of their professions, CUC offers certification programs that take only 12 credit hours to complete. These post-graduate programs serve notice to employers that their employee has taken the initiative to improve themselves through an ongoing education program. Many of the certifications concentrate in the world of business, where the need for ethical and disciplined management beckons in areas such as digital marketing, entrepreneurship, finance, healthcare management, leadership and change management, not-for-profit management, and sports management.

Educators come to CUC to gain endorsements in areas of expertise such as English as a second language, special education, school leadership, community involvement, and conflict management. Healthcare specialists use the online curriculum at CUC to sharpen their skills while maintaining a work and family schedule.

Doctoral programs at CUC require the completion of 60 credit hours beyond those hours devoted to obtaining a master’s degree. The two areas where CUC offers doctoral-level studies are a Doctor of Business Administration and a doctoral program in leadership in any of the following specializations:

  • Curriculum and Instruction
  • Early Childhood Education
  • Educational Leadership
  • Education Technology
  • Gerontology
  • Health and Human Performance
  • Higher Education
  • Organizational Leadership
  • Reading, Language, and Literacy
  • Special Education
  • Sports Leadership
  • Teacher Leadership

About Concordia University – Chicago

CUC was founded in 1864 in affiliation with the Lutheran Church as the Addison Teacher’s Seminary. Like so many schools founded in 19th Century America, the university concerned itself with the education of those in poverty to enhance lives otherwise left to the cruelty of injustice. Today, the university is one of the most affordable private liberal arts educational institutions in the country. Through a mechanism of interschool cooperation and partnerships with the business community, CUC has gained a reputation as a school that involves its students in community affairs.

Niche.com rates CUC as 128th in its list of the Best Colleges for Sports Management in America. The online authority also 197th for the Best Colleges for Education in America and 457th in its list of the Most Conservative Colleges in America. US News & World Report ranks CUC as 35th in its list of Best Value Schools, 39th in Top Performers for Social Mobility, and 72nd in Regional Universities Midwest.

Concordia University – Chicago Accreditation Details

Concordia University Chicago is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools to award baccalaureate, masters, and doctoral degrees. All Concordia University Chicago degree programs are approved by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE). Specialized accreditations for individual departments include:

  • Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP)
  • Council for Accreditation of counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP)
  • National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE)
  • National Association of Schools of Music, Commission on Accreditation

Concordia University – Chicago Application Requirements

Applying to CUC for admittance as an undergraduate student is competitive as the school has a 75-percent acceptance rate. Each applicant for the undergraduate school must submit an official high school transcript and SAT or ACT scores. There is no application fee at CUC.

To apply for a graduate program at CUC, the applicant must present their baccalaureate degree, their official transcripts from every post-secondary school they attended, two reference letters, and a declaration of financial responsibility showing the capability to finance the first year of studies fully.

Tuition and Financial Aid

Tuition per year for the traditional undergraduate student at CUC is $32,660. Students can expect various fees that will add another $1,000 onto their yearly expenditures, and those students who live on campus pay an additional $1,226 for room and board which brings the total for the year to $43,862. The tuition rate for graduate students is different for each department. To discover the tuition and fees involved in a particular graduate program, contact the department.

CUC is dedicated to reducing college debt for its graduates as much as possible. Each student may apply for an in-school scholarship, which comes from funds on hand. Many students see over $20,000 in tuition and fees per year wiped away through this program. The school meets the standards for accreditation that the Federal Student Loan Program demands, so those programs are also available to satisfy student financial needs.

CUC offers students a high-level education at a lower price than many of the other ranked schools. Students who attend Concordia University-Chicago develop deep bonds and fellowships that last a lifetime.