Bradley University

Overview

Rankings

• #5 Best Computer Science Colleges in Illinois
• #5 Best Engineering Colleges in Illinois
• #5 Best Data Science Colleges in Illinois
• #7 Best Communications Colleges in Illinois
• #15 Best Colleges in Illinois
• #15 Best Online Colleges in Illinois
• #16 Best Bachelor's Programs in Illinois
• #16 Best Master's Programs in Illinois

Academics & Admissions

Is It Hard to Get Into Bradley University? Acceptance Rate & Requirements

As a private institution in Peoria, Illinois, Bradley University admits most of the students who apply; the acceptance rate is roughly 77%. Admitted students typically arrive with a mid-range ACT score around 27. The graduation rate is roughly 74%.

Acceptance Rate

77%

Retention Rate

83%

ACT Midpoint

27

Full-Time Faculty

55%

Faculty Salary (mo)

$9,409

Student–Faculty Ratio

12:1

Diversity Index

0.61

First-Gen Students

24%

Applicants

11,352

Admitted

8,530

Inside the Admissions Office

School-reported Common Data Set · 2024-25

The acceptance rate tells you how hard Bradley University is to get into. Its Common Data Set tells you what happens once you are admitted: how many students say yes, how many arrived without test scores, and whether applying early tilts the odds. 11% of admitted students go on to enroll here, making it a school most admitted students ultimately pass on.

Yield Rate

11%

of admits enroll

Submitted SAT

20%

of enrolled freshmen

Submitted ACT

5%

of enrolled freshmen

Cost & Financial Aid

How Much Does It Cost to Attend Bradley University? Tuition, Net Price & Aid

Published tuition at Bradley University is $42,160, but few families pay that. The number to watch is net price, what students actually pay each year after federal grants and institutional scholarships. Here it averages about $22,719. Students from families earning under $30,000 typically pay closer to $17,269 after need-based grants. The median graduate leaves with about $27,000 in federal student loans.

In-State Tuition

$42,160

Out-of-State

$42,160

Avg Net Price

$22,719

Median Debt

$27,000

Pell Grant Rate

32%

Federal Loan Rate

63%

Students Like You

Tell us a little about yourself to see what students like you have typically experienced at Bradley University — the net price for your income, your admission odds, and the outcomes that follow. These are patterns from federal data, not predictions.

Graduate Outcomes

Is Bradley University Worth It? Graduate Earnings & ROI

Ten years out, alumni of Bradley University earn a median of $66,852, roughly in line with the national average for college graduates.

6 Years After Entry

$59,114

8 Years

$65,264

10 Years

$66,852

Debt-to-Earnings

0.4x

Earning > $25K

78%

Social Mobility

Data: Raj Chetty's Mobility Report Card · 30M+ anonymized tax records

Does Bradley University Drive Upward Mobility? Economic Mobility & Low-Income Outcomes

Bradley University is a measurable contributor to upward mobility. Its mobility rate, the share of students who start in the bottom income quintile and climb to the top, is 1.17%, in line with strong performers nationally. Access is narrower: only about 2.9% of students come from the bottom income quintile, typical of more selective, higher-income institutions. Among bottom-quintile students who attend, roughly 40.3% go on to reach the top of the income ladder. The median family income of students sits near $112,900, a snapshot of the campus's socioeconomic mix.

Mobility Rate

1.17%

Bottom 20% → Top 20%

Success Rate

40.3%

If bottom 20% get in

From Bottom 20%

2.9%

Share of students

Parent Median Income

$153,392

today's $ (2015 cohort data)

Social Capital

Data: Opportunity Insights Social Capital Atlas

How Connected Is Bradley University? Social Capital & Cross-Class Networks

Social capital, the web of cross-class friendships that researchers link to long-run upward mobility, runs high at Bradley University. Its economic connectedness score is 1.70, where about 1.0 is the national norm. Its friending bias is low (0.01), a sign that students from different economic backgrounds actually mix rather than self-segregate. Around 7% of students take part in civic and volunteering activity.

Economic Connectedness

1.70

Cross-class friendships

Friending Bias

0.01

Lower = more inclusive

Volunteering Rate

7.3%

Support Ratio

1.00

Community support

Innovation & Knowledge Creation

Patents, inventors, and research influence · Opportunity Insights & Times Higher Education

Bradley University produces inventors at an above-average rate (top 17% nationally), with 128 patents tied to its graduates.

Inventor Rate

1.51%

Top 17% nationally

Patents Produced

128

Linked to graduates

Patent Citations

58

Downstream influence

Institutional Finances

Data: NCES IPEDS

Investment Income

$-30,146,184

Top Programs

The fields Bradley University awards the most degrees in, by share of completions. Where federal field-of-study data exists, we show what graduates in that major earned early in their careers. Each links to its degree guide — or see what someone with your income, scores, and major would pay and earn here in the Students Like You simulator.

• Health Professions 15% $73,864 early-career
• Business & Marketing 15% $76,963 early-career
• Engineering 14% $84,901 early-career
• Computer Science & IT 13% $80,108 early-career
• Education 8% $48,005 early-career
• Communications 6% $40,390 early-career
• Psychology 6% $36,820 early-career
• Biology & Biomedical 5%

Early-career median earnings by major (typically 1–2 years after completion, bachelor's level where available), in today's dollars (CPI-adjusted). Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard field of study. Distinct from the school-wide 10-year median; suppressed for small programs.