Private nonprofitHSI

VanderCook College of Music

Chicago, Illinois·Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above·Great Lakes·vandercook.edu
6-yr Graduation
67%
-2.5pp vs peer
Total enrollment
323
peer median 564
Avg net price
$17,094
-$3.4k vs peer
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Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

Applied
38
38 candidates competed
Admitted
34
89.5% acceptance rate
Enrolled
15
44.1% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

Overall completion
67%-2.5pp vs peer
4-year graduation
50%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
67%
Full-time retention
88%

Pell equity

0.0pp gap
Pell recipients
60%
Non-Pell
60%

Pell and non-Pell students graduate at nearly identical rates — a notably small equity gap.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

Of 6 Title IV programs, 1 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 5 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
6
Passing
1
16.7% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

6programs
  • Passing1 · 16.7%
  • No Data5 · 83.3%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
0
Safe
1
No data
5

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

1
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Subject Areas
Bachelor Degree · Education
+51.3%
$52,671 vs $34,808

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

1
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Subject Areas
Bachelor Degree · Education
51%
$27,000 debt · $52,671 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

National Association of Schools of Music, Commission on Accreditation

Accredited since 1974Next review Jun 2032
AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Higher Learning Commission

Accredited since 1972Next review Aug 2035

Programmatic accreditations · 1

Action history · 3

  1. Jul 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    Higher Learning Commission
  2. Dec 2022Renewal of Accreditation
    National Association of Schools of Music, Commission on Accreditation
  3. Aug 2014Change in Agency recognition
    National Association of Schools of Music, Commission on Accreditation · Music (MUS) - Institutions and units within institutions offering degree-granting and/or non-degree-granting programs

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$18,642
$30–48k$14,418
$48–75k$11,378
$75–110k$15,875
$110k+$29,850

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price (private)
$17,094
-$3,389vs peer median $20,483
Federal loans
50.0%
In-state tuition
$30,910
Out-of-state
$30,910

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

In AY 2024–25, 41 students received $240K in Pell grants, alongside $529K in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
41
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$240K
$240,479 total
Direct Loans
$529K
92 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

0k
20
0k
21
0k
22
0k
23
0k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$167K
40 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$144K
41 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$41K
2 loan awards
Parent PLUS$155K
8 loan awards
Grad PLUS$21K
1 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Of 36 borrowers who entered repayment, 0 (0.0%) defaulted within three years below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
0.0%
-2.3pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
36
Defaulted
0
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
0.0%
2017
2.7%
2018
8.5%
2019
0.0%
2020*
3.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at VanderCook College of Music

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs2
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

50 total completions
01Education
50100.0%
02Visual/Performing Arts
00.0%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

Fall total
323
12-mo unduplicated
1,015
Undergraduate
110
Graduate
905

Gender split

Men
41%419
Women
59%596

Race / ethnicity composition

White
42.9%
Hispanic
32.9%
Two or more
10.0%
Black
8.6%
Asian
2.9%
Non-resident
2.9%

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
0.00
0 offenses · 263 students

3-year trend

0.002 yrs ago0.001 yr ago0.00Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
0
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
0
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
0

Criminal offenses by type

No criminal offenses reported.

By location

0total

    VAWA offenses

    0
    Domestic violence
    0
    Dating violence
    0
    Stalking
    0 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

    Hate crimes by bias

    No hate crimes reported.

    Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

    CategoryArrestsReferrals
    Weapons00
    Drugs00
    Liquor00

    Residence-hall fires

    No residence-hall fires reported.

    Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

    Student-faculty ratio

    Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

    Student-to-faculty
    5.0:1
    Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
    9

    VanderCook College of Music vs Peer comparison

    The peer institutions VanderCook College of Music selected for federal comparison reporting.

    GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
    This institutionPeer median

    A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

    Carnegie
    SubjectVanderCook College of Music
    67%323$17,094
    Remington College-Cleveland Campus
    94.7%197$22,254Community College
    Jones Technical Institute
    659$20,833Community College
    Bank Street College of Education
    719
    Martin Luther College
    72%87.2%878$20,483
    William R Moore College of Technology
    468$15,323Community College
    Peer group median70%90.9%564$20,483

    Frequently asked questions about VanderCook College of Music

    Quick answers to the questions most often asked about VanderCook College of Music.

    What is the graduation rate at VanderCook College of Music?

    VanderCook College of Music reports a 6-year graduation rate of 67% per the latest IPEDS.

    How many students attend VanderCook College of Music?

    VanderCook College of Music reports a total enrollment of 323 students per the latest IPEDS.

    What is the average net price at VanderCook College of Music?

    The average net price at VanderCook College of Music is $17,094 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

    What is the yield rate at VanderCook College of Music?

    VanderCook College of Music's yield rate is 44.1%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

    Where is VanderCook College of Music located?

    VanderCook College of Music is located in Chicago, Illinois 60616-3731.

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