North Park University Admission
North Park University Undergraduate Program
North Park University Application

The Facts

North Park University is a small, private, liberal arts college located in the city of Chicago, Illinois, and is affiliated with the Evangelical Covenant Church. The school is home to over 1,200 undergraduate students and approximately 800 graduate and part-time professional students. The students are able to take courses in one of the college’s five undergraduate or three graduate schools, which offer academic programs in the areas of the arts and sciences, business, music, and education. These divisions offer a wide array of majors in the areas of biological science, business, communications and the arts, computer and physical science, education, health professions (one of the largest programs, offering majors in physical therapy, occupational therapy, nursing, medical laboratory technology, pre-dentistry and pre-medicine), and social sciences. Some of the most popular majors include music, sciences, pre-medicine, nursing, education, and psychology.

Admission to North Park University is not terrifically competitive numerically; however, the students who do apply tend to be very academically successful, and have participated in a number of extracurricular activities. Last year, over 800 students applied for admission to the school, and approximately 640 of those students were accepted; of those, about 400 matriculated. The admitted students had an average combined SAT score ranging from 1050 to 1100, and an average comprehensive ACT score ranging from 24 to 31. Additionally, more than 70% of those admitted were ranked in the top 10% of their high school graduating class with an average high school GPA of about a 3.76.

North Park University has a very manageable student to faculty ratio of 15:1, and it is rare to find a class at any level with more than eighteen students. In fact, most students agree that the best part of North Park is the amount of discussion you get to have in class. Professors really make sure that all of their students get a chance to have their voices heard.

The Social Scene

Chicago is a vibrant and exciting city that is home to many colleges and universities, and with good reason. There are gobs and gobs of things to do, including museums, galleries, concerts, festivals, restaurants, shopping, bars, clubs...the list just keeps on going... The North Park campus itself is part of the broader Chicago loop, and is just about 10 miles north of the city center. Most students do own cars, but when it comes to getting into downtown, the public transportation system is the preferred mode of transit. North Park University has no fraternities or sororities, but most students aren’t too disappointed.

The dating scene is small, but the Chicago dating scene, well, that’s another story, and a good one at that...

What’s Good

“I love that the campus is so small. It’s such a more intimate college experience than most people get to have.”

“The professors are mostly working professionals in whatever field they teach, so you get a lot of really valuable advice from them.”

“The campus is really solidified and centralized. People tend to get along really well here.”

What’s Bad

“There really isn’t a party scene to speak of. If you’re looking for a more typical collegiate experience, this isn’t the place to come.”

“Getting into Chicago can be a pain in the neck. And unfortunately, it’s where all the action happens.”

“Some of the teachers seem to think that their class is the only class you must have, so they load on reading in ridiculous proportions.”

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