Is University of St Francis Worth It?

The University of St Francis gives you a solid, low-risk financial return, mostly because its strongest programs feed directly into healthcare jobs. Your median debt lands well below what you carry at most private four-year schools, and it stays lower than your median earnings a decade out. That gap is the whole story here: you leave owing less than you make, which is the baseline for a degree worth paying for.

Nursing is the clear winner. It pays the most of any program here and connects you straight to hospitals and clinics across the Chicago and Joliet metro, where demand for nurses stays high. Health and medical administration and allied health round out a healthcare-heavy roster that all clear $59k. The catch is debt: nursing and allied health both leave you owing several thousand more than the general management or HR paths, so the higher pay comes with a higher balance to clear.

Business majors are the softer bets. Management and quantitative methods sits at the bottom of the earnings list while still carrying real debt, so if you come here for business instead of healthcare, your return is thinner and less certain.

The net price tiers reward lower-income families most. If your family earns under $30k, you pay less than half what families over $110k pay, and the school stays affordable through the middle-income brackets. Above $110k, you're paying close to full sticker with little discount, so run the numbers hard if a nursing seat isn't your goal.

A 73% retention rate and 65% grad rate mean a real share of you won't finish, and unfinished debt with no degree is the biggest risk here. This school fits you best if you want a healthcare career and qualify for need-based aid.