Founded in 1891 by the Evangelical Covenant Church, North Park University is located on Chicago's north side and enrolls more than 3,100 students from around the country and the world. At North Park, excellence implies not only a deep tradition in the liberal arts and the Christian faith, but also a spirit of innovation, reaching out to serve and to learn from the dynamic community around us. Cultural study centers enrich the life of the campus and connect us to the diverse people of Chicago whose roots extend around the globe. Graduate and special undergraduate programs bring adult, working professionals to the campus on evenings and weekends, enhancing the University's resources in the liberal arts as well as in specialized areas such as business, the health sciences, and education.
We are a Christian university, committed to relating faith in Jesus Christ to the aims of higher education. Ours is not a conformist environment; acceptance of diversity and ecumenism is the spirit of our campus. Our door is open to students who recognize that education always implies values. In North Park's classrooms, you will find a full-time faculty of accomplished Christian teachers and scholars, and on our campus, a community of faith.
We invite you to learn more about North Park—a special place with a history extending back more than 115 years and a future expanding to meet the challenges of tomorrow. We are looking for men and women who long to grow in knowledge and faith, and who seek a sense of vocation through leadership and servanthood in a global society.
North Park University is a four-year university located at 3225 W. Foster Avenue on the north side of Chicago, Illinois in the North Park neighborhood. It was founded in 1891 by the Evangelical Covenant Church and shares its campus with the denomination's only seminary. The university enrolls close to 3,000 students from around the country and the world, and offers bachelor's and master's degrees.
In the later part of the 19th century, thousands of Swedish immigrants left Sweden and began to settle in America. As the communities, concentrated in the Midwest with hubs in Chicago and Minneapolis, began to settle and develop, many things began to happen that would pave the way for North Park University. The denomination that is now known as the Covenant began to organize in the 1880s and soon the education of Swedish immigrants, specifically theological education, became an important issue. E. August Skogsbergh, sometimes called the Swedish Moody for his association with the famous Chicago Evangelist D.L. Moody, started a school in Minneapolis in 1884 that would serve as a forerunner to North Park in many ways.
By 1891, the Covenant was in agreement that they should formally establish a school of their own. Skogsbergh offered his school and his school served as the official Covenant school for three years, from 1891 until 1893. In 1894, the school was moved to Chicago, a move that upset some, including Skogsbergh. It moved to its present location at the corner of Foster and Kedzie, despite its remoteness from the Loop. Old Main, the oldest building on campus, was erected and dedicated on June 16, 1894. It is at this time that the name North Park was first used to describe the school.
The early years of North Park were marked with both struggles and successes. Both enrollment and funding fluctuated greatly in the early years. An interesting source of both money and headache came from P.H. Anderson, who at the time was serving as a Covenant missionary in Alaska. Taking part in the gold rush of the time, Anderson made a massive find. And though he donated a portion of the findings, questionable circumstances surrounded the claim that created tension among the leadership of North Park.
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| Percent of Students International: | 2% |
| On-Campus Housing Available: | Yes |
| Percent of Students Living On-Campus: | 48% |
| Freshman Students Required to Live on Campus: | No |
| Member of: | NAA, NCAA |
| Sports Include: |
Football (College Conference of Illinois and Wisc) Basketball (College Conference of Illinois and Wisc) Baseball (College Conference of Illinois and Wisc) Track (College Conference of Illinois and Wisc) |
| Tuition & Fees (undergraduate) | Expenses | ||
Published Tuition and Fees: |
$ 17,800 | ||
Average Tuition for Full-Time Undergrads: |
$ 17,535 | ||
Required Fees for Full-Time Undergrads: |
$ 60 | ||
| Financial Aid | Avg. Amount Received | % of Students Receiving Aid | |
Federal Grants: |
$ 3,121 | 52% | |
State and Local Grants: |
$ 3,980 | 52% | |
Institutional Grants: |
$ 9,918 | 98% | |
Student Loans: |
$ 3,326 | 83% | |
Any Aid: |
98% |
| Acceptance Rate: | 33% (Highly Selective) |
| Test Scores | |
| SAT Scores: | |
| % of Students Submitting SAT Scores: | 24% |
| Bottom 25th Percentile: | Verbal: 520, Math: 490 |
| Top 75th Percentile: | Verbal: 640, Math: 650 |
| ACT Scores: | |
| % of Students Submitting ACT Scores: | 78% |
| Bottom 25th Percentile: | Composite: 19, Verbal: 18, Math: 17 |
| Top 75th Percentile: | Composite: 26, Verbal: 26, Math: 24 |
| Application Fee: | $ 40.00 |
| Formal Demonstration of Competencies: | Not Required |
| High School Diploma or Equivalent: | Recommended |
| High School GPA: | Not Required |
| High School Rank: | Required |
| High School Record: | Recommended |
| Recommendations: | Required |
| TOEFL: | Recommended |
| Test Scores: | Required |
