North Park University Chicago

Founded: 1891   Total Students: 2,865+

Overview

North Park University’s history and heritage reach back to a Minneapolis church basement in 1891, where classes in language and business gave Swedish immigrants the skills needed to prosper in America. With an offer of land in Chicago, the school moved to the North Park neighborhood which was then just beyond the city limits. Old Main, the first building on campus, was completed in 1894. Its cupola became a landmark for pilots to locate Orchard Field (now O’Hare International Airport). The cupola was the tallest point on the city’s north side. At various points in its history, North Park was an academy, a junior college, and a four-year liberal arts college. We became a university, with a theological seminary, in 1997.

Now, North Park is Chicago’s city-centered Christian University. It serves nearly 3,200 undergraduate and graduate students from around the country and the world. Within a diverse, close-knit community, it offers a values-based education to students through more than 40 undergraduate majors, as well as graduate and continuing education in business, nonprofit management, nursing, education, music, and theology. Campus facilities have been extensively renovated, including the LEED-certified Johnson Center for Science and Community Life, the Helwig Recreation Center, the Holmgren Athletic Complex, and the Brandel Library.

Programs Offered in North Park University Chicago

  • 4-Year Bachelor's Degree
  • Master's Degree
  • Highlights

    • There is no racial or ethnic majority in the school’s undergraduate population. No group of students, including Caucasian, reaches above 50%.
    • 51.9% of our traditional undergraduates identify as students of color.
    • From U.S. News & World Report: #39 in Best Midwest Universities
    • From WalletHub Best Colleges & Universities: #8 in Illinois
    • From The Wallstreet Journal: #48 in the country for diversity
    • 88% of graduates had a job related to their field or intend to pursue graduate school upon graduation**
    • 294 dorm rooms on campus
    • 162 additional Chicago-style apartments available as on-campus housing
    • 13,970 community members served by student volunteers annually
    • 78 students participated in the 2019–20 Catalyst Semester program
    • 16 Catalyst on Campus events were hosted with 701 attendees
    • 58.5% female and 41.1% male
    • 66.6% commuter and 33.4% on-campus students
    • 35 states and 27 countries represented

    Campus Detail

    Main Campus Address

    Chicago, IL 60625, United States