Chamberlain University-Illinois — Admission Snapshot 2026
A complete at-a-glance picture of every metric that matters for your 2026 application
Chamberlain University-Illinois is a private, specialized institution dedicated entirely to nursing and health science education. Admissions require a strong demonstration of academic prerequisite completion and a deep commitment to the healthcare profession. Because the university uses an accelerated, clinically-heavy curriculum, admissions officers prioritize applicants who show high organizational skills, a serious attitude toward patient care, and the maturity to handle a rigorous, fast-paced professional training program.
Applicants should highlight any volunteering in hospitals or related healthcare experiences, as this demonstrates a realistic understanding of the field. A successful application shows that the student is not just academically prepared, but also mentally and professionally ready for the challenges of nursing. The university looks for candidates who are motivated by a clear desire to make a difference in healthcare and who have demonstrated the persistence needed for success in an accelerated professional degree.
Chamberlain University-Illinois Acceptance Rate
Chamberlain University-Illinois (Tinley Park) maintains an inclusive admission policy. With an acceptance rate of 88.6%, the institution prioritizes accessibility and opportunity for all qualified students.
Admissions Guidelines
- Inclusive Enrollment: Emphasis is placed on meeting basic eligibility and high school completion.
- Launchpad Policy: Ideal for students looking to build a GPA for future transfer or career certification.
Selectivity at a Glance
Inclusive
Data verified via IPEDS, College Scorecard (Nov 2025) and the Common Data Set (CDS). Expert Review led by Sohaib Khan and Dr. Waseem.
Check Your Admission Chances at Tinley Park
Admission Chance Predictor
Real-Time Sensitive Analysis — based on Chamberlain University-Illinois's verified institutional data
Adjust the sliders to see how every decimal point affects your outcome.
⚠️ Note: Predicting based on regional averages as this institution does not publicly report full score datasets.
Calculated via College Portal's Human-Intelligence (HI) Methodology & Editorial Standards. Verified by Sohaib Ahmad Khan.
Chamberlain University-Illinois (Tinley Park) Test Requirements
In this competitive environment, standardized scores are no longer elective; they serve as a critical standardized benchmark to validate high school GPA and course rigor. Applicants should aim for scores within or above the middle 50% range of the 2026 admitted class to remain viable in the Holistic Review process. At institutions that remain test-optional, submitting a high-percentile score is still the primary strategy for securing merit-based scholarships and distinguishing one's profile in a high-volume applicant pool.
Can I Get Into Tinley Park Without SAT or ACT?
Chamberlain University-Illinois Average SAT Score: 868
The average SAT score of the admitted students at Chamberlain University-Illinois is 868 on the 1600 SAT scale.
SAT Competitiveness
This score makes it an easy target for SAT test scores. You need to put average efforts to score 868 on the SAT.
If your score is below 770, retaking the SAT is strongly recommended to improve your chances at Tinley Park. Retaking the test multiple times is completely normal — most competitive applicants take the SAT two or three times to achieve their best score. There is no official limit on attempts.
SAT Scores Breakdown by Sections
| Section | Average | 25th Percentile | 75th Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAT Math | 400 | 370 | 430 |
| SAT Reading | 410 | 400 | 420 |
| SAT Composite | 868 | 770 | 850 |
It means that if you have scored less than 770 then you are below most of the admitted students at Tinley Park and your chances of admission are very few. But if you have scored 850 or more, your chances of admission are higher. 25th percentile means that only 25% of the admitted students have fewer scores than this score. 75th percentile marks the score of the upper 25% of the students.
View list of all colleges with average SAT score of 850
Can I get into Chamberlain University-Illinois (Tinley Park) with a 850 SAT?
With a 850 SAT Score, your chances of admission at Chamberlain University-Illinois (Tinley Park) are good but the admission staff at Tinley Park tests your all-around personality and your academics. Your GPA, Class performance, SAT/ACT/Test scores, and AP or IB Courses can help your application stand out. Co-curricular and extra-curricular activities and interpersonal communication skills are very important. Additionally, if you cannot perform well in one area, you have a chance to showcase your strengths and abilities in other areas, improving other areas will help you secure admission. You need to show better performance in all areas. An equally high GPA, taking IB or AP Courses and your role in leadership activities will increase your chances of admission. However, if you equally compete well in all other areas, your chances of admission are high.
Chamberlain University-Illinois (Tinley Park) ACT Requirements
The average ACT Score at Tinley Park is 16.
ACT Competitiveness
This score makes Chamberlain University-Illinois an easy target for ACT scores. You need to put average efforts to score 16 on the ACT.
ACT Scores Breakdown by Sections
| Section | Average | 25th Percentile | 75th Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| ACT Math | 16 | 15 | 16 |
| ACT English | 14 | 13 | 15 |
| ACT Composite | 16 | 14 | 17 |
Can I get into Chamberlain University-Illinois with a 17 ACT?
A 17 ACT places you at the 75th percentile of admitted students at Chamberlain University-Illinois — meaning you score higher than 75% of students who were accepted. This is a strong position, but the ACT is just one dimension of your application. Admissions officers at Chamberlain University-Illinois use the ACT as a benchmark to validate your academic readiness, not as a standalone admission ticket.
Unlike the SAT, the ACT measures four distinct subject areas — English, Mathematics, Reading, and Science — each scored on a 1–36 scale. If one of your section scores is significantly lower than the others, admissions staff will notice the imbalance. For example, a weak ACT Science score at a STEM-focused institution carries more weight than the same weakness at a liberal arts college. It is worth reviewing your section-level scores and addressing any outliers before applying.
One important advantage the ACT has over the SAT is that Chamberlain University-Illinois — like most US universities — accepts Superscoring for the ACT, meaning they take your highest section scores across multiple test attempts and combine them into a new composite. If you have taken the ACT more than once, confirm whether Chamberlain University-Illinois uses Superscoring, as this could meaningfully improve your effective composite beyond what any single sitting shows.
Beyond your score, what ultimately determines admission at this level is the strength of your overall profile. Your unweighted GPA, course rigor (AP, IB, or dual enrollment), extracurricular depth, letters of recommendation, and personal essays all carry significant weight. A 17 ACT gets your application through the first filter — but your essays and activities are what move it forward from there.
Your 2026 Admissions Roadmap for Tinley Park
Accessible Strategy: Academic Foundation
Tinley Park is accessible to students who show core competency. The focus should be on proving readiness for college-level work and securing financial aid.
Chamberlain's BSN admission requires a completed HESI A2 entrance exam - a nursing-specific assessment covering anatomy and physiology, biology, chemistry, math, reading comprehension, vocabulary, and grammar. ACT, SAT, or TEAS scores may be substituted in lieu of the HESI A2, and scores are valid for five years from test date. The HESI A2 score is calculated as a custom composite from a subset of exam sections for admission purposes and is separately reviewed for BIOS (biology/science) placement. This is not the NCLEX - it is a pre-enrollment assessment used to evaluate academic eligibility and is reviewed by Chamberlain's BSN Admission Committee. Students who schedule their first start date without first completing and receiving results from the HESI A2 (or equivalent) have an incomplete application that cannot advance to enrollment. Chamberlain offers six annual start dates across its Illinois campuses - Chicago (evening/weekend cohort option available), Addison, and Tinley Park - meaning a student who misses one start date has another within approximately two months, but only if their HESI A2 or equivalent is on file.
Chamberlain University is a private for-profit institution, a subsidiary of Adtalem Global Education (which also operates Walden University). For-profit status does not invalidate its accreditations: HLC regional accreditation (the same accreditor as the University of Illinois and Northwestern University) and CCNE programmatic accreditation for its BSN, MSN, and DNP programs are both independently awarded and carry the same weight with hospital employers as the same accreditations at nonprofit institutions. What for-profit status does require is specific due diligence: total program cost compared to CCNE-accredited nonprofit alternatives in Illinois (Loyola University, DePaul, Northern Illinois University); NCLEX first-time pass rate at the specific Illinois campus a student will attend (national 2025 rate: 79.75%, but campus-level rates vary and students should request the campus-specific figure); and median graduate earnings from the Department of Education's College Scorecard for the specific program. For-profit status also means Chamberlain's marketing is more aggressive than nonprofit institutions, which can create inflated expectations - counselors should present verified data rather than enrollment representative claims.
Chamberlain's most operationally distinctive feature is its absence of waitlists and its six annual cohort start dates across Illinois campuses. For working adults, career changers, and students who were waitlisted at traditional BSN programs, this creates a practical pathway that public university nursing programs - which typically have one cohort per year and competitive ranking processes - cannot match on scheduling flexibility. However, the absence of a waitlist does not mean open enrollment: Chamberlain requires a background check, fingerprinting, and drug screen as conditions of acceptance. The admissions page lists specific categories of criminal offense that create automatic ineligibility, and students with any criminal record should contact Chamberlain's admissions team before completing the HESI A2 process, because some healthcare facility affiliates will refuse clinical placement for students with certain backgrounds even if Chamberlain's own eligibility criteria are met. State boards of nursing in Illinois (and other states where graduates plan to practice) additionally have their own license eligibility criteria that may differ from Chamberlain's admissions requirements.
Chamberlain's Commitment to Completion Grant (CCG) provides up to $11,000 in total savings, including two courses at no cost, applied automatically to qualifying students' accounts. Chamberlain describes it as applying "right when you need it most" - meaning it is designed to reduce the cost at a point in the program where financial strain most often causes students to stop out. In 2025, Chamberlain awarded more than $87 million overall in scholarships, grants, and financial assistance across all programs. Military students and Chamberlain alumni pursuing advanced degrees receive additional tuition savings. Students must complete the FAFSA and connect with an Enrollment Representative to understand all available financial assistance before their start date - the combination of the Commitment to Completion Grant, Pell eligibility, state grants, and any employer tuition assistance can materially reduce the total cost compared to the sticker tuition rate. Out-of-pocket estimates based on sticker price alone systematically overstate what most students actually pay at Chamberlain.
The most consequential counseling failure with Chamberlain involves presenting it as equivalent to a nonprofit CCNE-accredited BSN program without disclosing the NCLEX first-time pass rate and the total program cost comparison. Chamberlain's 2025 national NCLEX first-time pass rate was 79.75% - below the national average of approximately 83?85% for first-time test takers at all NCLEX administrations, and meaningfully below the 90%+ rates posted by many Illinois public and nonprofit private nursing programs. Campus-level rates at Illinois locations have historically varied from this national average in both directions. A student who enrolls expecting to pass the NCLEX at rates comparable to a traditional four-year nursing program, without first requesting the campus-specific first-time pass rate for her target location, may be making a decision based on incomplete information. The HLC comprehensive reaffirmation review scheduled for 2025-26 should be monitored - it is a routine process, but the review period is active during the current application cycle, and counselors should confirm current accreditation status with HLC's public database before advising enrollment.
Tinley Park Profile
Is a Tinley Park Degree Worth It?
Getting into Tinley Park can be a great opportunity for many students. It is a prestigious institution known for its strong programs. However, whether it is worth it depends on your personal and academic goals, as well as your financial situation. Tinley Park offers a rigorous academic environment and access to cutting-edge research, but it may not be the best fit for everyone. It's important to consider factors such as cost, location, and specific academic programs when making this decision.
Please note that the average household income of the admitted students at Tinley Park is $63,400 and the graduate unemployment rate is 3.43%.
How much does a degree from Tinley Park Cost?
The average annual cost of the degree at Chamberlain University-Illinois is $36,346. As most of the students receive Pell Grants and Federal Grants the average annual net price a student has to pay at Chamberlain University-Illinois is much less than this.
29.9% of the students are receiving Pell Grant and 55.8 percent are receiving Federal Grants. So it is a better choice to go to Tinley Park and apply for PELL or federal loan grants.
At Chamberlain University-Illinois, you will have no problem receiving any scholarship from the federal government. Fill in the FAFSA application form at the earliest and enlist Tinley Park as your choice in the form.
How much does a Tinley Park Graduate earn?
The average annual salary of the graduate after 4–6 years of graduation is $92,405. An average Tinley Park graduate makes this much after 10 years of enrollment (4–6 years after graduation).
The average annual income of a graduate in the United States is $40,595.
Compare Similar Colleges
Less Competitive Schools
These schools have lower average SAT or ACT scores than Chamberlain University-Illinois. If your SAT or ACT score is slightly lower, you'll be competitive for these schools.
| School | Location | SAT | ACT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gallaudet University | Washington, DC | 857 | 16 |
| Manor College | Jenkintown, PA | 820 | NA |
Equally Competitive Schools
These schools have the same range of average SAT or ACT scores as Chamberlain University-Illinois. If your SAT or ACT score is competitive, you'll be competitive for these schools also.
| School | Location | SAT | ACT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Valley State University | Fort Valley, GA | 864 | 18 |
| Virginia Union University | Richmond, VA | 860 | NA |
More Competitive Schools
These schools have higher average SAT or ACT scores than Chamberlain University-Illinois. If you improve your SAT or ACT score, you'll be competitive for these schools.
| School | Location | SAT | ACT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama A & M University | Normal, AL | 947 | 17 |
| University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff | Pine Bluff, AR | 916 | 16 |
| Bethune-Cookman University | Daytona Beach, FL | 913 | 17 |
| Johnson University Florida | Kissimmee, FL | 940 | NA |
| Trinity College of Florida | Trinity, FL | 905 | 19 |
Degree Programs at Tinley Park
Bachelor Degree Programs
Masters Degree Programs
Doctoral Degree Programs
Associate Degree Programs
First Professional Degree Programs
Professional Certificate Programs
Full list of all degree programs offered by Chamberlain University-Illinois →
Frequently Asked Questions About Tinley Park Admissions
Graduates of this university typically earn a high salary, $92,405 annually, depending on the industry.
The tuition fee at this university is moderate, around $36,346 per year. Many students seek financial aid and scholarships to manage the cost.
29.9% of students receive a Pell Grant at this institution. Your chances of need-based aid are moderate and depend primarily on your household income. Filing FAFSA early significantly improves your chances of receiving the maximum available grant amount.
The acceptance rate of Chamberlain University-Illinois is 88.6% which is relatively high, above 20%, making it somewhat easier to gain admission compared to other top-tier universities.
Admission to Chamberlain University-Illinois is based on SAT, and a strong SAT score is essential. Aim for scores above 868 for the best chances, although the overall application strength also matters. Your SAT must be in the range of 770–850.
Yes, many students successfully transfer each year. Be prepared with your academic transcripts, recommendation letters, and a solid personal statement to make your application competitive.
To improve your chances, focus on excelling academically, building a strong extracurricular profile, and submitting standout essays. High SAT/ACT scores are also crucial for competitive admissions.
