Quincy University does have those numbers. They come from the federal government, not its marketing office. I am going to put them in front of you, one by one, and explain what they mean and what they do not mean. You decide what to do with them.
Who Quincy University Is
Quincy University is a private, nonprofit, four-year university located in Quincy, Illinois, within Adams County. Carnegie, the system that classifies colleges and universities in this country, describes it as a baccalaureate college with diverse fields of study and, based on its size and operating model, as a highly residential school: when that information was collected, at least half of its undergraduate students lived in institution-owned or institution-affiliated housing, and at least 80 out of every 100 attended full time.
That matters because it tells you something about the pace of life there: this is not a school where everyone drives in and out every day. It is a school where, if your child enrolls, your child will most likely live on campus, at least at first.
The area around the campus is classified as a remote town, not an urban area. If your family does not live nearby, this deserves a separate conversation: where your child would live, how your child would get there, and how often your child would come home. The data point only identifies the setting of the school’s address; it does not calculate your travel or your airfare or gas budget. You calculate that.
As for academic level, IPEDS—the federal system that collects these data—reports that a master’s degree is the highest level this institution says it offers and classifies it as a degree-granting institution that primarily awards bachelor’s degrees or higher. That is a general institutional fact; it does not tell you whether the specific major your child is interested in exists there or whether it connects to a graduate program. That must be checked program by program.
And one thing is worth stating directly because many families ask about it: Quincy University is not listed as a historically Black college or university, a tribal college or university, or a land-grant institution. Of the 3,012 colleges and universities in this national directory, 138 have at least one of those three designations. Quincy’s absence from that list says nothing about which students it serves today or how your child would feel there. Ask directly by speaking with the school and, if possible, with a student who is already there.
A Small Community, and Who Makes It Up
Quincy University had an official fall enrollment of 1,280 students in the most recent count. That is a medium-sized enrollment—between 1,000 and 4,999 students—and, compared with the other 941 selective private four-year schools in this same census, it falls among the most common enrollment sizes: neither large nor small. Of those 1,280, 1,130 were undergraduates and 150 were graduate students. Above all, it is a school for your child’s undergraduate degree, not a campus dominated by graduate programs.
Now, who makes up that undergraduate population? I want to be direct here because this is something many Latino families want to know before anything else: among the undergraduate students reported in fall 2023, 7 out of every 100 were Hispanic or Latino. That is a small minority, and compared with the 941 selective private schools in this census, Quincy ranks below the group’s midpoint.
Having few Latino students does not make the school bad, just as having many would not automatically make it good. It is simply information about who is enrolled. But if your child will be among the few, it makes sense to ask before deciding: What Latino student organization is available? Is there a cultural center? Is there anyone in admissions or student support who speaks Spanish? And if you can, speak with a Latino student who is already there. The number I just gave you covers the entire school; your child’s experience in a specific major may look different.
Other features of this community: adult students are rare—the share between ages 25 and 64 is only 4 out of every 100—; there are more men than women, with women accounting for 44 out of every 100 students; and fewer than half of first-time students, 45 out of every 100, reported permanent residence in Illinois. That means most of their classmates will probably come from out of state.
How Academic Life Is Organized
The academic year at Quincy University is organized into semesters: two long terms of about 15 weeks each. It is the most common academic calendar in the United States, with consistent dates for all students.
The school reported that it accepts credit from AP exams as well as what IPEDS calls “credit for life experience”—learning acquired through independent study, work, a portfolio, prior licenses or certifications, or military training. This may sound like a way to save time and money, and sometimes it is. But the school’s statement that it accepts these routes does not mean it will automatically award credit for any exam or experience. It does not say what AP scores are required or how many credits are awarded. Request a written transfer-credit evaluation before enrolling, and do not count those savings in your budget until you have it in hand.
It also reported enrolling high school students in college courses for credit through a formal “dual enrollment” program—if your child is still in high school, this may be relevant to discuss with the school counselor.
As for what students study there: in the most recent year reported, Quincy University awarded 198 bachelor’s degrees across 21 different program families. The largest family was business and management, accounting for 22 out of every 100 degrees—a notable but not dominant share. Compared with 942 selective private schools, Quincy is in the top quarter for the variety of program families represented in its offerings. Put another way, it is not a single-specialty school. But “21 families with a row in the report” is not the same as “21 active majors with enrolled students”; some rows may report zero degrees for that year. Verify the exact program your child is interested in, not the general list.
As for class size, the official student-to-faculty ratio is 14 students per full-time-equivalent faculty member. On its own, that number sounds low. But compared with similar schools—selective private four-year institutions—Quincy is in the quarter with the highest ratios in that group. Both things are true at the same time: low in absolute terms, high among its peers. And neither interpretation tells you the actual size of a first-year class; that is not captured by this data point.
The institution also reports structured opportunities such as study abroad, a complete program that can be taken only during evenings or weekends, and several teacher preparation and certification pathways. If your child is interested in any of these options, it is worth asking for details directly.
Getting Into Quincy University: What It Requires and How Selective It Is
Here is something worth saying plainly: at Quincy University, simply gathering paperwork is not enough. The school reported that it does not have open admissions, and of the nine considerations it reviews, it marked five as required: the high school record, high school GPA, completion of the required college-preparatory curriculum, the personal essay, and an English-proficiency exam for applicants to whom it applies. The essay is required. Your child has to write, and it is best to start in the summer, not during the week of the deadline—the first draft is almost never the one that gets submitted.
The published undergraduate application fee is $0.
In the 2023 cycle, Quincy University received 2,197 first-time applications and accepted 1,096, or 50 out of every 100. Compared with the other 942 selective private schools in this census, it is on the less-selective side: seven out of ten of those schools accepted a larger percentage of their applicants. Admission is not guaranteed, but it is not a lottery either: half get in, and half do not.
Now comes a data point many families overlook: out of every 100 students Quincy admitted for the first year of 2023, only 30 ultimately enrolled there. The other 70 had acceptance letters in hand and decided to go elsewhere. Compared with its peers, this “yes, I’m staying” share is high—a smaller share of admitted students enrolled at most of those 942 schools. This number does not measure how difficult it is to get in or how good the school is; it only counts what other families decided after receiving an acceptance letter. When your child’s admission decisions arrive, this percentage should not decide for you: place the letters side by side and compare net price, major, and distance.
As for standardized tests, the SAT and ACT are not required at Quincy University. If your child submits them, they are considered; if not, the application remains valid. Among the students who enrolled, only 20 out of every 100 submitted SAT scores, and among those students, the middle half scored between 540 and 630 in reading and writing and between 530 and 620 in mathematics. These ranges describe students who submitted scores and enrolled; they are not an admission minimum or a guarantee of anything.
As for transfers, in fall 2023, 84 undergraduate students arrived at Quincy for the first time after attending another college or university. Compared with its peers, that count places it in the upper half of the group. What we do not know, because the school did not report it, is the percentage of students who start there and later transfer elsewhere. That does not mean no one leaves; it only means that information is not in the file.
What It Costs, and What It Might Cost You
At Quincy University, among 46 first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid and whose EFC records showed family income below $30,000, the average net price was $11,549. Among 29 students from the same population with EFC family income from $48,001 to $75,000, it was $15,110; among 65 students with EFC family income above $110,000, it was $20,306. For dependent students, the band combines their parents’ income with their own.
The difference between the average for the lowest-income band (46 students) and the highest-income band (65 students) is $8,757. Among first-year students who received any grant or scholarship aid, the average was $17,424.
Among the 937 schools of the same type and control included in this census that reported this data point with the same time coverage, Quincy falls in the least expensive quarter for the lowest-income families after grants and scholarships are subtracted. That does not mean it will be inexpensive for your family. It is a data point worth considering when you build the list of schools to which your child will apply.
None of these figures is a price quote for your child. The income bands on this profile describe first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid; public institutions use the in-state or in-district rate. The overall average with aid, when shown, describes first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal, state, local, or institutional grants or scholarships. The figure that matters is the aid letter you receive. In the meantime, use the net price calculator on the school’s website.
Aid, and the Loan That Almost Always Appears
At Quincy University, 98 out of every 100 degree-seeking students received some form of grant or scholarship aid that does not have to be repaid. Receiving something there is the norm. Among those who received it, the average was $26,184 per year—a large figure, but an average that hides those who received much more and those who received much less. The Pell Grant, federal aid for low-income families, went to 34 out of every 100 students.
Now for the part I want you to read carefully, because this is where commitments lasting years are signed: in the 2022-23 school year, 52 out of every 100 Quincy University undergraduate students received a federal student loan. That is more than half. Among those who borrowed, the average amount per borrower was $6,114 for that school year.
I want to tell you something clearly, without dressing it up: financing with debt is common at this school. If your child borrowed a similar amount in each of the four years in the plan, the total would be around $24,456, not counting interest. That number is decided before the first signature, not at the end of the fourth year when there is no turning back.
This average covers only federal loans in the student’s name for one year. It does not include Parent PLUS loans that parents sometimes end up signing for, debt from private banks, or credit cards. And it is not the total debt with which someone graduates—that would require adding all four years, and that number is not in this report.
Compared with its 942 peers, Quincy’s share of students with loans is among the more common: neither one of the highest nor one of the lowest. But “common among similar colleges and universities” is not the same as “a small amount of money.” It is real money that someone has to repay later.
The institution also reports offering a tuition installment payment plan, if that helps organize the family budget.
Campus Life, Sports, and Support
Quincy University does have its own housing, with a reported capacity of 745 students, on or off campus. It is not required for all first-time, full-time students—that is how the institution responded—although that does not rule out a requirement for a specific program. It also offers meal plans, including a large plan with a fixed number of meals per week. Request in writing this year’s exact price, the housing application deadline, and whether a place is guaranteed or you will be put on a waiting list.
As for ROTC, Quincy did not mark any opportunity of this type in its report, while 926 of the 1,786 four-year institutions in this guide did. If your child’s plan depends on an ROTC scholarship, ask admissions directly before ruling out the school based on this data point—the report reflects what was declared, not necessarily everything that exists.
It does compete in intercollegiate athletics and is affiliated with the NCAA, with reported membership in football, basketball, baseball, and cross-country or track and field. If your child wants to keep playing in college, write directly to the coach for that sport and ask whether there is a place on the team, which division it competes in, and whether that sport offers athletic scholarships. Ask for written confirmation.
It offers distance education at the undergraduate and graduate levels, although in practice it is the exception, not the rule: only 3 out of every 100 undergraduate students took all their classes remotely; the other 97 took at least one class in person.
The library has paid staff, physical and digital collections, and interlibrary lending—its annual spending exceeded the $100,000 threshold tracked by the federal government. Reported services also include combined academic and career counseling, employment assistance for current students, placement services after program completion, participation in the Yellow Ribbon program for veterans, and a page dedicated to services for students with disabilities.
How Likely Your Child Is to Stay and Finish
To me, this is the section most worth reading slowly, because this is where the data stop being about “getting in” and start being about “finishing.”
Of the cohort of first-time, full-time, bachelor’s-degree-seeking students who entered in fall 2022—303 people—194 were still enrolled or had already completed their degrees one year later. That is 64 out of every 100. Compared with 930 selective private schools in this census, Quincy ranks near the bottom: seven out of ten of those schools retained a larger share of their entering cohort.
This does not mean the other 109 “gave up.” The data do not say whether they transferred, paused their studies, started working, or left for any other reason. They measure only an outcome, not the causes behind it.
And looking farther ahead at graduation: of the 234 full-time students who entered bachelor’s degree programs in 2017, 100 had earned a degree from Quincy University six years later. That is 43 out of every 100. At the four-year mark, the figure falls to 31 out of every 100. Compared with 920 selective private schools, Quincy falls in the bottom quarter: three out of four of those schools graduated a larger share of their cohort.
Put plainly, at six years it is almost half and half. 43 out of every 100 had earned a bachelor’s degree from Quincy; 57 had not. That does not say why each of those 57 had not earned one—some probably transferred and finished elsewhere, while others probably did not. What you can do with this number is ask during the visit what specific support exists to help a student finish on time and how long, on average, the particular major your child is interested in takes to complete.
Expanding the window to eight years, using a different cohort—students who entered between July 2015 and June 2016, including part-time students—51 out of every 100 had earned a degree or certificate from Quincy by the August 2023 reporting date. Compared with 935 similar schools, it also falls in the bottom quarter.
Here is a data point that I think is important to name without softening it: among the students in that cohort who received a Pell Grant—that is, students from lower-income families—only 42 out of every 100 left with a Quincy degree within eight years. That is 17 points lower than the group that did not receive Pell. If your family would qualify for Pell, this deserves a direct question to the school: What assigned advising is available for these students? Is emergency aid available? Does the institutional scholarship renew automatically each year, or must the student qualify again? Ask for written answers.
How to Use All of This
You now know, in considerable depth, one piece of the puzzle: what kind of university Quincy University is, what it requires for admission, what it actually costs at different income levels, how much debt is common there, and how likely a student is, based on historical data, to stay and finish.
None of these numbers decides anything for you. A graduation rate of 43 does not say what will happen to your child in particular; an average net price is not the letter your family will receive. What you can do is bring these questions to the table, the visit, and the call with admissions, and compare the exact answers with those from every other school on the list.
This piece is the foundation: what the university is and what it offers, according to its own reports to the federal government. You still need to combine it with what your child wants to study and where your child wants to go, and with what your family can and is willing to pay. A real plan comes from those three pieces together—not from any one of them alone.
Source note: The information in this article comes from data reported by Quincy University to the U.S. Department of Education’s IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System), primarily from the 2022-23 and 2023-24 cycles, as well as from the Carnegie Classification. Best College Aid does not represent Quincy University or the United States government, and this article does not constitute personalized admissions advice.