Universal Spa Training Academy is a private, for-profit school in Downers Grove, Illinois, with programs lasting less than two years. It is not a four-year college, it does not award bachelor’s degrees, and its total enrollment last fall was 144. It is small. Very small. And precisely because it is small and not widely known, it is worth examining carefully before deciding anything.
What follows is what the federal government has on record about this school through IPEDS—the system to which all colleges in the United States report their data each year. This is neither my opinion nor a rating. These are official figures, including what they do and do not say. Your job, and mine here, is to make sure you understand them without having to become an expert in federal codes.
Who This School Is and Where It Stands
When a family researches a college, it almost always looks first for some classification that says, “This is legitimate” or “This is recognized.” With Universal Spa Training Academy, that search runs into a wall: in the Carnegie Classification—the system that categorizes colleges in the United States by type—this school simply does not appear. It is outside that classified universe, and the data do not explain why.
That does not mean it is worse. It means Carnegie did not assign it a label. Before paying for the first term, ask admissions what accreditation the school has and exactly what credential it awards, and look up that name yourself on the Department of Education’s website. There is no Carnegie label that can spare you that call.
Geographically, the school is in Downers Grove, within DuPage County, and its location is within the Chicago metropolitan area. That does not mean the campus is in downtown Chicago. The census code classifies it as being within a city, which says where it is, not how to get there—transportation is something to ask the school about directly. If your daughter plans to live at home while studying, do her a favor: drive the route on a weekday at the exact time of her classes. The actual travel time is almost never what the map says.
As for the type of institution, IPEDS is clear: Universal Spa Training Academy is a private, for-profit school offering programs of less than two years, and the highest credential it reports offering is a certificate or diploma requiring less than one academic year. It does not award academic degrees. That is an institutional fact; it does not say what specific credential your daughter would receive in the program that interests her. Before signing anything, ask for the exact name of the credential she will receive upon completion in writing, and ask whether those credits would count at a four-year college if she ever wants to continue there.
It is also worth mentioning what this school is not: it does not have any of three designations that apply to other institutions—it is not a historically Black college or university, a tribal college or university, or a land-grant institution. Among the universities in this national directory, numbering 3,012, a total of 138 have at least one of those three designations. Universal Spa Training Academy’s absence from that list says nothing about which communities it serves or how your daughter would feel there. Ask directly which student organizations currently exist and, if possible, speak with someone who already studies there.
A Small Community, Almost Entirely Women
There are two numbers here that you should consider together, even though they measure different things.
The first: among every 100 undergraduate students at this school, 36 were reported as Hispanic or Latino. That is more than one in four. Compared with the private short-program schools reporting this information in the same national census—a group numbering 362—Universal Spa Training Academy ranks in the top quartile: three out of four schools in that group reported an equal or lower proportion. Put simply, being Latino on this campus would not be the exception.
But a high percentage of Latino students is not the same as support for Latino students. This figure counts how many there are, not whether there is a Spanish-speaking counselor, whether tutoring is available, or whether those students complete their programs. And it is the percentage for the entire school, not for a specific program.
The second number that stands out: for every 100 undergraduate students, 99 are women. That is practically the entire student body. In addition, for every 100 students, 31 are between the ages of 25 and 64—this is not a campus filled only with teenagers fresh out of high school, but one where a substantial portion of students are already at another stage of life.
IPEDS does not provide information for this school on where new students come from in the most recent reporting cycle. It is not there, and it should not be invented.
As for size: total enrollment last fall was 144. This is a very small school—the official size category that applies to it is fewer than 1,000 students, and within that category, it is among the smallest. Compared with the private short-program schools in this same census, a group numbering 362, its size falls around the middle: neither among the largest nor among the smallest in that specific group. The entire enrollment of 144 consists of undergraduates; there is no graduate enrollment because this school does not offer graduate programs.
Here is one detail that changes how the enrollment figure should be read: IPEDS estimates that the institutional full-time equivalent of the 144 enrolled students is only 92. That means many people are studying part time. With so many part-time students, do not assume a traditional schedule: ask when the courses in your daughter’s program of interest are offered.
How Academics Work
This is where a short-program school differs most clearly from a traditional college, and where it is especially important to pay attention.
The academic calendar varies by program. There is no uniform “school year” for all students: students begin when their specific program opens, not during a fixed August start shared by the entire school. The school also reported that it does not award credit for life experience or AP exams, and it does not enroll high school students in college-credit courses. That same question did not measure whether it offers dual credit with other institutions or other transfer policies, so if that matters to your family, confirm it directly with the school in writing.
And here is something important about money, which we will return to later: because this school reports costs by program rather than by academic year, a price here cannot be compared directly with another college’s annual tuition. Always ask for the full cost of the program and the exact date your daughter’s program begins.
As for credentials awarded: in the most recent federal report, Universal Spa Training Academy does not appear as having awarded any bachelor’s degrees that year. That is not unusual for its type of institution—among the private short-program schools in this same census, a group numbering 364, all 364 are in the same position: none awarded bachelor’s degrees. That is expected given the kind of school this is, not a warning sign. Even so, if your daughter’s ultimate goal is a bachelor’s degree elsewhere, ask admissions for an updated list of the credentials it awards today and for any transfer agreements in writing.
And one number deserves careful attention: the ratio of students to instructional staff, with both measured as full-time equivalents, is 20 to 1. Compared with similar schools in this census, that places it in the highest quartile—it is a high ratio. But be careful: this number is not a class size. It is an aggregate relationship across the entire school; it does not say how many students would be in your daughter’s specific class or how each instructor’s time is allocated. If class size matters to you—and it matters greatly to many families—ask about it directly; that information is not included in this report.
Structured Opportunities It Does Offer
The institution reports one specific academic pathway: an entire program that can be completed exclusively during evenings or weekends. If your daughter works or has family responsibilities during the day, this may be relevant to her plans. It is worth asking admissions whether this is the specific program that interests her and how those schedules are structured.
How Admission Works: Open Admission and What It Does and Does Not Mean
Universal Spa Training Academy reports an open-admission policy for all or most of its first-time undergraduate students. That does not automatically guarantee admission for every applicant: the person must still meet any applicable eligibility conditions, and a particular program may have its own requirements that this information does not describe. The published application fee is $50.
Because admission is open, several data points that you would see at a more selective college simply do not apply here, and it is important to understand this correctly: the school did not withhold them.
There is no acceptance rate to calculate because, under open admission, IPEDS does not ask the school for counts of applicants and admitted students. There is no rate showing how many admitted students subsequently enroll, for the same reason. And there is no reported policy on the use of the SAT or ACT, also because that component does not apply under open admission. None of these gaps reflects a lack of transparency by the institution: it is simply how IPEDS structures the question when admission is already open.
Open admission, however, is not the same as guaranteed space in every specific program. If the field that interests your daughter has its own requirements or capacity limit, confirm that directly with the program, not through this general classification.
Regarding transfers: in the most recent fall count, the school reported no students entering for the first time after previously studying at another institution. The count was zero. But a zero in that specific count does not mean the school does not accept transfers—it says that no one in that category entered during that particular fall. If your daughter’s plan includes transferring into or out of this school, ask admissions directly, including which credits it would recognize.
Money: What Is Published and What Is Actually Paid
At Universal Spa Training Academy, within a group of first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid and whose EFC records showed family income below $30,000—27 students in all—the average net price was $19,813. Within the same population, the average was $20,910 for the group with EFC family income from $48,001 to $75,000, whose student count was 3; for the group with EFC family income above $110,000, whose student count was 4, it was $22,654. For dependent students, the income band combines their parents’ income with their own.
The difference between the average for the lowest-income band, which included 27 students, and the average for the highest-income band, which included 4 students, is $2,841. Among first-year students who received any grant or scholarship aid, the average was $19,469.
The average net price for the lowest-income families was $19,813 for the largest program, whose reported duration was 6 months. That does not mean this is what your family will pay. It helps you decide whether it is worth requesting the financial aid letter.
None of these figures is a quote for your child. The income bands in this profile describe first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid; at public institutions, they use the in-state or in-district rate. The overall average for students receiving grant 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 financial aid letter sent to you. In the meantime, use the net price calculator on the school’s website.
Grants, Loans, and Who Pays What
At this school, among every 100 degree- or certificate-seeking students, 51 received aid that does not have to be repaid—grants and scholarships, in other words. That is more than half, though not everyone. Among recipients, the annual average was $3,203. The same figure—51 out of every 100—also describes those who received Pell Grants, the specific federal aid for undergraduate students with demonstrated financial need. Applying for need-based aid here is not unusual: half of the group or more receives it.
Now for the other side of the coin, where you should remain cautious: among every 100 undergraduate students at this school, 56 received a federal student loan in the most recent academic year. Among recipients, the average that year was $7,127. Compared with other private short-program schools, this proportion is common—neither among the highest nor among the lowest.
I want to be direct with you here: a loan is not a grant. It must be repaid, with interest. And that average of $7,127 covers only one year and only federal loans in the student’s name—it does not include PLUS loans that parents may have signed for, bank debt, or credit-card debt. Nor is it the total debt owed upon graduation, because calculating that would require adding together every year of the program, and that figure does not appear in any official report. If your daughter expects to stay for one year, multiply that average by the actual number of years in her program before deciding whether the cost makes sense for your family.
That percentage describes other families, not necessarily yours. How much your daughter would have to borrow depends on her own financial aid letter. Wait for that letter before ruling out the school, and also before committing to it.
The institution also reports offering an installment tuition payment plan as an option for managing the cost without relying solely on loans.
Campus Life: What Is There and What Clearly Is Not
It is important to be frank here because this school differs from what many families imagine when they think about “going to college.”
Universal Spa Training Academy does not have institution-owned housing: it offers no dormitories or apartments under its control, either on or off campus. It also reports no meal plans. That does not remove off-campus housing and food estimates from the official financial aid budget—confirm with the school which budget it would use to calculate your daughter’s aid if she lives on her own.
It also reports no ROTC opportunities, either under the general category or under any of the three branches. And this is not unique to this school: among the schools lasting less than two years in this same guide—a group numbering 383—none indicated ROTC. If that is part of your daughter’s plan, she will need to look at another type of institution.
The intercollegiate athletics section is marked as not applicable—there is nothing to interpret there, either positively or negatively. If sports matter, ask directly.
Regarding distance education: the school reports that it offers no distance-education courses, at either the undergraduate or graduate level. Out of every 100 students, zero took all their classes that way. If your daughter works or cares for someone at home, her schedule will have to fit entirely around in-person attendance. This information comes from a specific year; the absence of distance education today does not mean it will still be the same when she enrolls—ask before deciding.
The specific federal library component is listed as not applicable for this school, so there is no detailed description of collections, staff, or expenditures. But the institution does report having an organized collection of printed materials and access to digital resources. If this matters to your daughter, ask directly where she can study and how she can obtain books or articles.
As for support, the school reports combined academic and career counseling, employment services for current students, placement services for program completers, and a disability-services web address. The fact that these services are reported does not indicate how good they are or how much people use them—that is something to ask someone who has already attended.
What We Do Know About Completing the Program
Here we reach one of the most important numbers, and also one of the most misunderstood if it is not read carefully.
The retention entry—how many first-time students return the following year—is marked as not applicable for this school. It is not a zero rate, nor does it mean the institution left the field blank. It is an official source status for this type of program. Do not use it to rank the school above or below others.
There is, however, a clear graduation figure: among the cohort that entered in 2020 as first-time, full-time, degree- or certificate-seeking students, 93 out of every 100 completed a program at this institution within 150% of the expected normal time.
That is a high figure, and it is worth saying so clearly. But you must understand exactly whom this measure follows: only those who entered for the first time, attended full time, and were seeking a degree or certificate. It does not represent students who transferred in or those who began part time—who, remember, make up a substantial portion of this school. It is a historical cohort, not a guaranteed prediction for your daughter.
Finally, the component called Outcome Measures, which at other schools tracks outcomes over eight years, is marked as not applicable here in the most recent reporting cycle. That does not mean the institution failed to respond, and it does not allow any inference about how a particular cohort fared.
What This Article Cannot Tell You
Neither I nor the federal report on which this article is based has data on what happens after someone graduates from this school: there are no figures on employment, earnings, or how quickly someone recoups the money invested. That is a legitimate and important question, but it belongs to a separate investigation using other sources.
Putting the Pieces Together
You now understand in considerable depth one of the three pieces you need to make a good decision: what this school is, what it officially reports to the government, where the data are strong, and where there simply are no data to interpret. It is small, offers short programs, has open admission, has a relatively consistent net price across families with different incomes, and has a high graduation rate for students who enter for the first time and attend full time.
But this piece alone does not decide anything. You still need to know exactly what your daughter wants to study and how thoroughly she has researched that path. And you still need to determine what your family can and is willing to pay once you have the financial aid letter in hand, not before.
It is your daughter’s responsibility to choose, ask questions, and commit to making her own effort. It is your responsibility to handle the money, documents, and dates, and to ask the uncomfortable questions before signing anything. Neither person can do the other’s part.
With this piece now in your hands, the next step is yours: call admissions, ask for things in writing, and see how it fits—or does not fit—what your family needs.
Source note: The information in this article comes from IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System), the United States Department of Education’s data system, primarily corresponding to the 2022-23 and 2023-24 reporting cycles submitted by the institution. Best College Aid does not represent Universal Spa Training Academy or any agency of the United States government.