“Private university in Aurora, Illinois, founded in 1893 as an Advent Christian Church seminary.”
Aurora University (AU) is a private, nondenominational university in the residential Lincoln Avenue neighborhood of Aurora, Illinois — the state's second-largest city, about 40 miles west of downtown Chicago. Founded in 1893 and originally affiliated with the Advent Christian Church, AU severed its religious affiliation in the 1970s and today operates as a nonsectarian institution serving roughly 5,300 students on a compact, 36-acre main campus plus a lakeside campus at George Williams College in southern Wisconsin. The university's identity is built around accessible, career-oriented undergraduate education: a 12:1 student-to-faculty ratio, small classes, and a deep commitment to first-generation and adult learners. AU's portfolio skews toward pre-professional programs. Nursing is the single largest major, with a traditional four-year BSN and accelerated pathways feeding major Chicagoland hospital systems. Social work and criminal justice — both among AU's best-known programs nationally — produce high volumes of graduates for agency and public-sector roles. Business, education, and psychology round out the most popular undergraduate tracks, and the university offers master's and doctoral programs in nursing practice, social work, education, and business administration. Programs are organized across three colleges, each housing multiple schools, with the Dunham School of Business and the School of Nursing drawing particular enrollment. Student life centers on NCAA Division III Spartan athletics in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference, a full calendar of residence-hall programming (most freshmen live on campus), and quick access to downtown Chicago via Metra commuter rail. Aurora's diverse, working-class city context gives AU a distinctive practical identity — many of its social-work, nursing, and education students complete placements in the very communities they'll serve after graduation. For international students, AU offers automatic merit scholarships, a modest but engaged international cohort, and an International Student Office that supports the F-1 process end-to-end.
Visa, OPT, H-1B alumni outcomes, and acceptance rates by country — sourced from FOIA, USCIS H-1B Hub, and DHS SEVIS.
National Universities
US News 2026
Test Optional — You can submit scores if they help your case, but they're not required.
Official SourceRolling — Fall Intl
International fall semester deadline.
Rolling — Spring Intl
International spring semester deadline.
Rolling — Summer Intl
International summer deadline.
The deep admissions playbook beyond the headline acceptance rate — round-by-round breakdowns, nationality data, requirements, and contact paths.
Tuition & Fees (All Students)
$29,170
/yr
Beyond the sticker price — every named scholarship, the financial aid policy, need-aware notes, and a personalized net-cost estimate.
How life on campus actually feels — clubs, sports, traditions, housing realities, and how the school integrates with its city.
Houses Aurora's largest enrollment schools — nursing, social work, business, and public safety — with a practice-oriented curriculum and strong regional field placements.
Undergraduate and graduate business, accounting, marketing, management, and public-policy programs with strong Chicagoland employer connections.
Liberal arts, sciences, and humanities programs including biology, psychology, English, communication, and the natural sciences.
Illinois-licensed teacher preparation from early childhood through secondary, with strong placement in Chicagoland public schools.
Kinesiology, exercise science, health sciences, and allied-health pathways, many feeding AU's DPT and graduate healthcare programs.
4 years
AU's largest and most competitive undergraduate program; strong NCLEX-RN pass rates and rotations throughout Chicagoland hospital systems.
4 years
A nationally well-regarded BSW with advanced standing into AU's MSW, strong field placements in Illinois social-service agencies.
4 years
Long-running criminal justice program with internships in local policing, corrections, and probation.
Where alumni go after graduation — top industries, grad-school continuation, and the qualitative outcomes story.
Sticker price (annual, out-of-state): $29,170
Net-cost estimate is US-resident-only — international applicants are typically excluded from need-based aid at most schools and should treat the sticker price as the planning baseline.
