Knox College: A Parent's Guide to Admissions, Cost & Outcomes

Naperville, Illinois · Private nonprofit · Moderately selective

Acceptance rate
58%
Avg SAT
1165
In-state tuition
$44,394
per year, before aid
Net price (avg)
$23,033
after aid, what families pay
Quick answer

Knox College is a private nonprofit university in Naperville, Illinois that admits about 58% of applicants, making it a moderately selective school. The average family pays about $23,033 a year after financial aid, which matters more than the published sticker price. It is best known for Psychology, General, Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods and Marketing, its largest undergraduate programs by number of graduates. Its most recent Clery Act report shows roughly 2.5 criminal offenses per 1,000 students.

Knox College is a private institution located in Naperville, Illinois with a moderately selective admissions profile. For the most recent reporting cycle, Knox College admits about half to three-quarters of applicants, with an overall admission rate of 58%. Admitted students typically post an average SAT of 1165 and an ACT composite around 25. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $23,033 per year, which is the figure most families actually pay rather than the published sticker price. For parents weighing whether Knox College is realistic for their teenager, the most useful planning step is comparing your child's current GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against these admitted-student ranges — not the headline acceptance rate alone.

What GPA does my child need for Knox College?

Knox College admits students with a wide GPA range, but most successful applicants present an unweighted GPA of 3.3 or higher with a college-prep curriculum. Parents tracking their child's GPA toward this tier of school can use Solyo's free calculator to see weighted, unweighted, and college-recalculated numbers side by side.

SAT and ACT scores Knox College typically admits

The middle-50 SAT Math range is 530–630, with an EBRW midpoint near 570. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 23–27. Many applicants here submit scores; even slightly below the average can be competitive when combined with a strong GPA and curriculum.

How much does Knox College actually cost?

Published tuition is $44,394 for in-state students and $44,394 for out-of-state, before grants and scholarships. Room and board adds roughly $12,434 annually. After need-based and merit aid, the average family pays a net price of $23,033 per year — the number that actually matters for budgeting. Roughly 25% of students receive Pell Grants, a useful indicator of how much need-based aid the school distributes.

Most popular majors at Knox College

The most popular undergraduate programs at Knox College, measured by the number of students who actually graduate each year, are Psychology, General, Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods and Marketing. Across all programs, Knox College confers roughly 327 bachelor's degrees a year. Graduates of its Psychology, General program report a median income of about $53,147 five years after entering college. Major popularity is a practical signal of where a school concentrates its teaching strength and where your child will find the deepest course offerings and peer community.

MajorGraduates / yearMedian earnings (5 yrs out)
Psychology, General71$53,147
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods47$58,760
Marketing43$62,422
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness42$50,987
Accounting and Related Services37$79,216
Business Administration, Management and Operations33$65,055
Finance and Financial Management Services31$83,703
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft23$34,084
Bachelor's-degree completions from federal IPEDS data; earnings from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

Is Knox College safe? Campus crime & safety

In its most recent Clery Act report (2024), Knox College disclosed 6 total criminal offenses across its campus and surrounding public property, about 2.5 per 1,000 students. That figure includes 1 violent offenses and 1 reported sexual assaults or VAWA offenses. Per-1,000-student rates matter more than raw counts when comparing schools, because larger universities mechanically report more incidents. Under the federal Clery Act, every college that receives federal aid must publish these numbers annually.

Total offenses
6
2.5 per 1,000 students
Violent crime
1
0.41 per 1,000
Sexual assault / VAWA
1
0.41 per 1,000
Burglary
2
reported incidents
Clery Act disclosures (2024) cover on-campus, noncampus, and adjacent public-property incidents; rates use an enrollment of 2,428 students.

Other colleges in Illinois parents ask about

How parents track GPA toward selective schools like Knox College

Solyo helps parents track grades pulled directly from school emails, calculate GPA the same way colleges like Knox College recalculate it, and ask an AI college counselor specific questions about their teen's odds. The platform is built for parents — not students — and turns what's usually a fragmented planning process into a single dashboard.

Common questions parents ask about Knox College

What GPA do I need for Knox College?

Knox College admits students with a wide GPA range, but most successful applicants present an unweighted GPA of 3.3 or higher with a college-prep curriculum.

What SAT or ACT score does Knox College typically admit?

The middle-50 SAT Math range is 530–630, with an EBRW midpoint near 570. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 23–27.

How much does Knox College actually cost after financial aid?

The average net price at Knox College after grants and scholarships is $23,033 per year. That figure is more useful for budgeting than the published sticker price, because it reflects what families actually pay after aid is applied.

Is Knox College realistic for my child?

Compare your teen's current unweighted GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against the ranges above. If both numbers fall inside the school's middle-50, Knox College is a target school. If both fall below the 25th-percentile mark, treat it as a reach and balance the application list accordingly.

What is the acceptance rate at Knox College?

Knox College accepts about 58% of applicants. That makes it a moderately selective school.

Is Knox College a public or private school, and where is it located?

Knox College is a private nonprofit institution located in Naperville, Illinois.

What are the most popular majors at Knox College?

The largest undergraduate majors at Knox College by annual graduates are Psychology, General, Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods and Marketing. The school awards about 327 bachelor's degrees a year in total. These figures come from federal IPEDS completion data.

Is Knox College safe? What is its campus crime rate?

Knox College reported 6 total criminal offenses in its most recent Clery Act disclosure (2024), roughly 2.5 per 1,000 students. Compare the per-1,000 rate rather than the raw total, since larger schools report more incidents.

Data sourced from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS, and Clery Act campus safety disclosures. Solyo extracts admissions data from official Common Data Set publications and refreshes it annually.