National Louis University

Chicago, IL · Private nonprofit · 4,100 students · Visit Website

National Louis University (NLU) offers hands-on training in culinary arts and hospitality management at its Kendall College campus in Chicago, which features state-of-the-art kitchens and on-campus restaurants. NLU also provides various baccalaureate certificates in fields like baking and pastry, professional cookery, medical assistant, and cybersecurity analyst. The Accelerate U initiative focuses on workforce training with employer partners to offer short-term, industry-recognized credentials that bridge to in-demand jobs and can lead to college credit.

Programs Analyzed

1

Avg Grad Earnings

$24,786/yr

Avg TradeSchoolOutlook Score

57/100

Tuition

$12,345/yr

All Programs at National Louis University

1 trade program at National Louis University, ranked by TradeSchoolOutlook Score (combines earnings, ROI, AI resilience, and job market size). Use the “compare” links to see how this school’s programs stack up against others nationally.

Program Score Earnings Debt 10yr ROI AI Risk Job Market
Culinary Arts
Culinary Arts and Related Services
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57 $24,786/yr $12,833 16.2x Low Very Large
789 openings/yr

Reading the table: Score combines earnings, ROI, AI resilience, and job market size on a 0–100 scale. Earnings = median first-year salary from College Scorecard. Debt = median federal debt at graduation (blank where Scorecard suppresses small samples). 10yr ROI = projected 10-year earnings ÷ in-state tuition. AI Risk reflects task-level AI exposure across mapped occupations. Job Market = annual openings nationwide for connected occupations.

More Trade Schools in Illinois

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Apprenticeship Pathways in Illinois

Earn-while-you-learn alternatives in Illinois. Registered apprenticeships skip tuition and pay you during training, though training periods are typically longer.

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Trade Schools Near Chicago

Other cities in Illinois with multiple trade schools, sorted by distance from Chicago.

About This Data

TradeSchoolOutlook analyzes 1 trade and vocational programs at National Louis University using earnings data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and employment projections from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024–2034).

The TradeSchoolOutlook Score (0–100) combines graduate earnings, return on investment, AI resilience, and job market size. AI Risk reflects task-level exposure for the occupations each program feeds into. Job Market shows the size of the national hiring pool. Programs without published debt figures had small reporting samples that the College Scorecard suppresses for privacy.

Data: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (earnings, debt), Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024–2034 (employment projections). Last updated 2026.