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Online Learning

Why SCPS

Flexible, Affordable Adult Learning

For more than a century, Loyola University Chicago’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies (SCPS) has helped adult learners and working professionals pursue their educational and career goals. Located in the heart of Chicago, SCPS offers flexible programs, scholarship opportunities and financial aid to help make a Loyola education more accessible while allowing students to balance school, work and other responsibilities.

U.S. News & World Report ranks two of Loyola’s online bachelor’s degree programs among the top 25 nationally and as the top-ranked programs in Chicago. Across its range of programs and certificates, SCPS offers high-quality online courses taught by expert faculty who are invested in student learning.

The SCPS Advantage

Accessibility

Loyola University Chicago and the School of Continuing and Professional Studies (SCPS) excel at providing an accessible, high-quality education to a diverse community of adult learners in the Chicago area and, increasingly, across the U.S. SCPS’s success is rooted in a sincere respect for the adult learner and a profound understanding for the responsibilities students hold beyond the classroom, such as full-time employment and family obligations. 

Affordability

The School of Continuing and Professional Studies (SCPS) at Loyola University Chicago understands the cost of higher education stimulates anxiety in many adult learners and, in some cases, even hinders them from returning to the classroom. Through a combination of financial aid, scholarships, community partnerships, and knowledge-based credit, SCPS creates opportunities for students to pursue their academic goals free of economic barriers.

Flexibility

Building upon Loyola’s commitment to educational outreach and inclusiveness, SCPS designs its programs with flexibility and relevance top of mind. Whether online, evening, or weekend, SCPS’s transparent scheduling options present students the freedom to learn in the way and on the timeline best suiting them.

See Why Students Choose SCPS

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Danessa Bredicean (BA '25)

A Ladder to Success

With support from the Fellows Scholar Award and SCPS faculty and advisors, Danessa Bredicean (BA '25) balanced a demanding career in law enforcement while earning her degree in Applied Psychology. Her experience at SCPS helped her build the skills and confidence to pursue her next goal: a career in medicine.

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Yvette Garcia (BA '25)

Taking a New Path

Yvette Garcia (BA '25) leveraged Loyola SCPS's flexible Paralegal Studies program to balance work, family, and personal challenges while advancing her career.

Recognized Among the Nation's Best

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U.S. News & World Report '26

Nationally Recognized Leader in Online Education

Loyola University Chicago has once again earned national recognition for its online education programs in the U.S. News & World Report 2026 Best Online Programs rankings, with SCPS programs earning top spots nationwide.

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