Illinois Best College Rankings
University of Chicago ranked first and Northwestern University ranked second in Illinois college rankings. The 2024 average tuition & fees of the Illinois best colleges is $28,572 for Illinois residents and $33,633 for out-of-state students. The average acceptance rate is 70.03% and the average SAT score is 1,149. The average number of student population is 7,982 and the average student to faculty ratio is 14 to 1.
Below statements summarize the average statistics of tuition, admission, and more academic factors for Illinois best colleges. For the statistics, we only include 4 years colleges such as national universities and liberal arts colleges.
- The average undergraduate tuition & fees is $33,633 and Northwestern University has the highest tuition & fees of $65,997 and Governors State University has the lowest tuition & fees of $11,320.
- The average graduate tuition & fees is $19,705 and University of Chicago has the highest tuition & fees of $66,543 and Columbia College Chicago has the lowest tuition & fees of $2,464.
- The average SAT score is 1,149 and University of Chicago has the highest SAT score of 1,550 and Rockford University has the lowest score of 940.
- The average acceptance rate is 70.03% and University of Chicago has the tightest (lowest) rate of 5% and Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville has the loosest (lowest) rate of 97%.
- The average student population is 7,982 and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has the most students of 56,916 and Principia College has the fewest students of 323.
- The average graduation rate is 57.85% and Northwestern University has the highest rate of 96% and Northeastern Illinois University has the lowest rate of 17%.
Illinois Best Colleges Comparison
The below table compares the 48 best colleges in Illinois with important academic factors. You can sort the table by touching/clicking a column name that you want to sort.
| Rank | College Name | Undergraduate Tuition & Fees | Graduate Tuition & Fees | SAT Score | Acceptance Rate | Population | Graduation Rate | Student to Faculty Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Chicago Chicago, IL | $65,619 | $66,543 | 1,550 | 4.8% | 18,339 | 95% | 5 to 1 |
| 2 | Northwestern University Evanston, IL | $65,997 | $53,871 | 1,530 | 7.2% | 23,161 | 96% | 6 to 1 |
| 3 | Principia College Elsah, IL | $33,280 | - | 1,120 | 44.4% | 323 | 76% | 6 to 1 |
| 4 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL | $39,192 | $33,640 | 1,410 | 43.7% | 56,916 | 85% | 21 to 1 |
| 5 | Illinois Institute of Technology Chicago, IL | $50,917 | $33,810 | 1,290 | 55.4% | 6,943 | 72% | 13 to 1 |
| 6 | University of Illinois Chicago Chicago, IL | $31,505 | $28,641 | 1,230 | 78.5% | 33,747 | 60% | 18 to 1 |
| 7 | Wheaton College Wheaton, IL | $43,936 | $19,440 | 1,350 | 90.0% | 2,885 | 87% | 12 to 1 |
| 8 | Illinois State University Normal, IL | $23,479 | $12,646 | 1,110 | 89.0% | 20,683 | 66% | 19 to 1 |
| 9 | Illinois Wesleyan University Bloomington, IL | $55,704 | - | 1,220 | 45.2% | 1,527 | 83% | 11 to 1 |
| 10 | Lewis University Romeoville, IL | $37,882 | $15,490 | 1,100 | 72.7% | 6,513 | 63% | 14 to 1 |
| 11 | Loyola University Chicago Chicago, IL | $51,716 | $22,305 | 1,250 | 81.4% | 16,899 | 77% | 13 to 1 |
| 12 | Bradley University Peoria, IL | $39,680 | $19,014 | 1,200 | 76.7% | 5,552 | 72% | 12 to 1 |
| 13 | University of St Francis Joliet, IL | $37,000 | $14,757 | 1,040 | 63.9% | 3,297 | 65% | 13 to 1 |
| 14 | North Central College Naperville, IL | $44,394 | $15,822 | 1,150 | 58.3% | 2,695 | 71% | 12 to 1 |
| 15 | Aurora University Aurora, IL | $28,220 | $15,363 | 1,035 | 85.1% | 5,918 | 58% | 18 to 1 |
| 16 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale Carbondale, IL | $13,244 | $31,050 | 1,020 | 90.4% | 11,107 | 56% | 11 to 1 |
| 17 | Elmhurst University Elmhurst, IL | $41,628 | $34,037 | 1,090 | 75.7% | 3,731 | 65% | 13 to 1 |
| 18 | Olivet Nazarene University Bourbonnais, IL | $37,940 | $10,957 | 1,080 | 66.9% | 3,255 | 60% | 14 to 1 |
| 19 | North Park University Chicago, IL | $35,325 | $16,191 | - | 72.8% | 2,660 | 56% | 10 to 1 |
| 20 | University of Illinois Springfield Springfield, IL | $19,460 | $19,246 | 1,090 | 84.4% | 4,198 | 61% | 12 to 1 |
| 21 | Monmouth College Monmouth, IL | $43,520 | - | 1,120 | 86.6% | 767 | 60% | 10 to 1 |
| 22 | Quincy University Quincy, IL | $35,740 | $11,475 | 1,160 | 49.9% | 1,307 | 43% | 14 to 1 |
| 23 | Benedictine University Lisle, IL | $32,546 | $20,258 | - | 77.2% | 3,123 | 51% | 13 to 1 |
| 24 | Augustana College Rock Island, IL | $49,834 | $34,660 | 1,120 | 67.7% | 2,349 | 79% | 11 to 1 |
| 25 | Greenville University Greenville, IL | $30,598 | $8,784 | 1,008 | 95.4% | 1,088 | 51% | 12 to 1 |
| 26 | Illinois College Jacksonville, IL | $37,470 | $9,200 | 1,070 | 74.7% | 1,029 | 61% | 12 to 1 |
| 27 | Rockford University Rockford, IL | $37,000 | $14,060 | 940 | 57.2% | 1,181 | 38% | 10 to 1 |
| 28 | McKendree University Lebanon, IL | $34,070 | $9,450 | - | 63.9% | 1,960 | 60% | 17 to 1 |
| 29 | Northern Illinois University Dekalb, IL | $12,506 | $9,090 | - | 70.5% | 15,649 | 50% | 14 to 1 |
| 30 | DeVry University-Illinois Lisle, IL | $15,032 | $17,552 | 1,050 | 43.3% | 26,384 | 37% | 49 to 1 |
| 31 | Columbia College Chicago Chicago, IL | $32,520 | $2,464 | - | 91.2% | 6,646 | 48% | 15 to 1 |
| 32 | Lake Forest College Lake Forest, IL | $54,202 | $16,212 | 1,280 | 59.4% | 1,753 | 70% | 12 to 1 |
| 33 | Northeastern Illinois University Chicago, IL | $22,726 | $18,217 | - | 70.4% | 5,756 | 17% | 9 to 1 |
| 34 | Knox College Galesburg, IL | $55,587 | - | 1,250 | 71.1% | 1,058 | 68% | 9 to 1 |
| 35 | DePaul University Chicago, IL | $44,174 | $22,525 | 1,230 | 73.5% | 20,917 | 70% | 17 to 1 |
| 36 | Dominican University River Forest, IL | $37,694 | $19,500 | 1,025 | 79.8% | 3,196 | 62% | 11 to 1 |
| 37 | Roosevelt University Chicago, IL | $20,280 | $23,094 | 960 | 94.3% | 3,725 | 41% | 11 to 1 |
| 38 | Chicago State University Chicago, IL | $12,754 | $16,162 | - | 40.5% | 2,317 | 17% | 11 to 1 |
| 39 | Judson University Elgin, IL | $30,910 | $18,708 | 960 | 63.1% | 973 | 53% | 10 to 1 |
| 40 | Trinity International University-Illinois Deerfield, IL | $12,320 | $18,520 | - | 93.2% | 1,242 | 46% | 12 to 1 |
| 41 | Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville Edwardsville, IL | $12,025 | $10,102 | 1,030 | 97.2% | 12,519 | 55% | 15 to 1 |
| 42 | Eastern Illinois University Charleston, IL | $15,566 | $22,695 | 1,010 | 67.8% | 8,857 | 45% | 15 to 1 |
| 43 | Western Illinois University Macomb, IL | $14,085 | $13,290 | - | 75.0% | 7,643 | 45% | 13 to 1 |
| 44 | Saint Xavier University Chicago, IL | $36,840 | $15,410 | - | 85.8% | 3,523 | 59% | 15 to 1 |
| 45 | Governors State University University Park, IL | $11,320 | $10,072 | - | - | 4,427 | 20% | 10 to 1 |
| 46 | National Louis University Chicago, IL | $14,601 | $12,225 | - | 93.1% | 7,525 | 37% | 15 to 1 |
| 47 | Concordia University-Chicago River Forest, IL | $36,258 | $10,782 | - | 93.4% | 5,354 | 47% | 12 to 1 |
| 48 | East-West University Chicago, IL | $26,100 | - | - | - | 529 | 23% | 33 to 1 |
| Average | $33,633 | $19,705 | 1,149 | 70.0% | 7,982 | 58% | 14 to 1 |
Illinois Colleges by Ranking and School Type