A Complete Guide to Colleges in Illinois

You can choose from over 70 colleges and universities in Illinois. Some of the state's most popular schools include U of I, Northwestern, and UChicago.
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Updated August 10, 2023 · 4 Min Read

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10 Popular Colleges in Illinois

Illinois has more than 70 nonprofit four-year colleges and universities. This page lists all Illinois colleges and highlights some of the most popular based on factors such as enrollment size, prestige, and overall reputation.

All school data below comes from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Tuition and fees are from 2022-2023, while acceptance rates, enrollment statistics, net prices, and number of applicants are from 2021.

List of All Illinois Colleges and Universities

The following table contains all four-year nonprofit colleges in Illinois. For each school, you'll find information on enrollment, net cost, acceptance rate, and number of applicants.

All Colleges in Illinois
School Total Student Enrollment Avg. Annual Net Price Acceptance Rate Number of Applicants
Adler University 1,864 N/A N/A N/A
American Islamic College 19 N/A 100% 1
Augustana College 2,367 $24,472 69% 6,640
Aurora University 6,165 $17,410 86% 3,101
Benedictine University 3,378 $24,746 80% 2,908
Blackburn College 414 $19,016 66% 453
Blessing Rieman College of Nursing and Health Sciences 157 N/A N/A N/A
Bradley University 5,588 $25,312 76% 10,109
Chicago State University 2,366 $4,846 47% 4,805
Columbia College Chicago 6,736 $25,262 96% 7,218
Concordia University-Chicago 6,086 $18,817 88% 5,620
DePaul University 21,670 $31,872 69% 3,845
Dominican University 3,066 $18,476 81% 3,845
East-West University 487 $16,223 N/A N/A
Eastern Illinois University 8,608 $13,669 72% 7,145
Elmhurst University 3,518 $24,018 71% 3,762
Eureka College 476 $20,931 87% 877
Governors State University 4,395 $9,943 52% 1,168
Greenville University 1,047 $21,848 80% 1,007
Hebrew Theological College 170 $3,914 80% 5
Illinois College 1,097 $18,914 75% 3,522
Illinois Institute of Technology 6,486 $26,789 66% 6,521
Illinois State University 20,233 $21,033 92% 11,913
Illinois Wesleyan University 1,653 $30,610 45% 4,543
Judson University 1,173 $18,266 62% 984
Knox College 1,156 $25,476 70% 3,061
Lake Forest College 1,690 $25,126 64% 4,358
Lakeview College of Nursing 152 N/A N/A N/A
Lewis University 6,183 $18,312 71% 4,311
Lincoln Christian University 537 $17,595 N/A N/A
Loyola University Chicago 17,498 $29,371 77% 37,824
McKendree University 1,958 $25,492 78% 1,765
Methodist College 550 $28,547 100% 9
Millikin University 1,906 $20,055 75% 3,049
Monmouth College 755 $17,935 66% 2,526
Moody Bible Institute 2,606 $21,399 98% 298
National Louis University 7,315 $14,665 97% 1,518
National University of Health Sciences 466 N/A N/A N/A
North Central College 2,728 $26,207 68% 4,551
North Park University 2,749 $20,260 67% 4,053
Northeastern Illinois University 6,440 $14,133 62% 3,399
Northern Illinois University 16,234 $13,265 70% 16,234
Northwestern University 23,409 $29,999 7% 47,636
Oak Point University 566 N/A N/A N/A
Olivet Nazarene University 3,462 $20,431 61% 5,881
Principia College 321 $19,816 84% 138
Quincy University 1,188 $16,423 60% 1,480
Rockford University 1,231 $23,305 67% 1,692
Roosevelt University 4,127 $23,964 92% 3,541
Rush University 2,889 N/A N/A N/A
Saint Anthony College of Nursing 262 N/A 100% 2
Saint Francis Medical Center College of Nursing 431 N/A N/A N/A
Saint Xavier University 3,749 $13,419 85% 7,780
School of the Art Institute of Chicago 3,559 $50,214 81% 5,835
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale 11,266 $15,976 95% 6,987
Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville 13,010 $15,519 98% 8995
St. Augustine College 737 $15,337 N/A N/A
St. John's College-Department of Nursing 108 N/A N/A N/A
Telshe Yeshiva-Chicago 88 $6,993 93% 15
The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Chicago 1,297 N/A <1% 20
Trinity Christian College 985 $14,700 76% 1,048
Trinity College of Nursing & Health Sciences 133 N/A N/A N/A
Trinity International University-Illinois 1,330 $20,328 91% 373
University of Chicago 18,832 $33,727 6% 37,974
University of Illinois Chicago 34,199 $10,725 79% 22,791
University of Illinois Springfield 3,944 $11,965 79% 2,496
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 56,607 $14,272 60% 47,593
University of St. Francis 3,426 $16,949 68% 1,574
VanderCook College of Music 252 $20,855 100% 26
Western Illinois University 7,455 $11,666 72% 7,156
Wheaton College 3,047 $28,319 86% 1,993

Source: NCES

Frequently Asked Questions About Colleges in Illinois

What is the No. 1 college in Illinois?

A world-renowned private research institution, the University of Chicago consistently ranks as one of the top schools in both Illinois and the country. The university is known for helping to advance academic fields like economics and law. It's also famous for its contributions to marine biology, energy, and nuclear research.

Northwestern University is similarly considered one of the best universities in Illinois. A private research institution based in the Chicago suburb of Evanston, Northwestern is renowned for its highly ranked McCormick School of Engineering and Medill School of Journalism.

What is the safest college town in Illinois?

Naperville was ranked the safest city in America in a 2023 analysis by MoneyGeek, a personal finance website. The Illinois city is home to North Central College, a private college affiliated with the United Methodist Church.

MoneyGeek's analysis used FBI data from 2021 and calculated the cost of crime in 263 cities. Naperville had the lowest crime cost per capita at $156.

What is the hardest university to get into in Illinois?

The University of Chicago is one of the hardest institutions to get into in Illinois. According to NCES, the elite private university accepted just 6% of nearly 38,000 applicants in fall 2021. UChicago is widely considered one of the most prestigious schools in the country.


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