2023 Most Popular Education Schools in Illinois
Finding the Best Education School for You
Out of the majors we analyze each year, education was ranked 4th in Illinois. In fact, 10,567 were awarded in the state in 2020-2021.
Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Most Popular Education Schools in Illinois to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 89 schools in Illinois to see which programs were the most popular for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Education program at each school on the list.
Featured schools near , edit
2023 Most Popular Education Schools in Illinois
The following schools top our list of the Most Popular Education Colleges.
Top 15% Most Popular Education Schools
Our 2023 rankings named National Louis University the most popular school in Illinois for education students. Located in the large city of Chicago, NLU is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.
While working on their degree, education majors at NLU accumulate an average of around $41,606 in student debt.
A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Concordia University, Chicago is a great place for education students. Located in the suburb of River Forest, Concordia University, Chicago is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.
While working on their degree, education majors at Concordia University, Chicago accumulate an average of around $25,000 in student debt.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Illinois State University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Popular Education Schools in Illinois list. Located in the midsize suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public school with a fairly large student population.
After completing their degree, education graduates from Illinois State carry an average student debt load of $22,083. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $332, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Northern Illinois University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Most Popular Education Schools in Illinois list. Located in the small suburb of Dekalb, NIU is a public school with a large student population.
After completing their degree, education graduates from NIU carry an average student debt load of $23,882. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $235.
Out of the 89 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the # 5 spot on the list. UIUC is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Champaign.
While working on their degree, education majors at UIUC accumulate an average of around $18,125 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $371, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
Read full report on Education at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
DePaul University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Education Schools in Illinois ranking. DePaul is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Chicago.
After completing their degree, education graduates from DePaul carry an average student debt load of $26,521. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $477, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
Olivet Nazarene University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for education students. It came in at #7 on the list. Olivet Nazarene is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Bourbonnais.
On average, education graduates from Olivet Nazarene take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree.
University of Illinois at Chicago ranked #8 on this year’s Most Popular Education Schools in Illinois list. Located in the city of Chicago, UIC is a public college with a fairly large student population.
On average, education graduates from UIC take out $15,767 in student loans while working on their degree.
Eastern Illinois University landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular education programs. EIU is a medium-sized public school located in the town of Charleston.
After completing their degree, education graduates from EIU carry an average student debt load of $23,459. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $158, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
Northeastern Illinois University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Education Schools in Illinois ranking. Located in the large city of Chicago, Northeastern Illinois University is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
Education majors at Northeastern Illinois University take out an average of $11,500 in student loans while working on their egree.
Read full report on Education at Northeastern Illinois University
University of St Francis did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for education students. It came in at #11 on the list. Located in the suburb of Joliet, University of Saint Francis is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
While working on their degree, education majors at University of Saint Francis accumulate an average of around $23,878 in student debt.
Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular education programs. Located in the city of Carbondale, SIUC is a public school with a fairly large student population.
On average, education graduates from SIUC take out $19,901 in student loans while working on their degree.
Full Education at Southern Illinois University Carbondale Report
Aurora University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Education Schools in Illinois ranking. Located in the suburb of Aurora, Aurora is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.
While working on their degree, education majors at Aurora accumulate an average of around $25,868 in student debt.
Honorable Mentions
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also popular but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Most Popular Education Schools in Illinois award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 14 | Western Illinois University | Macomb, IL |
| 15 | Lewis University | Romeoville, IL |
| 16 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | Edwardsville, IL |
| 17 | Roosevelt University | Chicago, IL |
Best Education Colleges in the Great Lakes Region
Explore all the Most Popular Education Colleges in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Indiana | 11,570 |
| Michigan | 5,939 |
| Ohio | 9,238 |
| Wisconsin | 5,792 |
Majors Related to Education
Education Majors to Study
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Teacher Education Grade Specific | 110,226 |
| Educational Administration | 46,469 |
| Teacher Education Subject Specific | 43,297 |
| Special Education | 36,792 |
| General Education | 29,810 |
| Curriculum & Instruction | 19,832 |
| Student Counseling | 13,858 |
| Instructional Media Design | 8,695 |
| Teaching English or French | 5,791 |
| Other Education | 4,858 |
| Teaching Assistants | 2,751 |
| Educational Assessment | 2,552 |
| Multilingual Education | 1,910 |
| Education Philosophy | 737 |
| International Education | 293 |
Most Popular Majors Related to Education
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Social Sciences | 205,984 |
| Psychology | 195,678 |
| Communication & Journalism | 120,571 |
| Family, Consumer & Human Sciences | 55,820 |
| History | 32,731 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Horadrim.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
Featured Schools
Request Info
|
Southern New Hampshire University You have goals. Southern New Hampshire University can help you get there. Whether you need a bachelor's degree to get into a career or want a master's degree to move up in your current career, SNHU has an online program for you. Find your degree from over 200 online programs. Learn More > |
Course Advisor provides higher-education, college and university, degree, program, career, salary, and other helpful information to students, faculty, institutions, and other internet audiences. Presented information and data are subject to change. Inclusion on this website does not imply or represent a direct relationship with the company, school, or brand. Information, though believed correct at time of publication, may not be correct, and no warranty is provided. Contact the schools to verify any information before relying on it. Financial aid may be available for those who qualify. The displayed options may include sponsored or recommended results, not necessarily based on your preferences.
© Course Advisor – All Rights Reserved.