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Best Civil Engineering Schools in Illinois

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2023 Best Civil Engineering Schools in Illinois

7 Colleges
$62,410 Avg Salary
$22,137 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Civil Engineering School for You

In 2020-2021, 816 degrees and certificates were awarded to civil engineering students who went to a Illinois college or university. This makes it the #50 most popular major in the state.

There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right for you. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Civil Engineering Schools in Illinois ranking. This report analyzed 7 schools in Illinois to see which ones offered the best programs for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Civil Engineering Schools in Illinois

The following schools top our list of the Best Civil Engineering Colleges.

Top Illinois Schools in Civil Engineering

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, IL

Our 2023 rankings named Northwestern University the best school in Illinois for civil engineering students. Located in the city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Civil Engineering Schools in Illinois list. Located in the city of Champaign, UIUC is a public college with a very large student population.

On average, civil eng graduates from UIUC take out $18,641 in student loans while working on their degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $485.

Read full report on Civil Engineering at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

#3

Bradley University

Peoria, IL

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Bradley University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Civil Engineering Schools in Illinois list. Located in the city of Peoria, Bradley is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.

The average amount in student loans that civil eng majors at Bradley take out is $27,000.

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Illinois Institute of Technology. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Civil Engineering Schools in Illinois list. Located in the large city of Chicago, Illinois Tech is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.

The average amount in student loans that civil eng majors at Illinois Tech take out is $22,993.

Read full report on Civil Engineering at Illinois Institute of Technology

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Chicago. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Civil Engineering Schools in Illinois list. UIC is a fairly large public school located in the city of Chicago.

The average amount in student loans that civil eng majors at UIC take out is $19,500.

Read full report on Civil Engineering at University of Illinois at Chicago

Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best civil engineering programs. SIUC is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Carbondale.

After completing their degree, civil eng graduates from SIUC carry an average student debtload of $19,313.

Read full report on Civil Engineering at Southern Illinois University Carbondale

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville ranked #7 on this year’s Best Civil Engineering Schools in Illinois list. SIUE is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Edwardsville.

The average amount in student loans that civil eng majors at SIUE take out is $25,375. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $309, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Civil Engineering at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

Best Civil Engineering Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Civil Engineering Colleges in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Michigan 443
Ohio 746
Indiana 487
Wisconsin 410

One of 40 majors within the area of study, civil engineering has other similar majors worth exploring.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Mechanical Engineering 46,178
Electrical Engineering 28,844
Computer Engineering 17,987
Chemical Engineering 12,917
Biomedical Engineering 12,811

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 7 schools only.

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • 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 Master Sgt. Roger Parsons.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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