2023 Best Schools in Illinois
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. Also, there are a number of trade schools and bootcamp with offerings that you might find attractive.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Schools in Illinois ranking. This report analyzed 78 schools in Illinois to see which ones offered the best programs for students.
View our full ranking methodology.
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Top Schools in Illinois
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our 2023 rankings named Northwestern University the best school in Illinois for students working on their degree. Located in Evanston, Illinois, the large private not-for-profit school handed out 10,406 degrees in .
Degree recipients from Northwestern accumulate an average of $79,112 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.After graduating from Northwestern, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $78,551 during the early years of their career.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Chicago. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Schools in Illinois list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out degrees to 7,680 students in .
On average, students take out $87,747 in loans while pursuing their degree.After graduating from UChicago, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $81,002 during the early years of their career.
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The excellent programs at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools in Illinois. Located in Champaign, Illinois, the large public school handed out 17,509 degrees in .
By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $45,862 in student loans. During the early years of their career, UIUC graduates make an average of $57,461 annually.
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Out of the 78 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Illinois Wesleyan University landed the # 4 spot on the list. Illinois Wesleyan University is a small private not-for-profit school located in Bloomington, Illinois that handed out 376 degrees in .
On average, students take out $50,509 in loans while pursuing their degree. Once they receive their degree, Illinois Wesleyan graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $50,808 during the early year of their career.
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The excellent programs at Rasmussen University - Illinois helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools in Illinois. Rasmussen University - Illinois is a small private for-profit school situated in Rockford, Illinois. It awarded 1,241 degrees in .
On average, students take out $13,698 in loans while pursuing their degree. During the early years of their career, Rasmussen University - Illinois graduates make an average of $45,427 annually.
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Lake Forest College ranked #6 on this year’s Best Schools in Illinois list. Lake Forest is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Lake Forest, Illinois. It awarded 496 degrees in .
On average, students take out $36,991 in loans while pursuing their degree.After graduating from Lake Forest, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $41,168 during the early years of their career.
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Augustana College ranked #7 on this year’s Best Schools in Illinois list. Located in Rock Island, Illinois, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 793 diplomas to qualifed students in .
By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $37,118 in student loans.After graduating from Augustana, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $39,096 during the early years of their career.
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Illinois State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students. It came in at #8 on the list. Located in Normal, Illinois, the large public school awarded 5,698 diplomas to qualifed students in .
On average, students take out $35,148 in loans while pursuing their degree.After graduating from Illinois State, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $49,660 during the early years of their career.
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With a ranking of #9, University of St Francis did quite well on this year’s best schools for students working. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Joliet, Illinois, and it awarded 1,001 degrees in .
By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $36,703 in student loans. Once they receive their degree, University of Saint Francis graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $70,918 during the early year of their career.
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William Rainey Harper College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students. It came in at #10 on the list. Harper College is a public institution located in Palatine, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 4,346 degrees in .
Degree recipients from Harper College accumulate an average of $21,524 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. Once they receive their degree, Harper College graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $44,523 during the early year of their career.
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Wheaton College Illinois did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students. It came in at #11 on the list. Wheaton College Illinois is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Wheaton, Illinois. It awarded 806 degrees in .
Once they receive their degree, Wheaton College Illinois graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $43,655 during the early year of their career.
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Bradley University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students. It came in at #12 on the list. This medium-sized private not-for-profit school is located in Peoria, Illinois, and it awarded 1,673 degrees in .
On average, students take out $55,860 in loans while pursuing their degree. Once they receive their degree, Bradley graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $54,513 during the early year of their career.
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With a ranking of #13, Loyola University Chicago did quite well on this year’s best schools for students working. Loyola University Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 5,716 degrees in .
On average, students take out $64,135 in loans while pursuing their degree. During the early years of their career, Loyola Chicago graduates make an average of $58,568 annually.
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Elmhurst University landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best programs. Located in Elmhurst, Illinois, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 1,169 diplomas to qualifed students in .
On average, students take out $36,482 in loans while pursuing their degree. Once they receive their degree, Elmhurst graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $51,232 during the early year of their career.
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Trinity Christian College ranked #15 on this year’s Best Schools in Illinois list. This very small private not-for-profit school is located in Palos Heights, Illinois, and it awarded 243 degrees in .
On average, students take out $27,223 in loans while pursuing their degree. During the early years of their career, Trinity Christian graduates make an average of $48,400 annually.
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Dominican University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students. It came in at #16 on the list. Dominican U is a private not-for-profit institution located in River Forest, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 854 degrees in .
On average, students take out $44,416 in loans while pursuing their degree.After graduating from Dominican U, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $45,546 during the early years of their career.
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Lewis University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students. It came in at #17 on the list. Located in Romeoville, Illinois, the medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 2,231 diplomas to qualifed students in .
On average, students take out $35,972 in loans while pursuing their degree. During the early years of their career, Lewis graduates make an average of $55,718 annually.
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With a ranking of #17, Western Illinois University did quite well on this year’s best schools for students working. Macomb, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out degrees to 2,032 students in .
On average, students take out $25,483 in loans while pursuing their degree. Once they receive their degree, WIU graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $47,926 during the early year of their career.
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With a ranking of #19, Aurora University did quite well on this year’s best schools for students working. Aurora, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out degrees to 2,308 students in .
Degree recipients from Aurora accumulate an average of $25,980 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. Once they receive their degree, Aurora graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $51,483 during the early year of their career.
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North Central College came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Schools in Illinois ranking. North Central College is a small private not-for-profit school located in Naperville, Illinois that handed out 789 degrees in .
By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $37,692 in student loans.After graduating from North Central, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $46,247 during the early years of their career.
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With a ranking of #21, Illinois Institute of Technology did quite well on this year’s best schools for students working. Located in Chicago, Illinois, the medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 2,141 diplomas to qualifed students in .
On average, students take out $46,757 in loans while pursuing their degree.After graduating from Illinois Tech, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $71,315 during the early years of their career.
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College of Lake County landed the #22 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best programs. Grayslake, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out degrees to 4,814 students in .
On average, students take out $17,096 in loans while pursuing their degree.After graduating from College of Lake County, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $50,314 during the early years of their career.
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DeVry University - Illinois came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Schools in Illinois ranking. This large private for-profit school is located in Lisle, Illinois, and it awarded 11,699 degrees in .
Degree recipients from DeVry University - Illinois accumulate an average of $15,618 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. During the early years of their career, DeVry University - Illinois graduates make an average of $55,470 annually.
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Olivet Nazarene University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Schools in Illinois list. Olivet Nazarene is located in Bourbonnais, Illinois and has a small student population. In , this school awarded 1,004 degrees to qualified students.
Degree recipients from Olivet Nazarene accumulate an average of $34,443 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. During the early years of their career, Olivet Nazarene graduates make an average of $48,505 annually.
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Waubonsee Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students. It came in at #25 on the list. Located in Sugar Grove, Illinois, the medium-sized public school handed out 1,547 degrees in .
On average, students take out $18,976 in loans while pursuing their degree. During the early years of their career, Waubonsee graduates make an average of $39,659 annually.
Full Waubonsee Community College Report
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Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
References
- 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 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).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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