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.
Degree recipients from Northwestern accumulate an average of $19,000 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. For those students on a 10-year repayment plan, the average payment due each month is around $576.After graduating from Northwestern, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $69,538 during the early years of their career.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Chicago. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Schools in Illinois list.
On average, students take out $15,217 in loans while pursuing their degree. Those who take out this much in loans have to make a monthly payment of about $708 if they are on a 10-year repayment plan.After graduating from UChicago, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $62,519 during the early years of their career.
A rank of #3 on this year’s list means University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a great place for students.
By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $18,891 in student loans. For those students on a 10-year repayment plan, the average payment due each month is around $415.After graduating from UIUC, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $53,270 during the early years of their career.
Read full report on University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The excellent programs at Illinois Wesleyan University helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools in Illinois.
By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $23,212 in student loans. Those who take out this much in loans have to make a monthly payment of about $401 if they are on a 10-year repayment plan. During the early years of their career, Illinois Wesleyan graduates make an average of $43,102 annually.
Out of the 78 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Rasmussen University - Illinois landed the # 5 spot on the list.
Degree recipients from Rasmussen University - Illinois accumulate an average of $30,604 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. For those students on a 10-year repayment plan, the average payment due each month is around $127. Once they receive their degree, Rasmussen University - Illinois graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $41,940 during the early year of their career.
Lake Forest College ranked #6 on this year’s Best Schools in Illinois list.
By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $25,776 in student loans. Those who take out this much in loans have to make a monthly payment of about $319 if they are on a 10-year repayment plan. Once they receive their degree, Lake Forest graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $39,931 during the early year of their career.
With a ranking of #7, Augustana College did quite well on this year’s best schools for students working.
By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $25,410 in student loans. Those who take out this much in loans have to make a monthly payment of about $321 if they are on a 10-year repayment plan. During the early years of their career, Augustana graduates make an average of $35,627 annually.
Illinois State University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Schools in Illinois ranking.
On average, students take out $21,109 in loans while pursuing their degree. For those students on a 10-year repayment plan, the average payment due each month is around $312. Once they receive their degree, Illinois State graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $44,092 during the early year of their career.
University of St Francis did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students. It came in at #9 on the list.
On average, students take out $28,383 in loans while pursuing their degree. If you borrow this amount, expect your monthly student loan payment to be around $332, assuming you are on a 10-year repayment plan. Once they receive their degree, University of Saint Francis graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $60,805 during the early year of their career.
William Rainey Harper College landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best programs.
Degree recipients from Harper College accumulate an average of $15,850 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.After graduating from Harper College, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $43,420 during the early years of their career.
Wheaton College Illinois ranked #11 on this year’s Best Schools in Illinois list.
Once they receive their degree, Wheaton College Illinois graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $35,823 during the early year of their career.
Bradley University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Schools in Illinois list.
By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $25,068 in student loans. For those students on a 10-year repayment plan, the average payment due each month is around $575. Once they receive their degree, Bradley graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $52,822 during the early year of their career.
Loyola University Chicago landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best programs.
By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $22,930 in student loans. For those students on a 10-year repayment plan, the average payment due each month is around $652.After graduating from Loyola Chicago, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $47,459 during the early years of their career.
Elmhurst University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Schools in Illinois list.
Degree recipients from Elmhurst accumulate an average of $21,567 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. If you borrow this amount, expect your monthly student loan payment to be around $321, assuming you are on a 10-year repayment plan. During the early years of their career, Elmhurst graduates make an average of $47,474 annually.
Trinity Christian College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students. It came in at #15 on the list.
Degree recipients from Trinity Christian accumulate an average of $29,340 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. During the early years of their career, Trinity Christian graduates make an average of $43,856 annually.
Dominican University landed the #16 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best programs.
On average, students take out $28,848 in loans while pursuing their degree. If you borrow this amount, expect your monthly student loan payment to be around $140, assuming you are on a 10-year repayment plan.After graduating from Dominican U, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $42,201 during the early years of their career.
Lewis University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students. It came in at #17 on the list.
On average, students take out $23,413 in loans while pursuing their degree. For those students on a 10-year repayment plan, the average payment due each month is around $411.After graduating from Lewis, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $48,984 during the early years of their career.
Western Illinois University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students. It came in at #17 on the list.
Degree recipients from WIU accumulate an average of $28,617 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. If you borrow this amount, expect your monthly student loan payment to be around $266, assuming you are on a 10-year repayment plan. Once they receive their degree, WIU graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $38,708 during the early year of their career.
With a ranking of #19, Aurora University did quite well on this year’s best schools for students working.
By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $25,543 in student loans. For those students on a 10-year repayment plan, the average payment due each month is around $198.After graduating from Aurora, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $47,673 during the early years of their career.
North Central College landed the #20 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best programs.
On average, students take out $23,457 in loans while pursuing their degree. For those students on a 10-year repayment plan, the average payment due each month is around $330. During the early years of their career, North Central graduates make an average of $40,224 annually.
Illinois Institute of Technology landed the #21 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best programs.
On average, students take out $24,232 in loans while pursuing their degree. During the early years of their career, Illinois Tech graduates make an average of $68,021 annually.
With a ranking of #22, College of Lake County did quite well on this year’s best schools for students working.
By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $15,341 in student loans.After graduating from College of Lake County, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $53,083 during the early years of their career.
DeVry University - Illinois did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students. It came in at #23 on the list.
Degree recipients from DeVry University - Illinois accumulate an average of $40,148 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. If you borrow this amount, expect your monthly student loan payment to be around $163, assuming you are on a 10-year repayment plan.After graduating from DeVry University - Illinois, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $48,020 during the early years of their career.
Olivet Nazarene University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Schools in Illinois list.
Degree recipients from Olivet Nazarene accumulate an average of $27,166 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. Those who take out this much in loans have to make a monthly payment of about $364 if they are on a 10-year repayment plan. During the early years of their career, Olivet Nazarene graduates make an average of $44,879 annually.
Waubonsee Community College ranked #25 on this year’s Best Schools in Illinois list.
Degree recipients from Waubonsee accumulate an average of $13,413 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. During the early years of their career, Waubonsee graduates make an average of $34,527 annually.
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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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