2023 Most Popular Master's Degree Schools in Illinois
When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. 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 or bootcamp that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.
The Most Popular Master's Degree Schools in Illinois ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 81 schools in Illinois to see which ones were the most popular master's degree programs for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from each school on the list.
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Most Popular Master's Degree Schools in Illinois
Learn more about these popular schools below:
Our analysis found Northwestern University to be the most popular school for students who want to pursue a master’s degree in Illinois. Evanston, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out master’s degrees to 5,216 students in 2020-2021.
Around 47% of those degree recipients were women.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at Northwestern. In fact, around 2% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
A rank of #2 on this year’s list means University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a great place for students working on their master’s degree. UIUC is a large public school situated in Champaign, Illinois. It awarded 4,812 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 47% were women.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at UIUC. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 90% took at least some of their classes online.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Chamberlain University - Illinois. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Popular Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. Chamberlain - Illinois is a private for-profit institution located in Addison, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 4,033 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 90% were women.
Interested in an online degree? Then you definitely want to check out Chamberlain - Illinois. Every graduate student at the school took at least one class online.
Out of the 81 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Chicago landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, the fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 3,326 diplomas to qualifed master’s degree students in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 44% were women.
You’ll be in good company if you attend DePaul University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Most Popular Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. DePaul is located in Chicago, Illinois and has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 2,751 master’s degrees to qualified students.
Around 56% of those degree recipients were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at DePaul. During the 2019-2020 year, about 96% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
With a ranking of #6, University of Illinois at Chicago did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for students working on their master’s degree. UIC is a large public school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 2,193 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 60% of those degree recipients were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at UIC. In fact, around 95% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
DeVry University - Illinois did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #7 on the list. DeVry University - Illinois is a large private for-profit school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 1,520 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 62% were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at DeVry University - Illinois. During the 2019-2020 year, about 97% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
With a ranking of #8, Concordia University, Chicago did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for students working on their master’s degree. River Forest, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out master’s degrees to 1,377 students in 2020-2021.
Around 67% of those degree recipients were women.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Concordia University, Chicago does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 98% took at least some of their classes online.
With a ranking of #9, Loyola University Chicago did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for students working on their master’s degree. This fairly large private not-for-profit school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 1,245 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 71% were women.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Loyola Chicago does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. During the 2019-2020 year, about 92% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
Northern Illinois University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree programs. Northern Illinois University is a fairly large public school located in Dekalb, Illinois that handed out 1,182 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 53% were women.
Online graduate courses are available at NIU, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 43% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Illinois Institute of Technology came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. Illinois Tech is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 1,110 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 40% were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at Illinois Tech. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 42% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
National Louis University ranked #12 on this year’s Most Popular Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. National Louis University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 1,095 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 80% were women.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since NLU does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. During the 2019-2020 year, about 59% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
Aurora University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #13 on the list. Aurora is located in Aurora, Illinois and has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 903 master’s degrees to qualified students.
Around 79% of those degree recipients were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at Aurora. In fact, around 87% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Benedictine University landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree programs. Benedictine U is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Lisle, Illinois. It awarded 887 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 74% of those degree recipients were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at Benedictine U. In 2019-2020 about 100% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Illinois State University ranked #15 on this year’s Most Popular Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. Illinois State is a public institution located in Normal, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 831 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 62% of those degree recipients were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at Illinois State. During the 2019-2020 year, about 81% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
Lewis University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #16 on the list. Lewis University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in Romeoville, Illinois that handed out 691 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 65% of those degree recipients were women.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Lewis does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 85% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Southern Illinois University Carbondale did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #17 on the list. Carbondale, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out master’s degrees to 676 students in 2020-2021.
Around 55% of those degree recipients were women.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at SIUC. In 2019-2020 about 24% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
With a ranking of #18, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for students working on their master’s degree. SIUE is located in Edwardsville, Illinois and has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 692 master’s degrees to qualified students.
Around 60% of those degree recipients were women.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at SIUE. In fact, around 86% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Eastern Illinois University ranked #19 on this year’s Most Popular Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. Located in Charleston, Illinois, the medium-sized public school awarded 675 diplomas to qualifed master’s degree students in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 67% were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at EIU. During the 2019-2020 year, about 75% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
Roosevelt University ranked #20 on this year’s Most Popular Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out master’s degrees to 665 students in 2020-2021.
Around 68% of those degree recipients were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at Roosevelt. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 44% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
With a ranking of #21, Western Illinois University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for students working on their master’s degree. WIU is a medium-sized public school situated in Macomb, Illinois. It awarded 556 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 59% were women.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at WIU. During the 2019-2020 year, about 71% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
With a ranking of #22, University of St Francis did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for students working on their master’s degree. University of Saint Francis is a private not-for-profit institution located in Joliet, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 494 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 77% were women.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at University of Saint Francis. In 2019-2020 about 89% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Northeastern Illinois University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. Northeastern Illinois University is located in Chicago, Illinois and has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 476 master’s degrees to qualified students.
Around 70% of those degree recipients were women.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at Northeastern Illinois University. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 99% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Olivet Nazarene University landed the #24 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree programs. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Bourbonnais, Illinois, and it awarded 452 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 79% were women.
Olivet Nazarene does have options available for those who want to take online graduate classes. You will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your specific major. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 97% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
University of Illinois at Springfield came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. Located in Springfield, Illinois, the small public school awarded 442 diplomas to qualifed master’s degree students in 2020-2021.
Of those students who received their degree, 49% were women.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at UIS. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 96% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
View Most Popular Master’s Degree Schools Nationwide >
Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
References
- 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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