Top 2022 Colleges in Illinois

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Illinois' 259 Colleges and Universities

Most of the colleges in Illinois range from four year universities to community colleges. Let’s look at some NCES stats about this Prairie state:

• Illinois is home to 115 four year colleges. Most of them are private not-for-profit colleges.
• There are 144 two year or less colleges. 51 of which are public community colleges.
• Over the past 5 years, Illinois colleges have seen a 10.8% drop in students. In 2017, 757,002 students were enrolled in college.
• In total, there were 76,092 degrees awarded for the 2016-2017 school year. Thus, 45% of those awards were bachelor degrees.

Salary Breakdown

College Scorecard tells us alums from Northwestern University earn the highest average salary. 10 years after starting school, the average alum from Drake University earns $88,500. Meanwhile, the 2017 mean annual wage in Illinois is $53,790. You do the math!

Illinois Tuition Program

Illinois offers some in-state tuition programs. For instance, check out the Midwest Student Exchange Program (MSEP). It has tuition reduction for both public and private colleges in Illinois. It enrolls 7,658 out-of-state students. In fact, the total amount of tuition saved was over $48 million. As a result, private colleges offer a 10% reduction on tuition rates. Public colleges agree to charge no more than 150% of in-state school tuition. The savings fall between $500 and $5,000. You should contact the Campus Administrator to learn more.

Additionally, there are several military scholarships in Illinois. For example, Illinois AMVETS Service Foundation awards $1,000 to high school senior students. To qualify, a family member must be a veteran or actively enrolled in the military. Also, children and spouses of veterans or active duty members can apply too.

Top Illinois Colleges

Top Illinois colleges were ranked by total student population. See which college is right for you below.

All Colleges in Illinois

Thousands of students have rated these Illinois Colleges. Discover what they have to say. Find out about campus life, academics and more!

Source for school statistics and data is the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics and the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System.