The best colleges in Illinois for 2027 are the University of Chicago, Northwestern University, and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Illinois has a mix of campuses, from busy city schools in Chicago to quieter campus towns downstate, and choosing the right one is a big decision.
This guide covers the best colleges in Illinois for 2027 and what makes each one stand out, from academics and campus life to research. Read the University Magazine rankings methodology and see our university rankings for context.
The Best Colleges In Illinois 2027
1. University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago’s Hyde Park neighbourhood. It opened in 1890 and now enrolls about 18,700 students, roughly 7,500 of them undergraduates. The admission rate for the 2025 entering class was 4.48 percent, and 102 Nobel laureates have been affiliated with the school.
Every undergraduate works through a core curriculum of 15 courses across seven subjects, plus foreign language proficiency. U.S. News ranked the Booth School of Business fourth and the Law School third in 2025. The Maroons play NCAA Division III in the University Athletic Association, though Chicago was a founding member of the Big Ten before leaving the conference in 1946.
2. Northwestern University
Northwestern University was chartered in 1851 and sits on the shore of Lake Michigan in Evanston, with a second campus in Chicago’s Streeterville neighbourhood. About 22,800 students were enrolled in fall 2023, and the admission rate was 7.2 percent that year. It is an R1 research university and has been a member of the Association of American Universities since 1917.
Its schools include the Kellogg School of Management, the Medill School of Journalism, the McCormick School of Engineering, the Feinberg School of Medicine, and the Pritzker School of Law. Classes run on a quarter system of about ten weeks. The Wildcats compete in NCAA Division I in the Big Ten, a conference Northwestern helped found in 1896.
3. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign began in 1867 as Illinois Industrial University, a land-grant school, and held its first classes in 1868. It is the flagship of the University of Illinois System. In 2025, it enrolled 60,848 students on a 6,370-acre campus and has 16 schools and colleges.
It is an R1 research university and a member of the Association of American Universities. Engineering and computer science are major strengths here. The National Center for Supercomputing Applications, hosted on campus, developed the Mosaic web browser and the Apache HTTP Server. The Fighting Illini compete in NCAA Division I in the Big Ten and have won five national football championships.
4. University of Illinois Chicago
The University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) was formed in 1913, when the city’s health colleges were folded into the University of Illinois. Its roots go back to the Chicago College of Pharmacy, founded in 1859. About 35,900 students enrolled in fall 2025 across 16 colleges, including 24,260 undergraduates.
The College of Medicine offers its four-year MD program in Chicago, Peoria, and Rockford and is described as the country’s largest medical school. UIC is an R1 research university. It holds federal designations as a Hispanic-Serving Institution and an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution. The Flames compete in NCAA Division I in the Missouri Valley Conference.
5. Illinois Institute of Technology
The Illinois Institute of Technology, or Illinois Tech, is a private university in Chicago’s Bronzeville neighbourhood. It began in 1890 as the Armour Institute and took its present name after a 1940 merger with the Lewis Institute. About 8,800 students enrolled in fall 2024, roughly 3,100 of them undergraduates.
The 120-acre campus was designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, who led the architecture program for two decades, and S. R. Crown Hall is a National Historic Landmark. The Chicago-Kent College of Law has been part of the university since 1969. The Scarlet Hawks compete in NCAA Division III. Students who want to compare engineering options can also see our best colleges for aerospace engineering.
6. Moody Bible Institute
Moody Bible Institute in Chicago in 188y. About 2,300 students are enrolled in 2025. The Higher Learning Commission has accredited it since 1989, and it is also accredited by the Association for Biblical Higher Education and the National Association of Schools of Music.
Undergraduates can earn a Bachelor of Arts in more than two dozen fields, a Bachelor of Science in Biblical Studies, or a five-year Bachelor of Music in Sacred Music. Moody Theological Seminary offers the Master of Divinity and other graduate degrees. Moody Aviation, a flight school and aviation mechanic program, operates in Spokane, Washington. The Archers compete in the NCCAA.
7. Wheaton College – Illinois
Wheaton College – Illinois is a private evangelical liberal arts college in Wheaton, about 45 minutes by train from downtown Chicago. Evangelical abolitionists founded it in 1860. In fall 2023, it enrolled 2,799 students, including 2,119 undergraduates. U.S. News ranked it 53rd among national liberal arts colleges in 2025.
Billy Graham is its best-known alumnus. The Marion E. Wade Center, set up in 1965, holds books and papers from seven British writers, including C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, and Dorothy L. Sayers. The Thunder field 19 varsity teams in NCAA Division III and play in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin.
8. Illinois Wesleyan University
Illinois Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts university in Bloomington, founded in 1850. About 1,500 undergraduates were enrolled in fall 2022, with an 11-to-1 student-faculty ratio and an average class size of 16. It is a member of the Annapolis Group and has Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Kappa Phi chapters.
The College of Fine Arts includes a School of Music and a School of Theatre Arts, and the School of Nursing and Health Sciences has been running since 1959. Registered nursing was the most popular major in 2022. IWU ranks in the top 40 nationally for students who study abroad. The Titans compete in NCAA Division III in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin with 22 varsity teams.
9. Lake Forest College
Lake Forest College sits about 30 miles north of Chicago, and the Metra station in downtown Lake Forest is a roughly 15-minute walk from campus. Presbyterian ministers founded it in 1857 as Lind University. It enrolls about 1,800 students and offers 34 majors and 49 minors across the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences.
It also offers pre-law, pre-medicine, business, finance, and computer science. The Princeton Review ranked it fourth for science lab facilities in 2021. It belongs to the Associated Colleges of the Midwest and the Annapolis Group. The Foresters field 23 varsity teams in NCAA Division III in the Midwest Conference, which they joined in 1974.
10. Elmhurst University
Elmhurst University is a private school on a 48-acre campus in Elmhurst, a Chicago suburb. It started in 1871 as the Elmhurst Proseminary and was known as Elmhurst College until July 1, 2020. It is affiliated with the United Church of Christ and enrolls about 3,400 students.
Registered nursing is among its most popular majors, and the Deicke Center for Nursing Education is based in Memorial Hall. Music is another draw, and the Elmhurst University Jazz Festival is one of the country’s oldest. The Bluejays play NCAA Division III in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin, and the women’s volleyball team won national titles in 1983 and 1985.
11. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) started in 1957 as an extension of Southern Illinois University Carbondale. It enrolled 12,813 students in fall 2025, including 9,925 undergraduates, 2,098 master’s students, and 790 doctoral students. The campus covers 2,660 acres, one of the larger footprints among Illinois public universities.
Eight colleges and schools offer degrees: Arts and Sciences, Business, Dentistry, Education, Engineering, Graduate Studies, Nursing, and Pharmacy. Having dentistry, pharmacy, and nursing under one roof is unusual for a school this size, making SIUE a natural pick for students heading into health careers. The Cougars compete in NCAA Division I in the Ohio Valley Conference.
12. Loyola University Chicago
Loyola University Chicago is a Jesuit Catholic research university founded in 1870 as St. Ignatius College by Father Arnold Damen. It took the Loyola name in 1909 and is classified as R1. About 16,600 students enrolled in 2025, and U.S. News placed it 121st among national universities.
The Lake Shore Campus sits on the north side, the Water Tower Campus is downtown, and the Health Sciences Campus is in Maywood. Students can also study at the John Felice Rome Center in Italy. The 13 schools include the Quinlan School of Business and the Stritch School of Medicine. The Ramblers won the 1963 NCAA basketball title and reached the Final Four in 2018.
13. Northeastern Illinois University
Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU) is a public university in Chicago that opened in 1867 as the Cook County Normal School. About 5,800 students enrolled in fall 2025. Hispanic students make up 44.1 percent of enrollment, and NEIU is a federally designated Hispanic-Serving Institution.
In addition to its main campus in the North Park area, it has El Centro in Avondale and the Jacob H. Carruthers Center in Bronzeville, the only site offering the Inner City Studies and Urban Community Studies programs. The EdD in Leadership, Equity and Inquiry starts in fall 2026. NEIU has no varsity sports, but clubs and intramurals are active.
14. Augustana College – Illinois
Augustana College – Illinois is a private Lutheran liberal arts college in Rock Island. A Swedish American Lutheran synod founded it in 1860 as Augustana College and Theological Seminary. It moved to Paxton, Illinois, in 1863 and then to its current 115-acre campus beside the Mississippi River in 1875. About 2,570 students enrolled in fall 2024.
Common majors include biology, psychology, business, finance, and accounting. The Lindberg Center houses kinesiology and public health. The Vikings sponsor 28 varsity sports in NCAA Division III and compete in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin. Under coach Bob Reade, the football team won four straight Division III national championships from 1983 to 1986.
15. Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIU) was chartered in 1869 and held its first classes in 1874. It enrolled 11,785 students in fall 2025 on a 1,133-acre campus, and it is classified as an R1 research university. Six colleges cover agriculture, arts and media, business, engineering and computing, health, and liberal arts.
The School of Aviation is one of its signature programs, and the Flying Salukis team won a national title in 2015, its ninth. The Princeton Review included SIU on its 2022 Best of the Midwest list. The Salukis compete in the Missouri Valley Conference for most sports and in the Missouri Valley Football Conference for football.
16. University of St. Francis – Illinois
The University of St. Francis is a Catholic, Franciscan university in Joliet on a 22-acre suburban campus. The Sisters of St. Francis of Mary Immaculate trace its roots to a school founded in 1865, and the institution opened in 1920 as the Sisters’ Normal Institute. It was the College of St. Francis from 1930 until 1998.
In fall 2025, it enrolled 2,912 students, 1,226 of them undergraduates, so graduate study plays a large role. The Leach College of Nursing and the College of Education are two of its main academic units, alongside arts and sciences and business and health administration. The Fighting Saints compete in the NAIA, mostly in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference.
17. DePaul University
DePaul University is a Catholic university founded by the Vincentians in 1898 as St. Vincent’s College and rechartered as DePaul in 1907. It has two Chicago campuses, Lincoln Park and the Loop. About 20,600 students enrolled in fall 2025, and it became the largest Catholic university in North America by enrollment in 1998.
Ten colleges and schools include the Driehaus College of Business, the College of Computing and Digital Media, the College of Law, and the Theatre School. The Princeton Review ranked its undergraduate entrepreneurship program 10th in the country in 2024. The Blue Demons compete in NCAA Division I in the Big East, and the men’s basketball team won the 1945 NIT.
18. Dominican University
Dominican University is a Catholic university in River Forest, about 10 miles from downtown Chicago. Its history begins in 1848 with St. Clara Female Academy in Sinsinawa, Wisconsin. It became a college in 1901, was called Rosary College from 1922 to 1997, and took its current name in 1997. Fall 2025 enrollment was 3,803.
The Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters sponsor the school, which turned coeducational in 1970. Its School of Information Studies offers master’s degrees and a PhD in library and information science, and the Brennan School of Business runs graduate programs. The Stars field 13 varsity teams in NCAA Division III, mostly in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference.
19. National Louis University: Elizabeth Harrison founded
National Louis University in 1886 as the Chicago Kindergarten Training School. Its flagship location is in the Peoples Gas Building on Michigan Avenue in Chicago, and it has a regional campus in Tampa, Florida. It enrolled 8,270 students in fall 2023, split almost evenly between undergraduate and graduate.
The National College of Education is the oldest of five colleges, and the others cover psychology, culinary arts and hospitality, business, and undergraduate studies. Programs like Harrison Professional Pathways and P.A.C.E. support students who might not be admitted elsewhere. If you are weighing how quickly you can finish a degree, our guide on graduating college faster may help.
20. Roosevelt University
Roosevelt University was chartered in 1945 as Thomas Jefferson College and renamed for Franklin D. Roosevelt weeks later. It bought the Auditorium Building in Chicago for one dollar in 1947. A second campus, the Albert A. Robin Campus in Schaumburg, opened in 1996 and is home to the pharmacy program.
About 4,300 students enrolled in fall 2024. The Chicago College of Performing Arts houses its music and theatre conservatories, and the Heller College of Business is another main unit. Robert Morris University Illinois merged into Roosevelt in 2020. The curriculum includes social justice, and the Lakers moved to NCAA Division II in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in 2023.
21. Bradley University
Bradley University opened in Peoria in 1897 as Bradley Polytechnic Institute and took its current name in 1946. It enrolled 5,217 students in fall 2023, about 3,900 of them undergraduates. It has six colleges and schools, including the Foster College of Business and the Turner School of Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
The Caterpillar College of Engineering and Technology offers four ABET-accredited engineering programs in mechanical, electrical, civil, and industrial and manufacturing engineering. The Slane College of Communications and Fine Arts is home to the Charley Steiner School of Sports Communication. The Braves compete in NCAA Division I in the Missouri Valley Conference and have not had a football team since 1970.
22. Eastern Illinois University
Eastern Illinois University (EIU) is a public university in Charleston that opened in 1895 as the Eastern Illinois Normal School. It took its current name in 1957. About 8,100 students enrolled in fall 2025, and it offers 51 undergraduate degrees and 32 graduate degrees.
Four colleges cover arts and sciences, business and technology, education, and health and human services, and the Sandra and Jack Pine Honours College adds a smaller community. The Doudna Fine Arts Center is a campus landmark. U.S. News ranked EIU 14th among top public schools in 2025, second in Illinois behind UIS. The Panthers play in the Ohio Valley Conference.
23. University of Illinois Springfield
The University of Illinois Springfield (UIS) began as Sangamon State University in 1969, held its first classes in 1970, and joined the University of Illinois in 1995. It is the smallest of the three universities in the system, with 4,364 students in fall 2025. Four colleges cover business, health and science, liberal arts, and public affairs.
Public affairs is a big part of its identity, which fits a campus in the state capital. It offers a master’s program in Public Affairs Reporting and runs the Capital Scholars honours program, which admitted its first freshmen in 2001. Sangamon Auditorium sits in the Public Affairs Center. The Prairie Stars field 15 teams in NCAA Division II in the Great Lakes Valley Conference.
24. Northern Illinois University
Northern Illinois University (NIU) opened in 1895 as the Northern Illinois State Normal School in DeKalb. It enrolled 16,078 students in fall 2025, including 12,118 undergraduates, and it is classified as R2. Seven colleges cover business, education, engineering, health, law, liberal arts and sciences, and visual and performing arts.
A College of Law is unusual among Illinois public universities outside Chicago. U.S. News listed NIU 57th for public affairs programs in 2024. The Huskies compete in NCAA Division I in the Mid-American Conference. DeKalb sits west of Chicago, making it an option for students who want a campus town with city access.
25. North Park University
North Park University is a private school on Chicago’s North Side, at the corner of Foster and Kedzie. The Evangelical Covenant Church founded it in 1891 as a seminary in Minneapolis, then moved it to Chicago in 1894. About 2,600 students enrolled in fall 2023.
Business administration was the most popular undergraduate major in 2022, followed by registered nursing, which reflects the strength of the School of Business and Nonprofit Management and the School of Nursing and Health Sciences. The school describes itself as an intercultural, Hispanic-serving institution. The Vikings compete in NCAA Division III in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best colleges in Illinois in 2027?
The University of Chicago, Northwestern University, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the University of Illinois Chicago, and the Illinois Institute of Technology lead this University Magazine list for 2027.
What is the largest university in Illinois?
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign leads this list with 60,848 students in 2025. The University of Illinois Chicago had 35,869 in fall 2025, and DePaul had 20,637.
Which Illinois colleges are the most selective?
The University of Chicago admitted 4.48 percent of applicants for its 2025 entering class, and Northwestern admitted 7.2 percent in 2023.
Which Illinois colleges play in the Big Ten?
Northwestern University and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign both compete in NCAA Division I in the Big Ten Conference.
Which Illinois colleges are Catholic?
Loyola University Chicago is Jesuit, DePaul University is Vincentian, and Dominican University and the University of St. Francis are also Catholic institutions on this list.
Top 25 Best Colleges in Illinois 2027: Ranked List
- University of Chicago
- Northwestern University
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
- University of Illinois Chicago
- Illinois Institute of Technology
- Moody Bible Institute
- Wheaton College – Illinois
- Illinois Wesleyan University
- Lake Forest College
- Elmhurst University
- Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
- Loyola University Chicago
- Northeastern Illinois University
- Augustana College – Illinois
- Southern Illinois University Carbondale
- University of St. Francis – Illinois
- DePaul University
- Dominican University
- National Louis University
- Roosevelt University
- Bradley University
- Eastern Illinois University
- University of Illinois Springfield
- Northern Illinois University
- North Park University
Read more about UM World University Rankings
University Magazine is part of the 
