Best colleges for business in Illinois

    University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ranks first in Illinois for business value (#4 nationally, value score 92.9): graduates earn $107,904 4 years after the bachelor's degree, and the average net price is $13,042 a year.

    Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition · Source: College Scorecard field of study, reporting year 2025 · 32 Illinois colleges ranked · Updated November 4, 2026

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    Best business colleges in Illinois

    University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ranks first in Illinois for business value (#4 nationally, value score 92.9): graduates earn $107,904 4 years after the bachelor's degree, and the average net price is $13,042 a year. 32 Illinois colleges qualify. At the median one, business graduates earn $65,954 and the average net price is $17,721 a year.

    Source: U.S. College Scorecard field of study, 2025

    What the data shows

    Key findings

    • 32 Illinois colleges qualify. At the median one, business graduates earn $65,954 and the average net price is $17,721 a year.
    • The lowest average net price among them is at Chicago State University: $7,273 a year.
    Median earnings
    $65,954
    National: $64,860
    Median net price
    $17,721
    National: $19,132
    Median federal debt
    $21,695
    business graduates
    Public colleges
    11 of 32
    in this list

    32 colleges

    The Illinois ranking

    Ordered by the national value score; the national rank is shown with each college. Earnings are medians 4 years after the bachelor's degree.

    1. Rank in Illinois 1

      University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

      Champaign, IL · Public · #4 nationally

      92.9Value
      Earnings
      $107,904
      Net price
      $13,042
      Federal debt
      $16,048
      Graduation rate
      86%
    2. Rank in Illinois 2

      University of Illinois at Chicago

      Chicago, IL · Public · #80 nationally

      75.7Value
      Earnings
      $68,109
      Net price
      $9,540
      Federal debt
      $13,666
      Graduation rate
      61%
    3. Rank in Illinois 3

      Northeastern Illinois University

      Chicago, IL · Public · #156 nationally

      68.4Value
      Earnings
      $69,226
      Net price
      $9,377
      Federal debt
      $12,500
      Graduation rate
      25%
    4. Rank in Illinois 4

      Northern Illinois University

      Dekalb, IL · Public · #164 nationally

      67.9Value
      Earnings
      $73,176
      Net price
      $14,505
      Federal debt
      $19,500
      Graduation rate
      48%
    5. Rank in Illinois 5

      Western Illinois University

      Macomb, IL · Public · #165 nationally

      67.8Value
      Earnings
      $70,021
      Net price
      $10,018
      Federal debt
      $20,168
      Graduation rate
      49%
    6. Rank in Illinois 6

      Augustana College-Illinois

      Rock Island, IL · Private nonprofit · #166 nationally

      67.7Value
      Earnings
      $81,562
      Net price
      $21,153
      Federal debt
      $26,950
      Graduation rate
      73%
    7. Rank in Illinois 7

      Elmhurst University

      Elmhurst, IL · Private nonprofit · #182 nationally

      66.9Value
      Earnings
      $76,678
      Net price
      $23,165
      Federal debt
      $19,703
      Graduation rate
      64%
    8. Rank in Illinois 8

      Lewis University

      Romeoville, IL · Private nonprofit · #183 nationally

      66.9Value
      Earnings
      $71,987
      Net price
      $17,318
      Federal debt
      $19,000
      Graduation rate
      57%
    9. Rank in Illinois 9

      Loyola University Chicago

      Chicago, IL · Private nonprofit · #184 nationally

      66.7Value
      Earnings
      $89,745
      Net price
      $36,340
      Federal debt
      $23,500
      Graduation rate
      72%
    10. Rank in Illinois 10

      Southern Illinois University-Carbondale

      Carbondale, IL · Public · #190 nationally

      66.5Value
      Earnings
      $78,040
      Net price
      $12,554
      Federal debt
      $31,867
      Graduation rate
      59%
    11. Rank in Illinois 11

      Illinois State University

      Normal, IL · Public · #218 nationally

      65.3Value
      Earnings
      $66,660
      Net price
      $17,829
      Federal debt
      $15,250
      Graduation rate
      67%
    12. Rank in Illinois 12

      Saint Xavier University

      Chicago, IL · Private nonprofit · #220 nationally

      65.2Value
      Earnings
      $65,447
      Net price
      $10,171
      Federal debt
      $17,769
      Graduation rate
      55%
    13. Rank in Illinois 13

      Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville

      Edwardsville, IL · Public · #229 nationally

      64.6Value
      Earnings
      $65,403
      Net price
      $13,111
      Federal debt
      $16,364
      Graduation rate
      56%
    14. Rank in Illinois 14

      University of Illinois at Springfield

      Springfield, IL · Public · #335 nationally

      58.4Value
      Earnings
      $61,499
      Net price
      $7,528
      Federal debt
      $17,741
      Graduation rate
      53%
    15. Rank in Illinois 15

      Bradley University

      Peoria, IL · Private nonprofit · #340 nationally

      57.9Value
      Earnings
      $73,110
      Net price
      $22,469
      Federal debt
      $27,000
      Graduation rate
      73%
    16. Rank in Illinois 16

      DePaul University-Illinois

      Chicago, IL · Private nonprofit · #341 nationally

      57.8Value
      Earnings
      $74,847
      Net price
      $27,308
      Federal debt
      $23,500
      Graduation rate
      67%
    17. Rank in Illinois 17

      Millikin University

      Decatur, IL · Private nonprofit · #347 nationally

      57.6Value
      Earnings
      $71,489
      Net price
      $16,652
      Federal debt
      $25,000
      Graduation rate
      51%
    18. Rank in Illinois 18

      Lake Forest College

      Lake Forest, IL · Private nonprofit · #358 nationally

      56.8Value
      Earnings
      $74,632
      Net price
      $24,987
      Federal debt
      $27,000
      Graduation rate
      73%
    19. Rank in Illinois 19

      Aurora University

      Aurora, IL · Private nonprofit · #360 nationally

      56.7Value
      Earnings
      $64,446
      Net price
      $19,385
      Federal debt
      $16,293
      Graduation rate
      61%
    20. Rank in Illinois 20

      North Central College-Illinois

      Naperville, IL · Private nonprofit · #444 nationally

      52.4Value
      Earnings
      $65,992
      Net price
      $22,836
      Federal debt
      $19,749
      Graduation rate
      62%
    21. Rank in Illinois 21

      Monmouth College

      Monmouth, IL · Private nonprofit · #461 nationally

      51.2Value
      Earnings
      $65,916
      Net price
      $17,612
      Federal debt
      $24,250
      Graduation rate
      58%
    22. Rank in Illinois 22

      McKendree University

      Lebanon, IL · Private nonprofit · #558 nationally

      46.3Value
      Earnings
      $61,173
      Net price
      $18,457
      Federal debt
      $17,501
      Graduation rate
      51%
    23. Rank in Illinois 23

      Benedictine University-Illinois

      Lisle, IL · Private nonprofit · #587 nationally

      44.6Value
      Earnings
      $65,665
      Net price
      $18,910
      Federal debt
      $23,405
      Graduation rate
      43%
    24. Rank in Illinois 24

      Eureka College

      Eureka, IL · Private nonprofit · #607 nationally

      43.7Value
      Earnings
      $57,983
      Net price
      $16,360
      Federal debt
      $14,000
      Graduation rate
      36%
    25. Rank in Illinois 25

      North Park University

      Chicago, IL · Private nonprofit · #642 nationally

      41.5Value
      Earnings
      $61,958
      Net price
      $15,949
      Federal debt
      $25,500
      Graduation rate
      52%
    26. Rank in Illinois 26

      Governors State University

      University Park, IL · Public · #738 nationally

      36.6Value
      Earnings
      $59,562
      Net price
      $15,833
      Federal debt
      $20,500
      Graduation rate
      23%
    27. Rank in Illinois 27

      Rockford University

      Rockford, IL · Private nonprofit · #772 nationally

      34.3Value
      Earnings
      $63,331
      Net price
      $22,581
      Federal debt
      $25,000
      Graduation rate
      44%
    28. Rank in Illinois 28

      Judson University-Illinois

      Elgin, IL · Private nonprofit · #778 nationally

      34.0Value
      Earnings
      $63,153
      Net price
      $19,224
      Federal debt
      $25,875
      Graduation rate
      34%
    29. Rank in Illinois 29

      Illinois College

      Jacksonville, IL · Private nonprofit · #782 nationally

      33.9Value
      Earnings
      $57,739
      Net price
      $18,763
      Federal debt
      $26,000
      Graduation rate
      61%
    30. Rank in Illinois 30

      Olivet Nazarene University

      Bourbonnais, IL · Private nonprofit · #804 nationally

      32.6Value
      Earnings
      $57,973
      Net price
      $19,978
      Federal debt
      $24,996
      Graduation rate
      60%
    31. Rank in Illinois 31

      Chicago State University

      Chicago, IL · Public · #827 nationally

      31.1Value
      Earnings
      $53,181
      Net price
      $7,273
      Federal debt
      $22,890
      Graduation rate
      15%
    32. Rank in Illinois 32

      Greenville University-Illinois

      Greenville, IL · Private nonprofit · #847 nationally

      29.8Value
      Earnings
      $59,241
      Net price
      $20,905
      Federal debt
      $27,000
      Graduation rate
      52%

    Method: the same value score as the national business ranking (earnings, debt relative to earnings, average net price and graduation rate, each a national percentile). Data: College Scorecard, reporting year 2025; 2026–27 edition, verified Nov 2026.

    Questions about business colleges in Illinois

    What are the best colleges for business in Illinois?

    By CollegesRef value score, the top 3 Illinois colleges for business are University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (value score 92.9), University of Illinois at Chicago (value score 75.7) and Northeastern Illinois University (value score 68.4). The score weighs graduate earnings, debt relative to earnings, average net price and graduation rate.

    Which Illinois college has the highest earnings for business graduates?

    University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: its business graduates have median earnings of $107,904 4 years after the bachelor's degree.

    What is the most affordable business college in Illinois on this list?

    Chicago State University has the lowest average net price of the ranked Illinois colleges, $7,273 a year after grants. A family's own price depends on income and aid.

    How many Illinois colleges are ranked for business?

    32 Illinois colleges have a business bachelor's program with enough graduates and reported earnings, plus a published net price and graduation rate. Ranks shown are national; the state rank is their order within Illinois.