Best colleges for education in Illinois

    University of Illinois at Chicago ranks first in Illinois for education value (#4 nationally, value score 90): graduates earn $64,100 4 years after the bachelor's degree, and the average net price is $9,540 a year.

    Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition · Source: College Scorecard field of study, reporting year 2025 · 26 Illinois colleges ranked · Updated November 4, 2026

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    Best education colleges in Illinois

    University of Illinois at Chicago ranks first in Illinois for education value (#4 nationally, value score 90): graduates earn $64,100 4 years after the bachelor's degree, and the average net price is $9,540 a year. 26 Illinois colleges qualify. At the median one, education graduates earn $49,813 and the average net price is $17,268 a year.

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

    What the data shows

    Key findings

    • 26 Illinois colleges qualify. At the median one, education graduates earn $49,813 and the average net price is $17,268 a year.
    • The highest education earnings in the state are at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale ($67,961), ranked #2 in the state once cost, debt and graduation rate count.
    • The lowest average net price among them is at Northeastern Illinois University: $9,377 a year.
    Median earnings
    $49,813
    National: $48,822
    Median net price
    $17,268
    National: $17,201
    Median federal debt
    $19,458
    education graduates
    Public colleges
    10 of 26
    in this list

    26 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 Chicago

      Chicago, IL · Public · #4 nationally

      90.0Value
      Earnings
      $64,100
      Net price
      $9,540
      Federal debt
      $13,613
      Graduation rate
      61%
    2. Rank in Illinois 2

      Southern Illinois University-Carbondale

      Carbondale, IL · Public · #9 nationally

      87.0Value
      Earnings
      $67,961
      Net price
      $12,554
      Federal debt
      $14,674
      Graduation rate
      59%
    3. Rank in Illinois 3

      University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

      Champaign, IL · Public · #14 nationally

      84.5Value
      Earnings
      $55,105
      Net price
      $13,042
      Federal debt
      $15,500
      Graduation rate
      86%
    4. Rank in Illinois 4

      Saint Xavier University

      Chicago, IL · Private nonprofit · #26 nationally

      81.8Value
      Earnings
      $58,097
      Net price
      $10,171
      Federal debt
      $19,000
      Graduation rate
      55%
    5. Rank in Illinois 5

      Northeastern Illinois University

      Chicago, IL · Public · #89 nationally

      69.8Value
      Earnings
      $52,176
      Net price
      $9,377
      Federal debt
      $15,153
      Graduation rate
      25%
    6. Rank in Illinois 6

      Elmhurst University

      Elmhurst, IL · Private nonprofit · #114 nationally

      65.7Value
      Earnings
      $56,411
      Net price
      $23,165
      Federal debt
      $20,375
      Graduation rate
      64%
    7. Rank in Illinois 7

      DePaul University-Illinois

      Chicago, IL · Private nonprofit · #130 nationally

      63.2Value
      Earnings
      $57,957
      Net price
      $27,308
      Federal debt
      $22,416
      Graduation rate
      67%
    8. Rank in Illinois 8

      Lewis University

      Romeoville, IL · Private nonprofit · #135 nationally

      62.6Value
      Earnings
      $51,794
      Net price
      $17,318
      Federal debt
      $19,271
      Graduation rate
      57%
    9. Rank in Illinois 9

      Illinois State University

      Normal, IL · Public · #162 nationally

      60.4Value
      Earnings
      $49,240
      Net price
      $17,829
      Federal debt
      $17,500
      Graduation rate
      67%
    10. Rank in Illinois 10

      Northern Illinois University

      Dekalb, IL · Public · #163 nationally

      59.9Value
      Earnings
      $50,385
      Net price
      $14,505
      Federal debt
      $19,100
      Graduation rate
      48%
    11. Rank in Illinois 11

      Knox College

      Galesburg, IL · Private nonprofit · #205 nationally

      54.6Value
      Earnings
      $50,828
      Net price
      $19,292
      Federal debt
      $25,257
      Graduation rate
      73%
    12. Rank in Illinois 12

      Millikin University

      Decatur, IL · Private nonprofit · #217 nationally

      53.7Value
      Earnings
      $52,910
      Net price
      $16,652
      Federal debt
      $27,000
      Graduation rate
      51%
    13. Rank in Illinois 13

      Augustana College-Illinois

      Rock Island, IL · Private nonprofit · #219 nationally

      53.6Value
      Earnings
      $52,092
      Net price
      $21,153
      Federal debt
      $27,000
      Graduation rate
      73%
    14. Rank in Illinois 14

      Loyola University Chicago

      Chicago, IL · Private nonprofit · #224 nationally

      53.3Value
      Earnings
      $53,896
      Net price
      $36,340
      Federal debt
      $24,625
      Graduation rate
      72%
    15. Rank in Illinois 15

      National Louis University

      Chicago, IL · Private nonprofit · #272 nationally

      48.5Value
      Earnings
      $46,398
      Net price
      $10,364
      Federal debt
      $19,644
      Graduation rate
      32%
    16. Rank in Illinois 16

      Western Illinois University

      Macomb, IL · Public · #288 nationally

      47.0Value
      Earnings
      $43,279
      Net price
      $10,018
      Federal debt
      $16,624
      Graduation rate
      49%
    17. Rank in Illinois 17

      Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville

      Edwardsville, IL · Public · #296 nationally

      46.2Value
      Earnings
      $43,916
      Net price
      $13,111
      Federal debt
      $18,399
      Graduation rate
      56%
    18. Rank in Illinois 18

      Aurora University

      Aurora, IL · Private nonprofit · #309 nationally

      45.1Value
      Earnings
      $46,609
      Net price
      $19,385
      Federal debt
      $19,687
      Graduation rate
      61%
    19. Rank in Illinois 19

      Governors State University

      University Park, IL · Public · #321 nationally

      43.9Value
      Earnings
      $46,895
      Net price
      $15,833
      Federal debt
      $18,750
      Graduation rate
      23%
    20. Rank in Illinois 20

      North Central College-Illinois

      Naperville, IL · Private nonprofit · #330 nationally

      43.0Value
      Earnings
      $49,224
      Net price
      $22,836
      Federal debt
      $24,750
      Graduation rate
      62%
    21. Rank in Illinois 21

      Eastern Illinois University

      Charleston, IL · Public · #346 nationally

      41.6Value
      Earnings
      $43,190
      Net price
      $12,717
      Federal debt
      $18,079
      Graduation rate
      50%
    22. Rank in Illinois 22

      Rockford University

      Rockford, IL · Private nonprofit · #373 nationally

      38.9Value
      Earnings
      $46,780
      Net price
      $22,581
      Federal debt
      $17,997
      Graduation rate
      44%
    23. Rank in Illinois 23

      Bradley University

      Peoria, IL · Private nonprofit · #393 nationally

      35.6Value
      Earnings
      $46,460
      Net price
      $22,469
      Federal debt
      $27,000
      Graduation rate
      73%
    24. Rank in Illinois 24

      Olivet Nazarene University

      Bourbonnais, IL · Private nonprofit · #418 nationally

      32.8Value
      Earnings
      $45,455
      Net price
      $19,978
      Federal debt
      $23,977
      Graduation rate
      60%
    25. Rank in Illinois 25

      Concordia University-Chicago

      River Forest, IL · Private nonprofit · #447 nationally

      29.7Value
      Earnings
      $45,532
      Net price
      $17,217
      Federal debt
      $26,000
      Graduation rate
      47%
    26. Rank in Illinois 26

      Greenville University-Illinois

      Greenville, IL · Private nonprofit · #500 nationally

      20.1Value
      Earnings
      $42,180
      Net price
      $20,905
      Federal debt
      $24,385
      Graduation rate
      52%

    Method: the same value score as the national education 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 education colleges in Illinois

    What are the best colleges for education in Illinois?

    By CollegesRef value score, the top 3 Illinois colleges for education are University of Illinois at Chicago (value score 90), Southern Illinois University-Carbondale (value score 87) and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (value score 84.5). The score weighs graduate earnings, debt relative to earnings, average net price and graduation rate.

    Which Illinois college has the highest earnings for education graduates?

    Southern Illinois University-Carbondale: its education graduates have median earnings of $67,961 4 years after the bachelor's degree.

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

    Northeastern Illinois University has the lowest average net price of the ranked Illinois colleges, $9,377 a year after grants. A family's own price depends on income and aid.

    How many Illinois colleges are ranked for education?

    26 Illinois colleges have a education 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.