Best colleges for psychology in Illinois

    University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ranks first in Illinois for psychology value (#12 nationally, value score 87.3): graduates earn $60,168 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 · 29 Illinois colleges ranked · Updated November 4, 2026

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    Best psychology colleges in Illinois

    University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ranks first in Illinois for psychology value (#12 nationally, value score 87.3): graduates earn $60,168 4 years after the bachelor's degree, and the average net price is $13,042 a year. 29 Illinois colleges qualify. At the median one, psychology graduates earn $52,062 and the average net price is $16,776 a year.

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

    What the data shows

    Key findings

    • 29 Illinois colleges qualify. At the median one, psychology graduates earn $52,062 and the average net price is $16,776 a year.
    • The highest psychology earnings in the state are at Northwestern University-Illinois ($73,646), ranked #3 in the state once cost, debt and graduation rate count.
    • The lowest average net price among them is at Chicago State University: $7,273 a year.
    Median earnings
    $52,062
    National: $51,007
    Median net price
    $16,776
    National: $18,874
    Median federal debt
    $20,000
    psychology graduates
    Public colleges
    12 of 29
    in this list

    29 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 · #12 nationally

      87.3Value
      Earnings
      $60,168
      Net price
      $13,042
      Federal debt
      $15,957
      Graduation rate
      86%
    2. Rank in Illinois 2

      University of Chicago

      Chicago, IL · Private nonprofit · #16 nationally

      86.4Value
      Earnings
      $73,483
      Net price
      $16,776
      Federal debt
      Not reported
      Graduation rate
      95%
    3. Rank in Illinois 3

      Northwestern University-Illinois

      Evanston, IL · Private nonprofit · #57 nationally

      75.3Value
      Earnings
      $73,646
      Net price
      $34,420
      Federal debt
      $15,000
      Graduation rate
      96%
    4. Rank in Illinois 4

      University of Illinois at Chicago

      Chicago, IL · Public · #80 nationally

      73.0Value
      Earnings
      $52,736
      Net price
      $9,540
      Federal debt
      $15,000
      Graduation rate
      61%
    5. Rank in Illinois 5

      Bradley University

      Peoria, IL · Private nonprofit · #122 nationally

      68.7Value
      Earnings
      $64,378
      Net price
      $22,469
      Federal debt
      $26,000
      Graduation rate
      73%
    6. Rank in Illinois 6

      Northeastern Illinois University

      Chicago, IL · Public · #127 nationally

      68.6Value
      Earnings
      $54,301
      Net price
      $9,377
      Federal debt
      $14,875
      Graduation rate
      25%
    7. Rank in Illinois 7

      Aurora University

      Aurora, IL · Private nonprofit · #161 nationally

      66.2Value
      Earnings
      $55,697
      Net price
      $19,385
      Federal debt
      $18,250
      Graduation rate
      61%
    8. Rank in Illinois 8

      North Park University

      Chicago, IL · Private nonprofit · #209 nationally

      62.2Value
      Earnings
      $56,062
      Net price
      $15,949
      Federal debt
      $23,250
      Graduation rate
      52%
    9. Rank in Illinois 9

      Illinois State University

      Normal, IL · Public · #236 nationally

      60.4Value
      Earnings
      $51,941
      Net price
      $17,829
      Federal debt
      $18,500
      Graduation rate
      67%
    10. Rank in Illinois 10

      DePaul University-Illinois

      Chicago, IL · Private nonprofit · #286 nationally

      57.6Value
      Earnings
      $55,664
      Net price
      $27,308
      Federal debt
      $20,833
      Graduation rate
      67%
    11. Rank in Illinois 11

      Lewis University

      Romeoville, IL · Private nonprofit · #299 nationally

      56.9Value
      Earnings
      $52,029
      Net price
      $17,318
      Federal debt
      $19,500
      Graduation rate
      57%
    12. Rank in Illinois 12

      Loyola University Chicago

      Chicago, IL · Private nonprofit · #310 nationally

      56.3Value
      Earnings
      $56,658
      Net price
      $36,340
      Federal debt
      $22,250
      Graduation rate
      72%
    13. Rank in Illinois 13

      Illinois Wesleyan University

      Bloomington, IL · Private nonprofit · #321 nationally

      55.7Value
      Earnings
      $57,839
      Net price
      $27,863
      Federal debt
      $27,000
      Graduation rate
      73%
    14. Rank in Illinois 14

      Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville

      Edwardsville, IL · Public · #327 nationally

      55.5Value
      Earnings
      $48,951
      Net price
      $13,111
      Federal debt
      $17,750
      Graduation rate
      56%
    15. Rank in Illinois 15

      University of Illinois at Springfield

      Springfield, IL · Public · #336 nationally

      54.7Value
      Earnings
      $47,802
      Net price
      $7,528
      Federal debt
      $18,465
      Graduation rate
      53%
    16. Rank in Illinois 16

      Eastern Illinois University

      Charleston, IL · Public · #342 nationally

      54.5Value
      Earnings
      $49,478
      Net price
      $12,717
      Federal debt
      $18,109
      Graduation rate
      50%
    17. Rank in Illinois 17

      Elmhurst University

      Elmhurst, IL · Private nonprofit · #352 nationally

      53.9Value
      Earnings
      $52,264
      Net price
      $23,165
      Federal debt
      $18,842
      Graduation rate
      64%
    18. Rank in Illinois 18

      Northern Illinois University

      Dekalb, IL · Public · #382 nationally

      51.6Value
      Earnings
      $49,669
      Net price
      $14,505
      Federal debt
      $19,000
      Graduation rate
      48%
    19. Rank in Illinois 19

      North Central College-Illinois

      Naperville, IL · Private nonprofit · #387 nationally

      51.3Value
      Earnings
      $52,062
      Net price
      $22,836
      Federal debt
      $20,500
      Graduation rate
      62%
    20. Rank in Illinois 20

      Benedictine University-Illinois

      Lisle, IL · Private nonprofit · #388 nationally

      51.2Value
      Earnings
      $53,994
      Net price
      $18,910
      Federal debt
      $22,459
      Graduation rate
      43%
    21. Rank in Illinois 21

      Augustana College-Illinois

      Rock Island, IL · Private nonprofit · #406 nationally

      49.8Value
      Earnings
      $52,818
      Net price
      $21,153
      Federal debt
      $27,000
      Graduation rate
      73%
    22. Rank in Illinois 22

      Roosevelt University

      Chicago, IL · Private nonprofit · #427 nationally

      48.7Value
      Earnings
      $52,049
      Net price
      $21,512
      Federal debt
      $17,750
      Graduation rate
      34%
    23. Rank in Illinois 23

      Southern Illinois University-Carbondale

      Carbondale, IL · Public · #465 nationally

      46.6Value
      Earnings
      $48,728
      Net price
      $12,554
      Federal debt
      $24,749
      Graduation rate
      59%
    24. Rank in Illinois 24

      Saint Xavier University

      Chicago, IL · Private nonprofit · #472 nationally

      46.1Value
      Earnings
      $47,273
      Net price
      $10,171
      Federal debt
      $22,500
      Graduation rate
      55%
    25. Rank in Illinois 25

      Governors State University

      University Park, IL · Public · #481 nationally

      45.0Value
      Earnings
      $47,048
      Net price
      $15,833
      Federal debt
      $14,375
      Graduation rate
      23%
    26. Rank in Illinois 26

      Olivet Nazarene University

      Bourbonnais, IL · Private nonprofit · #548 nationally

      40.5Value
      Earnings
      $49,427
      Net price
      $19,978
      Federal debt
      $24,250
      Graduation rate
      60%
    27. Rank in Illinois 27

      Chicago State University

      Chicago, IL · Public · #599 nationally

      37.5Value
      Earnings
      $47,168
      Net price
      $7,273
      Federal debt
      $26,250
      Graduation rate
      15%
    28. Rank in Illinois 28

      Western Illinois University

      Macomb, IL · Public · #616 nationally

      36.1Value
      Earnings
      $44,683
      Net price
      $10,018
      Federal debt
      $24,296
      Graduation rate
      49%
    29. Rank in Illinois 29

      University of St Francis

      Joliet, IL · Private nonprofit · #666 nationally

      33.0Value
      Earnings
      $42,474
      Net price
      $15,961
      Federal debt
      $22,404
      Graduation rate
      64%

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

    What are the best colleges for psychology in Illinois?

    By CollegesRef value score, the top 3 Illinois colleges for psychology are University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (value score 87.3), University of Chicago (value score 86.4) and Northwestern University-Illinois (value score 75.3). The score weighs graduate earnings, debt relative to earnings, average net price and graduation rate.

    Which Illinois college has the highest earnings for psychology graduates?

    Northwestern University-Illinois: its psychology graduates have median earnings of $73,646 4 years after the bachelor's degree.

    What is the most affordable psychology 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 psychology?

    29 Illinois colleges have a psychology 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.