Most Selective Colleges in Illinois
Ranked by acceptance rate (52 colleges with at least 500 undergraduates). Data: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, June 2026 release.
| # | College | Acceptance rate | Net price | Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Chicago Chicago, IL · Private nonprofit | 4% | $14,860 | $91,885 |
| 2 | Northwestern University Evanston, IL · Private nonprofit | 8% | $29,167 | $89,363 |
| 3 | Illinois Wesleyan University Bloomington, IL · Private nonprofit | 39% | $28,199 | $70,871 |
| 4 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL · Public | 42% | $14,355 | $81,054 |
| 5 | Chicago State University Chicago, IL · Public | 43% | $12,335 | $42,778 |
| 6 | Judson University Elgin, IL · Private nonprofit | 48% | $18,558 | $56,313 |
| 7 | Governors State University University Park, IL · Public | 48% | $12,329 | $58,169 |
| 8 | Quincy University Quincy, IL · Private nonprofit | 51% | $20,359 | $50,369 |
| 9 | Illinois Institute of Technology Chicago, IL · Private nonprofit | 55% | $18,425 | $82,592 |
| 10 | Olivet Nazarene University Bourbonnais, IL · Private nonprofit | 56% | $20,729 | $53,213 |
| 11 | Lake Forest College Lake Forest, IL · Private nonprofit | 57% | $28,673 | $61,825 |
| 12 | Augustana College Rock Island, IL · Private nonprofit | 63% | $22,736 | $62,971 |
| 13 | MDT College of Health Sciences Chicago, IL · Private for-profit | 64% | $30,833 | $43,946 |
| 14 | University of St Francis Joliet, IL · Private nonprofit | 65% | $13,006 | $63,926 |
| 15 | Eastern Illinois University Charleston, IL · Public | 65% | $12,786 | $51,989 |
| 16 | Millikin University Decatur, IL · Private nonprofit | 67% | $21,989 | $51,262 |
| 17 | North Park University Chicago, IL · Private nonprofit | 69% | $16,948 | $59,572 |
| 18 | Northern Illinois University Dekalb, IL · Public | 70% | $13,391 | $57,808 |
| 19 | Knox College Galesburg, IL · Private nonprofit | 71% | $24,595 | $54,820 |
| 20 | Western Illinois University Macomb, IL · Public | 71% | $12,937 | $54,163 |
| 21 | Lewis University Romeoville, IL · Private nonprofit | 71% | $17,028 | $66,099 |
| 22 | McKendree University Lebanon, IL · Private nonprofit | 72% | $24,717 | $58,572 |
| 23 | Elmhurst University Elmhurst, IL · Private nonprofit | 74% | $24,185 | $61,462 |
| 24 | Northeastern Illinois University Chicago, IL · Public | 75% | $14,109 | $52,234 |
| 25 | DePaul University Chicago, IL · Private nonprofit | 76% | $30,902 | $68,751 |
| 26 | Bradley University Peoria, IL · Private nonprofit | 77% | $22,719 | $66,852 |
| 27 | North Central College Naperville, IL · Private nonprofit | 77% | $21,044 | $60,123 |
| 28 | University of Illinois Chicago Chicago, IL · Public | 77% | $10,974 | $68,740 |
| 29 | School of the Art Institute of Chicago Chicago, IL · Private nonprofit | 77% | $49,790 | $40,151 |
| 30 | Illinois College Jacksonville, IL · Private nonprofit | 78% | $18,298 | $52,575 |
| 31 | Aurora University Aurora, IL · Private nonprofit | 81% | $18,838 | $58,709 |
| 32 | Loyola University Chicago Chicago, IL · Private nonprofit | 82% | $36,079 | $71,530 |
| 33 | Chamberlain University-Illinois Addison, IL · Private for-profit | 83% | $31,837 | $92,405 |
| 34 | Moody Bible Institute Chicago, IL · Private nonprofit | 83% | $22,221 | $45,399 |
| 35 | Saint Xavier University Chicago, IL · Private nonprofit | 84% | $10,970 | $58,656 |
| 36 | Trinity Christian College Palos Heights, IL · Private nonprofit | 85% | $19,125 | $55,700 |
| 37 | Eureka College Eureka, IL · Private nonprofit | 85% | $17,349 | $51,641 |
| 38 | University of Illinois Springfield Springfield, IL · Public | 86% | $9,833 | $57,103 |
| 39 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale Carbondale, IL · Public | 87% | $13,297 | $53,390 |
| 40 | Wheaton College Wheaton, IL · Private nonprofit | 87% | $26,975 | $63,756 |
| 41 | Illinois State University Normal, IL · Public | 88% | $19,398 | $62,117 |
| 42 | Columbia College Chicago Chicago, IL · Private nonprofit | 89% | $26,598 | $42,195 |
| 43 | Dominican University River Forest, IL · Private nonprofit | 90% | $11,745 | $60,327 |
| 44 | Monmouth College Monmouth, IL · Private nonprofit | 91% | $17,133 | $51,110 |
| 45 | Concordia University-Chicago River Forest, IL · Private nonprofit | 93% | $18,436 | $54,089 |
| 46 | Rockford University Rockford, IL · Private nonprofit | 93% | $22,436 | $54,794 |
| 47 | National Louis University Chicago, IL · Private nonprofit | 95% | $12,641 | $45,799 |
| 48 | Benedictine University Lisle, IL · Private nonprofit | 95% | $22,313 | $63,446 |
| 49 | Roosevelt University Chicago, IL · Private nonprofit | 97% | $20,194 | $48,712 |
| 50 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Edwardsville, IL · Public | 98% | $14,889 | $56,346 |
| 51 | Greenville University Greenville, IL · Private nonprofit | 98% | $19,533 | $46,827 |
| 52 | DeVry University-Illinois Lisle, IL · Private for-profit | 98% | $30,770 | $45,987 |