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State rankings

Best colleges in Illinois, ranked by ROI

We rank all 116 Illinois institutions we profile by payback years — total net cost divided by earnings above the $48,360 high-school baseline. The state's median net price is $13,750/yr (below the $16,902 national median), and its graduates earn a median $44,966 ten years out (above the $43,549 national median). University of Chicago leads, clearing its cost in 1.4 years. (Scorecard, 2026.)

$13,750
Median net price / yr
Scorecard, 2026
$44,966
Median earnings, 10 yrs
Scorecard, 2026
7 yrs
Median payback
Our math, 2026
116
Colleges ranked
degreedividend.com
Illinois colleges by payback (best first)
#CollegeNet price/yrEarnings 10yPayback
1University of Chicago$14,860$91,8851.4 yrs
2University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign$14,355$81,0541.8 yrs
3Illinois Institute of Technology$18,425$82,5922.2 yrs
4University of Illinois Chicago$10,974$68,7402.2 yrs
5Northwestern University$29,167$89,3632.8 yrs
6Chamberlain University-Illinois$31,837$92,4052.9 yrs
7University of St Francis$13,006$63,9263.3 yrs
8Lewis University$17,028$66,0993.8 yrs
9Dominican University$11,745$60,3273.9 yrs
10Saint Xavier University$10,970$58,6564.3 yrs
11University of Illinois Springfield$9,833$57,1034.5 yrs
12Bradley University$22,719$66,8524.9 yrs
13Governors State University$12,329$58,1695 yrs
14Illinois Wesleyan University$28,199$70,8715 yrs
15Illinois State University$19,398$62,1175.6 yrs
16Northern Illinois University$13,391$57,8085.7 yrs
17Benedictine University$22,313$63,4465.9 yrs
18North Park University$16,948$59,5726 yrs
19DePaul University$30,902$68,7516.1 yrs
20Augustana College$22,736$62,9716.2 yrs
21Loyola University Chicago$36,079$71,5306.2 yrs
22Wheaton College$26,975$63,7567 yrs
23North Central College$21,044$60,1237.2 yrs
24Aurora University$18,838$58,7097.3 yrs
25Elmhurst University$24,185$61,4627.4 yrs
26Southern Illinois University Edwardsville$14,889$56,3467.5 yrs
27Methodist College$41,787$69,8007.8 yrs
28Lake Forest College$28,673$61,8258.5 yrs
29Western Illinois University$12,937$54,1638.9 yrs
30Judson University$18,558$56,3139.3 yrs
31McKendree University$24,717$58,5729.7 yrs
32Trinity Christian College$19,125$55,70010.4 yrs
33Southern Illinois University-Carbondale$13,297$53,39010.6 yrs
34Concordia University-Chicago$18,436$54,08912.9 yrs
35Rockford University$22,436$54,79413.9 yrs
36Eastern Illinois University$12,786$51,98914.1 yrs
37Northeastern Illinois University$14,109$52,23414.6 yrs
38Knox College$24,595$54,82015.2 yrs
39Olivet Nazarene University$20,729$53,21317.1 yrs
40Illinois College$18,298$52,57517.4 yrs
41ETI School of Skilled Trades$22,126$52,80019.9 yrs
42Eureka College$17,349$51,64121.2 yrs
43Aviation Institute of Maintenance-Chicago$27,347$53,34122 yrs
44Universal Technical Institute of Illinois Inc$27,060$52,87324 yrs
45Monmouth College$17,133$51,11024.9 yrs
46Millikin University$21,989$51,26230.3 yrs
47Quincy University$20,359$50,36940.5 yrs
48Roosevelt University$20,194$48,712229.5 yrs
49Oakton College$5,183$47,852no payback
50College of DuPage$7,401$46,909no payback
51William Rainey Harper College$11,607$48,071no payback
52Elgin Community College$6,026$45,516no payback
53McHenry County College$7,042$45,143no payback
54Waubonsee Community College$11,442$44,788no payback
55Moraine Valley Community College$2,829$43,892no payback
56National Louis University$12,641$45,799no payback
57Blackburn College$18,460$46,802no payback
58Greenville University$19,533$46,827no payback
59Joliet Junior College$1,672$42,889no payback
60College of Lake County$7,607$43,424no payback
61Morton College$5,191$42,406no payback
62City Colleges of Chicago-Wilbur Wright College$6,375$41,625no payback
63Moody Bible Institute$22,221$45,399no payback
64Triton College$4,138$41,728no payback
65Illinois Valley Community College$2,232$40,810no payback
66Chicago State University$12,335$42,778no payback
67Fox College$13,109$41,539no payback
68DeVry University-Illinois$30,770$45,987no payback
69Kishwaukee College$4,574$39,657no payback
70Sauk Valley Community College$8,493$40,458no payback
71Rock Valley College$5,242$39,158no payback
72Lake Land College$2,254$38,877no payback
73Heartland Community College$12,013$40,768no payback
74Richland Community College$3,741$38,793no payback
75John Wood Community College$7,050$38,631no payback
76Kankakee Community College$4,665$38,767no payback
77MDT College of Health Sciences$30,833$43,946no payback
78Spoon River College$3,415$38,386no payback
79Lincoln Land Community College$4,299$38,479no payback
80Parkland College$8,048$38,320no payback
81Kaskaskia College$6,477$38,801no payback
82Rasmussen University-Illinois$19,854$39,080no payback
83Lewis and Clark Community College$3,349$37,724no payback
84Columbia College Chicago$26,598$42,195no payback
85Highland Community College$5,713$37,928no payback
86City Colleges of Chicago-Richard J Daley College$7,886$37,962no payback
87Black Hawk College$6,944$37,253no payback
88City Colleges of Chicago-Harold Washington College$7,397$36,531no payback
89Prairie State College$4,738$36,696no payback
90Illinois Eastern Community Colleges$10,092$37,533no payback
91City Colleges of Chicago-Harry S Truman College$7,863$36,484no payback
92Carl Sandburg College$3,662$35,274no payback
93Southwestern Illinois College$10,427$36,884no payback
94Illinois Central College$12,961$37,366no payback
95Midwestern Career College$20,462$36,432no payback
96Rend Lake College$9,187$35,775no payback
97Danville Area Community College$4,777$34,867no payback
98Lincoln College of Technology-Melrose Park$25,598$38,683no payback
99John A Logan College$5,541$34,096no payback
100South Suburban College$3,242$33,680no payback
101Generations College$18,894$34,706no payback
102Shawnee Community College$4,162$32,999no payback
103First Institute of Travel Inc.$20,528$36,196no payback
104Southeastern Illinois College$11,437$33,763no payback
105City Colleges of Chicago-Malcolm X College$7,220$32,427no payback
106School of the Art Institute of Chicago$49,790$40,151no payback
107Stautzenberger College-Rockford Career College$21,601$34,104no payback
108City Colleges of Chicago-Olive-Harvey College$9,038$31,114no payback
109Midwest Technical Institute-Illinois$27,793$33,601no payback
110G Skin & Beauty Institute$24,194$32,281no payback
111City Colleges of Chicago-Kennedy-King College$9,494$28,467no payback
112Cosmetology & Spa Academy$16,708$29,779no payback
113East-West University$21,697$29,963no payback
114G Skin & Beauty Institute$21,847$29,032no payback
115Tricoci University of Beauty Culture-Chicago NW$21,856$28,554no payback
116Tricoci University of Beauty Culture-Bridgeview$19,980$25,671no payback

College Scorecard (2026), institution-level · ranking and payback are our math. Payback uses institution-wide earnings; a specific major can rank very differently.

Colleges in Illinois: frequently asked questions

Which college has the best ROI in Illinois?
University of Chicago. It charges $14,860/yr after aid and its graduates earn a median $91,885 ten years out, clearing the cost in about 1.4 years — the fastest payback of the 116 Illinois colleges we track.
How much does college cost in Illinois?
The median net price across Illinois colleges is $13,750/yr after grants and scholarships — below the $16,902 national median. That is the actual price the typical aided student pays, not the published sticker.
What do Illinois college graduates earn?
A median $44,966 ten years after entry (Scorecard), above the $43,549 national median. Earnings vary widely by school and major — see each college's profile for its own figure.
How many Illinois colleges pay for themselves?
48 of the 116 Illinois colleges we track clear their cost on institution-wide earnings above the high-school baseline. The rest need a high-ROI major to pay off — the school average alone does not.