Most Selective Universities in Illinois

Q: How many universities are ranked for Most Selective in Illinois?

There are 50 universities ranked for Most Selective in Illinois based on government-verified data.

Q: How are Most Selective rankings calculated?

Rankings are based on data from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard. Institutions are ranked by most selective metrics using the most recently available data. Only institutions with complete data are included.

Q: What are the hardest colleges to get into in Illinois?

The hardest college to get into in Illinois is University of Chicago, with an acceptance rate of 4.8%, followed by Northwestern University. "Most selective" and "hardest to get into" describe the same thing: the lowest acceptance rates among ranked institutions.

The hardest colleges to get into in Illinois, ranked by acceptance rate.

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50 results

#	Institution	Tuition	Avg Earnings	Grad Rate	Acceptance Rate
1	University of Chicago Private Non-Profit IL ROI	$66,939	$80,870	95%	5%
2	Northwestern University Private Non-Profit IL ROI	$65,997	$76,844	96%	7%
3	Methodist College Private Non-Profit IL ROI	$18,008	$64,709	72%	31%
4	The Chicago School at Chicago Private Non-Profit IL ROI	$20,844	$51,817	N/A	33%
5	Chicago State University Public IL ROI	$12,754	$33,805	21%	41%
6	University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Public IL ROI	$16,004	$64,802	85%	44%
7	Principia College Private Non-Profit IL ROI	$33,280	$0	77%	44%
8	Illinois Wesleyan University Private Non-Profit IL ROI	$55,704	$56,082	81%	45%
9	Quincy University Private Non-Profit IL ROI	$35,740	$43,331	47%	50%
10	Millikin University Private Non-Profit IL ROI	$26,892	$43,100	59%	54%
11	Illinois Institute of Technology Private Non-Profit IL ROI	$51,763	$70,803	74%	55%
12	Rockford University Private Non-Profit IL ROI	$37,300	$45,847	39%	57%
13	North Central College Private Non-Profit IL ROI	$44,394	$51,762	67%	58%
14	Lake Forest College Private Non-Profit IL ROI	$54,202	$51,324	74%	59%
15	Judson University Private Non-Profit IL ROI	$30,910	$45,374	53%	63%
16	McKendree University Private Non-Profit IL ROI	$34,070	$49,439	57%	64%
17	University of St Francis Private Non-Profit IL ROI	$37,000	$56,648	65%	64%
18	Olivet Nazarene University Private Non-Profit IL ROI	$37,940	$49,278	63%	67%
19	Augustana College Private Non-Profit IL ROI	$49,834	$49,849	78%	68%
20	Eastern Illinois University Public IL ROI	$13,403	$42,694	50%	68%
21	Northeastern Illinois University Public IL ROI	$12,383	$43,801	18%	70%
22	Northern Illinois University Public IL ROI	$12,700	$46,113	51%	71%
23	Knox College Private Non-Profit IL ROI	$55,587	$37,757	71%	71%
24	Lewis University Private Non-Profit IL ROI	$37,882	$56,095	62%	73%
25	North Park University Private Non-Profit IL ROI	$35,325	$49,326	56%	73%
26	DePaul University Private Non-Profit IL ROI	$44,460	$54,695	70%	74%
27	Illinois College Private Non-Profit IL ROI	$37,470	$40,110	64%	75%
28	Western Illinois University Public IL ROI	$14,952	$43,057	46%	75%
29	Elmhurst University Private Non-Profit IL ROI	$41,628	$52,803	64%	76%
30	School of the Art Institute of Chicago Private Non-Profit IL ROI	$54,530	$26,742	65%	76%
31	Bradley University Private Non-Profit IL ROI	$39,680	$59,114	74%	77%
32	Benedictine University Private Non-Profit IL ROI	$34,290	$50,222	52%	77%
33	University of Illinois Chicago Public IL ROI	$14,338	$53,218	61%	79%
34	Dominican University Private Non-Profit IL ROI	$37,844	$47,907	60%	80%
35	Blackburn College Private Non-Profit IL ROI	$26,758	$36,665	44%	80%
36	Loyola University Chicago Private Non-Profit IL ROI	$51,716	$58,411	74%	81%
37	University of Illinois Springfield Public IL ROI	$12,252	$47,432	57%	84%
38	Aurora University Private Non-Profit IL ROI	$28,220	$51,237	59%	85%
39	Saint Xavier University Private Non-Profit IL ROI	$36,840	$50,784	56%	86%
40	Monmouth College Private Non-Profit IL ROI	$43,520	$43,158	59%	87%
41	Eureka College Private Non-Profit IL ROI	$28,400	$42,968	48%	89%
42	Chamberlain University-Illinois Private For-Profit IL ROI	$20,604	$84,533	44%	89%
43	Trinity Christian College Private Non-Profit IL ROI	$20,325	$48,107	66%	89%
44	Illinois State University Public IL ROI	$16,021	$50,599	67%	89%
45	Wheaton College Private Non-Profit IL ROI	$43,930	$50,270	87%	90%
46	Southern Illinois University-Carbondale Public IL ROI	$13,244	$43,087	53%	90%
47	Columbia College Chicago Private Non-Profit IL ROI	$32,520	$32,596	48%	91%
48	Hebrew Theological College Private Non-Profit IL ROI	$14,700	$32,793	33%	92%
49	National Louis University Private Non-Profit IL ROI	$12,345	$43,562	35%	93%
50	Trinity International University-Illinois Private Non-Profit IL ROI	$12,320	$41,545	48%	93%

About This Ranking

This ranking is based on data from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard, which provides comprehensive information about colleges and universities across the country.

Institutions are ranked by most selective metrics using the most recently available data. Only institutions with complete data for the ranking criteria are included.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the Most Selective universities in Illinois?

The top Most Selective university in Illinois is University of Chicago, followed by Northwestern University. Rankings are based on U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard data.

How many universities are ranked for Most Selective in Illinois?

How are Most Selective rankings calculated?

What are the hardest colleges to get into in Illinois?

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