Education colleges in Illinois, ranked by graduates
32 colleges in Illinois awarded at least 10 bachelor's degrees in education in 2023: 2,845 degrees, 7.1% of all bachelor's degrees at those colleges (4.4% across every college CollegeCalcAI tracks). Illinois State University graduated the most (818, 18.1% of its class). 10 of the 32 are public universities. The median acceptance rate among them is 74%; the most selective is Northwestern University at 8%.
Education colleges in Illinois
Every Illinois college awarding at least 10 bachelor's degrees in education, ranked by 2023 graduates. Click a college for its education page.
| # | College | Type | Degrees (2023) | Share of grads | Acceptance rate | SAT 75th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Illinois State University | Public | 818 | 18.1% | 88% | 1220 |
| 2 | University of Illinois | Public | 254 | 3% | 42% | 1480 |
| 3 | Northern Illinois University | Public | 241 | 9.9% | 70% | 1180 |
| 4 | Southern Illinois University | Public | 181 | 10.1% | 87% | 1150 |
| 5 | Eastern Illinois University | Public | 133 | 12.1% | 65% | 1080 |
| 6 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | Public | 109 | 5.5% | 98% | 1180 |
| 7 | DePaul University | Private | 91 | 3% | 76% | 1280 |
| 8 | Lewis University | Private | 87 | 9.2% | 71% | 1150 |
| 9 | Elmhurst University | Private | 76 | 10.2% | 74% | 1230 |
| 10 | Trinity Christian College | Private | 74 | 35.9% | 85% | 1180 |
| 11 | Western Illinois University | Public | 71 | 6.4% | 71% | 1060 |
| 12 | Aurora University | Private | 65 | 5.2% | 81% | 1230 |
| 13 | Saint Xavier University | Private | 65 | 9.7% | 84% | 1120 |
| 14 | Millikin University | Private | 51 | 15.5% | 67% | 1230 |
| 15 | Loyola University Chicago | Private | 49 | 2% | 82% | 1330 |
| 16 | Olivet Nazarene University | Private | 48 | 9.2% | 56% | 1200 |
| 17 | Bradley University | Private | 47 | 5.1% | 77% | 1260 |
| 18 | Augustana College | Private | 47 | 10.1% | 63% | 1280 |
| 19 | Concordia University Chicago | Private | 46 | 15.8% | 93% | 1140 |
| 20 | Governors State University | Public | 39 | 6.9% | 48% | 1100 |
| 21 | Illinois Springfield | Public | 38 | 6.4% | 86% | 1120 |
| 22 | North Central College | Private | 37 | 6.6% | 77% | 1250 |
| 23 | Knox College | Private | 24 | 10.7% | 71% | 1280 |
| 24 | McKendree University | Private | 24 | 6.7% | 72% | 1150 |
| 25 | Wheaton College (IL) | Private | 24 | 4.6% | 87% | 1230 |
| 26 | Quincy University | Private | 23 | 11.6% | 51% | 1150 |
| 27 | North Park University | Private | 18 | 5% | 69% | 1230 |
| 28 | Chicago State University | Public | 15 | 7.4% | 43% | 980 |
| 29 | Illinois College | Private | 14 | 5.4% | 78% | 1230 |
| 30 | Northwestern University | Private | 13 | 0.6% | 8% | 1560 |
| 31 | Judson University | Private | 13 | 7.8% | 48% | 1150 |
| 32 | Benedictine University | Private | 10 | 2.4% | 95% | 1230 |
Questions about education colleges in Illinois
What is the best college for education in Illinois?
By bachelor's degrees awarded in 2023, the largest education programs in Illinois are Illinois State University (818), University of Illinois (254), Northern Illinois University (241). "Best" depends on your profile: this page ranks every Illinois college in the field by output and shows each one's acceptance rate and admitted SAT so you can match it to your own numbers.
How many colleges in Illinois offer education?
32 four-year colleges in Illinois awarded 10 or more bachelor's degrees in education in 2023, 10 public and 22 private, for 2,845 graduates in total.
Is in-state status an advantage for education in Illinois?
At the 10 public universities on this list, Illinois residents are usually admitted at a higher rate than out-of-state applicants and pay in-state tuition. CollegeCalcAI applies the residency effect when you set your home state, and the per-major adjustment when you set the major.
Education elsewhere
The same field in other states, and the national ranking.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS 2023 Completions (bachelor's degrees, first majors, CIP 2-digit series), joined to CollegeCalcAI's admissions dataset. Built 2026-09-19. Estimates from CollegeCalcAI are not predictions or guarantees.