Engineering colleges in Illinois, ranked by graduates
14 colleges in Illinois awarded at least 10 bachelor's degrees in engineering in 2023: 3,210 degrees, 12.3% of all bachelor's degrees at those colleges (6.8% across every college CollegeCalcAI tracks). University of Illinois graduated the most (1,857, 21.6% of its class). 5 of the 14 are public universities. The median acceptance rate among them is 71%; the most selective is University of Chicago at 4%.
Engineering colleges in Illinois
Every Illinois college awarding at least 10 bachelor's degrees in engineering, ranked by 2023 graduates. Click a college for its engineering page.
| # | College | Type | Degrees (2023) | Share of grads | Acceptance rate | SAT 75th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Illinois | Public | 1,857 | 21.6% | 42% | 1480 |
| 2 | Northwestern University | Private | 347 | 16.1% | 8% | 1560 |
| 3 | Illinois Institute of Technology | Private | 244 | 41.1% | 55% | 1230 |
| 4 | Northern Illinois University | Public | 195 | 8% | 70% | 1180 |
| 5 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | Public | 173 | 8.7% | 98% | 1180 |
| 6 | Bradley University | Private | 158 | 17.3% | 77% | 1260 |
| 7 | Southern Illinois University | Public | 54 | 3% | 87% | 1150 |
| 8 | University of Chicago | Private | 52 | 2.7% | 4% | 1570 |
| 9 | Olivet Nazarene University | Private | 35 | 6.7% | 56% | 1200 |
| 10 | North Central College | Private | 28 | 5% | 77% | 1250 |
| 11 | Loyola University Chicago | Private | 24 | 1% | 82% | 1330 |
| 12 | Western Illinois University | Public | 19 | 1.7% | 71% | 1060 |
| 13 | Wheaton College (IL) | Private | 14 | 2.7% | 87% | 1230 |
| 14 | Augustana College | Private | 10 | 2.2% | 63% | 1280 |
Questions about engineering colleges in Illinois
What is the best college for engineering in Illinois?
By bachelor's degrees awarded in 2023, the largest engineering programs in Illinois are University of Illinois (1,857), Northwestern University (347), Illinois Institute of Technology (244). "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 engineering?
14 four-year colleges in Illinois awarded 10 or more bachelor's degrees in engineering in 2023, 5 public and 9 private, for 3,210 graduates in total.
Is in-state status an advantage for engineering in Illinois?
At the 5 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.
Engineering 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.