Notable Four-Year Colleges and Universities in Illinois

This directory-style guide highlights 50 four-year colleges and universities in Illinois. Each institution is identified by its full profile name and location so similarly named organizations are easier to distinguish. “Notable” is a directory label, not an evaluation of quality or an endorsement.

Entries were selected and ordered using enrollment values available in COSMIQ profiles. Enrollment figures are intentionally omitted. The order is an estimate of institution size, not a ranking of academic quality, outcomes, or fit.

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Institutions in this guide

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign — Champaign, Illinois. Public four-year institution.
University of Illinois Chicago — Chicago, Illinois. Public four-year institution.
Northwestern University — Evanston, Illinois. Private nonprofit four-year institution.
DePaul University — Chicago, Illinois. Private nonprofit four-year institution.
Illinois State University — Normal, Illinois. Public four-year institution.
University of Chicago — Chicago, Illinois. Private nonprofit four-year institution.
Loyola University Chicago — Chicago, Illinois. Private nonprofit four-year institution.
Northern Illinois University — Dekalb, Illinois. Public four-year institution.
Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville — Edwardsville, Illinois. Public four-year institution.
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale — Carbondale, Illinois. Public four-year institution.
Eastern Illinois University — Charleston, Illinois. Public four-year institution.
Western Illinois University — Macomb, Illinois. Public four-year institution.
National Louis University — Chicago, Illinois. Private nonprofit four-year institution.
Illinois Institute of Technology — Chicago, Illinois. Private nonprofit four-year institution.
Columbia College Chicago — Chicago, Illinois. Private nonprofit four-year institution.
Lewis University — Romeoville, Illinois. Private nonprofit four-year institution.
Aurora University — Aurora, Illinois. Private nonprofit four-year institution.
Northeastern Illinois University — Chicago, Illinois. Public four-year institution.
Bradley University — Peoria, Illinois. Private nonprofit four-year institution.
Concordia University-Chicago — River Forest, Illinois. Private nonprofit four-year institution.
Governors State University — University Park, Illinois. Public four-year institution.
University of Illinois Springfield — Springfield, Illinois. Public four-year institution.
Elmhurst University — Elmhurst, Illinois. Private nonprofit four-year institution.
Roosevelt University — Chicago, Illinois. Private nonprofit four-year institution.
School of the Art Institute of Chicago — Chicago, Illinois. Private nonprofit four-year institution.
Saint Xavier University — Chicago, Illinois. Private nonprofit four-year institution.
University of St Francis — Joliet, Illinois. Private nonprofit four-year institution.
Olivet Nazarene University — Bourbonnais, Illinois. Private nonprofit four-year institution.
Dominican University — River Forest, Illinois. Private nonprofit four-year institution.
Benedictine University — Lisle, Illinois. Private nonprofit four-year institution.
Wheaton College — Wheaton, Illinois. Private nonprofit four-year institution.
Rush University — Chicago, Illinois. Private nonprofit four-year institution.
Midwestern University-Downers Grove — Downers Grove, Illinois. Private nonprofit four-year institution.
North Central College — Naperville, Illinois. Private nonprofit four-year institution.
North Park University — Chicago, Illinois. Private nonprofit four-year institution.
Moody Bible Institute — Chicago, Illinois. Private nonprofit four-year institution.
Augustana College — Rock Island, Illinois. Private nonprofit four-year institution.
Chicago State University — Chicago, Illinois. Public four-year institution.
McKendree University — Lebanon, Illinois. Private nonprofit four-year institution.
Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science — North Chicago, Illinois. Private nonprofit four-year institution.
Adler University — Chicago, Illinois. Private nonprofit four-year institution.
Millikin University — Decatur, Illinois. Private nonprofit four-year institution.
Lake Forest College — Lake Forest, Illinois. Private nonprofit four-year institution.
Illinois Wesleyan University — Bloomington, Illinois. Private nonprofit four-year institution.
Quincy University — Quincy, Illinois. Private nonprofit four-year institution.
The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Chicago — Chicago, Illinois. Private nonprofit four-year institution.
Trinity International University-Illinois — Deerfield, Illinois. Private nonprofit four-year institution.
Rockford University — Rockford, Illinois. Private nonprofit four-year institution.
Greenville University — Greenville, Illinois. Private nonprofit four-year institution.
Knox College — Galesburg, Illinois. Private nonprofit four-year institution.

Selection and source notes

Where enough eligible profiles were available, this guide includes the top 50, 25, or 10 by available enrollment; smaller groups include all eligible profiles. Profile source year: 2022. Check each institution directly for current information.

Sources: NCES IPEDS. Inclusion does not imply endorsement by COSMIQ, and it does not mean that any listed institution endorses COSMIQ.