Most selective colleges in Illinois
50 colleges ranked by acceptance rate
These 50 most selective colleges in Illinois, ranked by acceptance rate, run from 5% at University of Chicago to 95% at Greenville University. 10 are public and 40 are private.
| # | College | Type | Acceptance | Avg SAT | Net price / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Chicago Chicago, IL | Private | 5% | 1,554 | $18,967 |
| 2 | Northwestern University Evanston, IL | Private | 7% | 1,526 | $27,143 |
| 3 | Methodist College Peoria, IL | Private | 31% | — | $14,867 |
| 4 | Chicago State University Chicago, IL | Public | 41% | — | $10,133 |
| 5 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL | Public | 44% | 1,418 | $15,201 |
| 6 | Principia College Elsah, IL | Private | 44% | 1,096 | — |
| 7 | Illinois Wesleyan University Bloomington, IL | Private | 45% | 1,242 | $29,550 |
| 8 | Quincy University Quincy, IL | Private | 50% | 1,157 | $17,324 |
| 9 | Millikin University Decatur, IL | Private | 54% | 1,050 | $8,837 |
| 10 | Illinois Institute of Technology Chicago, IL | Private | 55% | 1,296 | $19,353 |
| 11 | Rockford University Rockford, IL | Private | 57% | 984 | $23,066 |
| 12 | North Central College Naperville, IL | Private | 58% | 1,165 | $23,033 |
| 13 | Lake Forest College Lake Forest, IL | Private | 59% | 1,309 | $27,499 |
| 14 | Judson University Elgin, IL | Private | 63% | 985 | $25,027 |
| 15 | McKendree University Lebanon, IL | Private | 64% | — | $24,190 |
| 16 | University of St Francis Joliet, IL | Private | 64% | 1,055 | $16,284 |
| 17 | Olivet Nazarene University Bourbonnais, IL | Private | 67% | 1,103 | $21,539 |
| 18 | Augustana College Rock Island, IL | Private | 68% | 1,133 | $12,437 |
| 19 | Eastern Illinois University Charleston, IL | Public | 68% | 1,010 | $14,093 |
| 20 | Northeastern Illinois University Chicago, IL | Public | 70% | — | $13,550 |
| 21 | Northern Illinois University Dekalb, IL | Public | 70% | — | $12,909 |
| 22 | Knox College Galesburg, IL | Private | 71% | 1,250 | $24,875 |
| 23 | Lewis University Romeoville, IL | Private | 73% | 1,117 | $18,370 |
| 24 | North Park University Chicago, IL | Private | 73% | — | $18,191 |
| 25 | DePaul University Chicago, IL | Private | 74% | 1,254 | $29,141 |
| 26 | Illinois College Jacksonville, IL | Private | 75% | 1,082 | $17,945 |
| 27 | Western Illinois University Macomb, IL | Public | 75% | — | $11,592 |
| 28 | Elmhurst University Elmhurst, IL | Private | 76% | 1,116 | $21,063 |
| 29 | Bradley University Peoria, IL | Private | 77% | 1,237 | $23,572 |
| 30 | Benedictine University Lisle, IL | Private | 77% | — | $23,529 |
| 31 | University of Illinois Chicago Chicago, IL | Public | 79% | 1,242 | $12,313 |
| 32 | Dominican University River Forest, IL | Private | 80% | 1,022 | $15,113 |
| 33 | Blackburn College Carlinville, IL | Private | 80% | — | $21,814 |
| 34 | Loyola University Chicago Chicago, IL | Private | 81% | 1,283 | $35,196 |
| 35 | University of Illinois Springfield Springfield, IL | Public | 84% | 1,118 | $8,916 |
| 36 | Aurora University Aurora, IL | Private | 85% | 1,072 | $18,992 |
| 37 | Saint Xavier University Chicago, IL | Private | 86% | — | $12,093 |
| 38 | Monmouth College Monmouth, IL | Private | 87% | 1,128 | $18,034 |
| 39 | Eureka College Eureka, IL | Private | 88% | — | $22,048 |
| 40 | Chamberlain University-Illinois Addison, IL | Private | 89% | 868 | $26,933 |
| 41 | Trinity Christian College Palos Heights, IL | Private | 89% | 1,154 | $16,381 |
| 42 | Illinois State University Normal, IL | Public | 89% | 1,127 | $18,996 |
| 43 | Wheaton College Wheaton, IL | Private | 90% | 1,363 | $26,984 |
| 44 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale Carbondale, IL | Public | 90% | 1,060 | $16,177 |
| 45 | Columbia College Chicago Chicago, IL | Private | 91% | — | $26,788 |
| 46 | National Louis University Chicago, IL | Private | 93% | — | $16,157 |
| 47 | Trinity International University-Illinois Deerfield, IL | Private | 93% | — | $21,386 |
| 48 | Concordia University-Chicago River Forest, IL | Private | 93% | — | $16,774 |
| 49 | Roosevelt University Chicago, IL | Private | 94% | 1,000 | $20,152 |
| 50 | Greenville University Greenville, IL | Private | 95% | 1,034 | $21,270 |
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