Largest Illinois Private Colleges

In Illinois, there are a total of 740,314 students enrolled in higher education institutions. Of these, 454,760 attend public colleges and universities, while 285,554 are enrolled in private institutions. This comprehensive overview highlights the scale and diversity of college enrollment in Illinois, helping prospective students and families understand their options among the largest educational institutions.

Explore Largest Illinois Private Colleges with the Most Students, where 23,856 students are enrolled at Northwestern University, making it the largest institution in terms of enrollment.

Following closely, DePaul University ranks second with 21,210 students, while University of Chicago holds the third spot at 18,566. These institutions set the benchmark for large-scale education.

The average undergraduate tuition & fees of the schools is $45,490 and graduate tuition & fees is $27,998 for the academic year 2024-2025.

At these High Enrollment Illinois Private Colleges, the average acceptance rate is 64.01%, and the average SAT score is 1,251, making them not only cost-effective but also accessible options for a wide range of students.

Our analysis includes colleges with at least 1,000 total enrollments and excludes online universities to provide a balanced overview. For a comprehensive list of online universities, visit the largest Illinois private online colleges.

Comparison between Largest Illinois Private Colleges With The Most Students

Table. Largest Illinois Private Colleges With The Most Students Comparison
School NameTotal PopulationUndergraduateGraduateMenWomenOnline Enrollment
1
-
Northwestern University Evanston, ILPrivate, 4-year 23,856
653
9,399
(39.40%)
14,457
(60.60%)
10,696
(44.84%)
13,160
(55.16%)
781
(3.27%)
2
-
DePaul University Chicago, ILPrivate, 4-year 21,210
138
14,188
(66.89%)
7,022
(33.11%)
9,464
(44.62%)
11,746
(55.38%)
2,424
(11.43%)
3
-
University of Chicago Chicago, ILPrivate, 4-year 18,566
227
7,598
(40.92%)
10,968
(59.08%)
10,087
(54.33%)
8,479
(45.67%)
102
(0.55%)
4
-
Loyola University Chicago Chicago, ILPrivate, 4-year 17,384
13
12,538
(72.12%)
4,846
(27.88%)
5,417
(31.16%)
11,967
(68.84%)
1,393
(8.01%)
5
-
Illinois Institute of Technology Chicago, ILPrivate, 4-year 8,834
271
3,135
(35.49%)
5,699
(64.51%)
5,473
(61.95%)
3,361
(38.05%)
1,765
(19.98%)
6
-
Lewis University Romeoville, ILPrivate, 4-year 7,011
375
4,326
(61.70%)
2,685
(38.30%)
3,381
(48.22%)
3,630
(51.78%)
1,357
(19.36%)
7
1
Aurora University Aurora, ILPrivate, 4-year 5,923
12
4,106
(69.32%)
1,817
(30.68%)
1,671
(28.21%)
4,252
(71.79%)
1,827
(30.85%)
8
1
Columbia College Chicago Chicago, ILPrivate, 4-year 5,570
959
5,422
(97.34%)
148
(2.66%)
2,204
(39.57%)
3,366
(60.43%)
37
(0.66%)
9
-
Bradley University Peoria, ILPrivate, 4-year 4,777
440
3,596
(75.28%)
1,181
(24.72%)
2,163
(45.28%)
2,614
(54.72%)
757
(15.85%)
10
-
Roosevelt University Chicago, ILPrivate, 4-year 4,281
266
2,868
(66.99%)
1,413
(33.01%)
1,580
(36.91%)
2,701
(63.09%)
463
(10.82%)
Average11,7416,718
(57.21%)
5,024
(42.79%)
5,214
(44.40%)
6,528
(55.60%)
1,091
(9.29%)