2025-26 Statistics

Colleges in Illinois

At a Glance
Admission, Tuition, Population, and more
Updated: May 14, 2026
Illinois has 260 colleges and universities.
240 schools offer undergraduate programs and 88 schools offer graduate programs.
In Illinois, there are 9 ABA-accredited law schools and 8 LCME-accredited medical schools.
By school type, 66 public and 194 private colleges are active for the academic year 2024-2025 in Illinois.
By school level, there are 104 4-Years Colleges, 67 Community Colleges, and 89 Technical Colleges in Illinois.
4-Years CollegesCommunity CollegesTechnical Colleges
Total1046789
Public14502
Private (not-for-profit)8045
Private (for-profit)101382
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Average Tuition & Fees

For 4-year colleges, the average undergraduate tuition & fees are $13,730 for Illinois residents and $19,559 for out-of-state students.
For graduate programs, the average tuition & fees are $12,714 for Illinois residents and $19,844 for out-of-state students.
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4-Year Colleges Tuition

Over the past 5 years, 4-year college tuition has increased 5% for in-state and 3.7% for out-of-state students at public schools.
At private schools, the tuition has increased 10.1%. See the detailed tuition history below.
Illinois Colleges Tuition & Fees
Public SchoolsPrivate Schools
IL ResidentsOut-of-State
2021$13,073$18,860$30,239
2022$13,309$19,278$31,313
2023$13,340$19,371$32,021
2024$13,493$18,989$32,211
2025$13,730$19,559$33,305
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Community Colleges Tuition

Over the past 5 years, community college tuition has increased 6.1% for in-state and 1.4% for out-of-state students at public schools.
At private community colleges, the tuition has increased 17.5%.
Illinois Community Colleges Tuition & Fees
Public SchoolsPrivate Schools
IL ResidentsOut-of-State
2021$8,943$11,422$13,863
2022$9,260$11,861$13,757
2023$9,447$12,027$14,562
2024$9,584$12,210$15,314
2025$9,485$11,584$16,290
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Graduate Schools Tuition

The graduate tuition has increased 8% for in-state and 9.3% for out-of-state students over the past 5 years
At private graduate schools, the tuition has increased 10.4%.
Illinois Graduate Schools Tuition & Fees
Public SchoolsPrivate Schools
IL ResidentsOut-of-State
2021$11,772$18,148$20,955
2022$11,929$18,541$20,959
2023$12,248$19,732$21,925
2024$12,483$19,615$22,032
2025$12,714$19,844$23,144
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Living Costs

The average living costs at Illinois colleges are $16,583 when a student lives on-campus and $16,506 when living-off campus.
On-campus living costs have increased 19.5% and off-campus costs have increased 29.7% over the past 5 years.
Living Costs at Illinois Colleges
On-CampusOff-Campus
2021$13,876$12,727
2022$14,273$12,992
2023$15,024$13,963
2024$15,778$15,514
2025$16,583$16,506
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Admission & SAT Scores

On average, 72.8% of applicants are admitted to Illinois colleges.
The admission rate ranges from 4.5% to 100.0% across colleges in Illinois.
The average SAT score at Illinois colleges is 1,149. SAT scores range from 860 to 1,550 across colleges in Illinois.

Financial Aid

On average, 65.06% students have received grants and/or scholarships at Illinois colleges. The average amount of aid received is $10,556
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Enrollment

A total of 745,066 students is attending Illinois colleges - 581,476 undergraduate and 163,121 graduate students.
Of them, 167,807 students enrolled in online programs exclusively.
Total Number of Students
745,066
Undergraduate
581,476
Graduate
163,121
Online Students
167,807
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Faculty & Staff

A total of 57,944 faculties (instructional staffs) are working for colleges in Illinois and the average faculty salary is $79,007.
There are 148,894 non-instructional staffs and its average salary is $70,016.
Number of Faculties
57,944
Average Faculty Salary
$79,007
Number of Staffs
148,894
Average Staff Salary
$70,016
Faculty/Staff Salary

Best Illinois colleges

University of Chicago is ranked #1 in the Illinois college rankings, followed by Northwestern University in second place.
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Highest Tuition & Fees

University of Chicago is the most expensive college in Illinois with a tuition & fees of $69,324 and Northwestern University has the second-highest tuition & fees of $68,322.
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Highest Graduate Tuition

For graduate programs, University of Chicago requires the most expensive tuition & fees of $68,652 and Northwestern University has the second-highest graduate tuition & fees of $54,655.
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Highest SAT Scores

University of Chicago has the highest SAT scores of 1,550 submitted by enrolled students and Northwestern University has the second-highest SAT score of 1,540.
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Largest Illinois colleges

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is the largest college with 59,238 students and University of Illinois Chicago has the second-most students of 33,906.
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Largest Online colleges

Chamberlain University-Illinois has the most online students of 30,257 students and DeVry University-Illinois has the second-most online students of 30,160.
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