Small colleges in Illinois are a great option for students interested in a more intimate campus experience, more personal attention from excellent professors, and more immediate access to support services. Whether the focus is on the technical or on the liberal arts, small colleges give you the chance to pursue a well-rounded education while working closely with classmates and professors in a dynamic community atmosphere.
The best small colleges in Illinois featured here consist of public and private colleges, a testament to the world-class quality of higher education institutions in the Prairie State. Each of these small colleges has a unique history and continues to make significant contributions to diverse fields, from nursing and computer science to business administration and criminal justice.
The oldest of these small colleges—and the oldest in Illinois—is Mckendree University, established by pioneer Methodists in 1828. It’s also the oldest university in the United States associated with the United Methodist Church.
The second-oldest college in Illinois is Illinois College, established by the Yale Band in 1829. While McKendree University may have beaten it in terms of founding date, it’s the first college in Illinois to award a degree and the state’s first medical school.
Founded in 1837, Knox College uses a unique 3-3 academic calendar instead of the typical semester-based academic calendar. This setup enables students to focus on their studies—each term requires completion of only three courses. This also allows faculty members to provide more personalized professional attention to their students, and is one of the reasons why it’s one of the best small colleges in Illinois.
The #1 in our list of the best small colleges in Illinois, Illinois Institute of Technology, traces its roots to 1890 and has garnered several accolades in its 130-year history. Among its latest is the CAE-CD or National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education designation.
The bottom line: While Illinois is chock-full of private school institutions with outstanding academic programs, the small Illinois university and college options featured here are great choices for higher education! Excellent academic standards, credentialed faculty members, and exceptional student support services are among the reasons these small colleges are recognized for their great value.
But, it’s also important to distinguish between public and private colleges, a distinction that can make or break your academic career. Their differences will greatly impact your ability to earn your degree based on your desired timeline, thanks to factors like total cost of attendance, degree programs, student support services, and class size and diversity. Be sure to carefully consider the unique characteristics of each small college before making your choice.
With funding from the state government, public colleges are more affordable than private colleges. Government subsidies mean students aren’t paying for the actual cost of attendance. In contrast, private colleges don’t receive a single cent from the government and, instead, rely on tuition, fees, alum contributions, endowments, and other sources of revenue. The result: Higher tuition and other fees.
Fortunately, students in accredited public and private colleges can apply for financial aid! Federal and state financial assistance, institutional scholarships, and external grants are available.
Public colleges are likely to have larger class sizes, more diverse student bodies, and a wider range of degree and certificate programs. Private colleges tend to have smaller class sizes and less diversity among their students, although there are always exceptions. There’s also more emphasis on liberal arts programs with a smattering of STEM and business administration programs.
Due to their limited funding, small private colleges may not offer as many research opportunities as small public colleges. But what they lack in resources can mean better collaborations between students and professors.
In terms of campus life, small public and private colleges feature a more tight-knit community with a fairly wide variety of on-campus activities and organizations.
Ultimately, your choice between a small public college and a private college will depend on your circumstances and preferences. With numerous world-class colleges and universities in Illinois, you will be spoiled for choice!
So why choose the Prairie State for your higher education? First, you will find rich and diverse opportunities to appreciate Illinois’s history, arts and culture! Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, Barack Obama, and Ronald Reagan call Illinois home—in fact, it’s where the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum and the future Barack Obama Presidential Center are located.
Chicago, its largest city, boasts numerous galleries and museums, historical landmarks and attractions, and awe-inspiring architecture and sculptures. There are several fairs and festivals, too, such as the Abe Fest and Illinois State Fair, as well as sports teams to root for—the Chicago Bulls, Chicago Cubs, and Chicago White Sox among them.
Did we mention that the cost of living in Illinois is well below the national average? Students will find the fairly reasonable costs of housing, utilities and groceries to be appealing. With the wide range of financial aid programs available in Illinois, pursuing a degree in one of its best small colleges becomes even more attractive!
The employment opportunities in Illinois are also excellent for students and graduates of small colleges. The state’s Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity cites energy, transportation and distribution, and biotechnology and life sciences as among the state’s growth industries.
More than 30 Fortune 500 corporations in Illinois, such as Allstate and Boeing, contribute to its diverse economy. The most profitable industries include finance, insurance, and real estate. And you will be glad to know that Illinois’ minimum wage rate will be $15 in 2025, among the highest in the country!
Prospective students searching for colleges in Illinois have plenty of excellent schools to choose from. Illinois offers over 130 higher education institutes throughout the state. Thanks to an expansive public university system and several top private institutions, students can select from an extremely wide array of brick-and-mortar and online colleges in Illinois.
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the University of Illinois at Chicago, the state’s two largest public universities in Illinois. Students can access a full spectrum of undergraduate and graduate degrees for in-state tuition rates of $13,000 to $15,000 respectively. Both public universities also offer a full selection of online degree programs.It’s also worth noting that Illinois residents who pursue online degrees at public colleges in Illinois will qualify for in-state tuition rates. Out of state students will generally pay more whether pursuing on-campus or online degrees.
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More than half of the colleges in Illinois are actually private schools. Among these private colleges and universities, the most notable are DePaul University, Northwestern University, and Loyola University Chicago. Tuition from these three private schools can be costly, ranging from $44,000 to $55,000. However, each of these private schools boasts a high graduation rate and excellent professors.
Illinois is also home to many small private schools, including Benedictine University and National Louis University.
Popular disciplines in Illinois include disciplines like criminal justice, social work, nursing, education, religious studies, communications, and medicine. Both traditional and online students have a wide range of options in each of these subject areas.
Degree completion programs are also widely available for lapsed students who have already accumulated some college credits. This is an especially popular online degree option among working professionals in Illinois.
Additionally, Illinois offers several loan forgiveness-based financial aid programs for qualifying students pursuing careers as teachers, public defenders or prosecutors, or nurses.From the skyscrapers in Chicago to the vast prairie lands in the north, Illinois is a place where city meets country. Students can grab a Chicago-style hotdog on the way to a Cubs game, explore the ancient sandstone cliffs in the Shawnee National Forest, or admire an exhibit at the Art Institute of Chicago, all while attending one of The Prairie State’s universities or colleges.
The higher education institutes in Illinois have also produced many prominent alumni, including Stephen Colbert, Phillip Glass, and Kurt Vonnegut. Students hoping to walk the same streets as these well-known individuals can check out some of the state’s top programs and universities.
The following list of the best small colleges and universities in Illinois is composed mainly of four-year undergraduate schools (though a handful also offer graduate programs). We’ve identified 34 small colleges in Illinois. The list below of the 25 best small colleges in Illinois. To be included schools must fully accredited, and must have student body populations below 5,000 students.
Tuition + fees
$50K
Acceptance
66%
Graduation
71%
Student body
5K
Median SAT/ACT
1295/29
Illinois Institute of Technology’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$41K
Acceptance
86%
Graduation
88%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1330/29
Wheaton College ’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$52K
Acceptance
70%
Graduation
75%
Student body
1K
Median SAT/ACT
1200/26
Knox College ’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$51K
Acceptance
64%
Graduation
73%
Student body
2K
Lake Forest College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$12K
Acceptance
79%
Graduation
53%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1085/23
University of Illinois Springfield’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$34K
Acceptance
80%
Graduation
47%
Student body
4K
Median SAT/ACT
1070/22
Benedictine University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$11K
Acceptance
47%
Graduation
21%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
856/17
Chicago State University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$42K
Acceptance
68%
Graduation
64%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1140/24
North Central College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$33K
Acceptance
78%
Graduation
56%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1074/23
McKendree University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$10K
Acceptance
52%
Graduation
16%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
940/19
Governors State University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$35K
Acceptance
85%
Graduation
52%
Student body
4K
Median SAT/ACT
1035/21
Saint Xavier University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$46K
Acceptance
69%
Graduation
79%
Student body
2K
Augustana College ’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$33K
Acceptance
91%
Graduation
45%
Student body
<1K
Median SAT/ACT
1005/23
Trinity International University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$53K
Acceptance
45%
Graduation
81%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1200/26
Illinois Wesleyan University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$28K
Acceptance
87%
Graduation
52%
Student body
<1K
Median SAT/ACT
1025/19
Eureka College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$40K
Acceptance
75%
Graduation
55%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1050/23
Millikin University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$35K
Acceptance
75%
Graduation
64%
Student body
1K
Illinois College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$34K
Acceptance
67%
Graduation
32%
Student body
1K
Median SAT/ACT
1000/19
Rockford University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$37K
Acceptance
61%
Graduation
64%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1080/22
Olivet Nazarene University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$41K
Acceptance
66%
Graduation
55%
Student body
<1K
Median SAT/ACT
1155/24
Monmouth College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$33K
Acceptance
67%
Graduation
61%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1031/22
North Park University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$36K
Acceptance
81%
Graduation
52%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1060/21
Dominican University ’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$31K
Acceptance
83%
Graduation
86%
Student body
<1K
Median SAT/ACT
1112/25
Principia College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$31K
Acceptance
60%
Graduation
42%
Student body
1K
Median SAT/ACT
1087/22
Quincy University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$33K
Acceptance
76%
Graduation
67%
Student body
1K
Median SAT/ACT
1080/23
Trinity Christian College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Many of our 2022 undergraduate focused rankings look considerably different than 2021. That’s because we took a fundamentally different apporach. For 2021 we utilized our Concentrated Influence algorithm, designed to take away the size advantage larger schools have when we rank their faculty and alumni’s academic influence. Concentrated influence highlights smaller schools that are proportionally as successful as larger universities at cultivating influential alumni and faculty.