Find the best online colleges in Illinois ranked by the academic success of faculty and alumni associated with the colleges and universities and their online degree programs.
According to the latest report of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, several Illinois employment sectors have experienced rapid development compared to 2021. The state’s top-growing sectors include business management, information technology, hospitality and tourism, and recreation. However, the logging and mining industries have decreased growth during the one year.
Some of the state’s highest-paying careers include lawyers, I.T. professionals, healthcare personnel, and business analysts, with higher-than-average wages compared to other occupations in the state. Other high-paying industries in Illinois also include finance and education.
Illinois has a lower-than-the-national-average rate for unemployment, with just 4.6% in October 2022. The Illinois government has reported that Lake County, Davenport, and Urbana-Champaign have the lowest unemployment rates compared to other cities in the state.
Online students in Illinois enjoy the flexibility and convenience of completing their degree programs while working on their personal and professional responsibilities. Distance learners can also enjoy more tuition savings if they enroll as in-state students.
Public colleges and universities often charge higher tuition fees for out-of-state students. However, some online schools offer flat-rate tuition in which both in-state and out-of-state students pay the same tuition expenses.
Here is a quick overview of the undergraduate tuition fees in Illinois:
Illinois has expanded its coverage to provide its residents with affordable online programs through the state’s membership in the Midwestern Higher Education Compact. The state allows students to enroll in online academic programs and courses at participating schools outside Illinois at reduced tuition fees.
For Illinois learners completing online courses outside the state, tuition reduction equates to in-state pricing.
Facilitated through the Midwest Student Exchange Program, the initiative provides numerous opportunities for affordable undergraduate and graduate programs across the Midwest.
Public colleges and universities participating in the tuition reciprocity program agree to charge learners not more than 150% of the in-state tuition rate.
On the contrary, private learning institutions provide a 10% tuition reduction. Some online schools participate in the MSEP voluntarily, with enrollment policies made at their discretion.
Other schools reserve the right to set restrictions on MSEP out-of-state candidates. Depending on the academic program, students participating in the MSEP often save between $500 to $5,000 annually on tuition expenses.
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.
Find college admissions consultants in your state.
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 graph depicts the average salaries of top occupations in different industries in Illinois.
Source: U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS
Tuition + fees
$16K
Acceptance
79%
Graduation
62%
Student body
28K
Median SAT/ACT
1140/25
Tuition + fees
$48K
Acceptance
77%
Graduation
72%
Student body
15K
Median SAT/ACT
1230/28
Tuition + fees
$42K
Acceptance
69%
Graduation
70%
Student body
19K
Tuition + fees
$31K
Acceptance
92%
Graduation
40%
Student body
4K
Median SAT/ACT
1015/22
Tuition + fees
$14K
Acceptance
72%
Graduation
51%
Student body
6K
Median SAT/ACT
985/21
Tuition + fees
$12K
Acceptance
72%
Graduation
51%
Student body
6K
Median SAT/ACT
1050/20
Tuition + fees
$40K
Acceptance
75%
Graduation
55%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1050/23
Tuition + fees
$12K
Acceptance
79%
Graduation
53%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1085/23
Tuition + fees
$33K
Acceptance
91%
Graduation
45%
Student body
<1K
Median SAT/ACT
1005/23
Tuition + fees
$14K
Acceptance
98%
Graduation
53%
Student body
2K
Tuition + fees
$10K
Acceptance
52%
Graduation
16%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
940/19
Tuition + fees
$37K
Acceptance
61%
Graduation
64%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1080/22
Tuition + fees
$35K
Acceptance
75%
Graduation
64%
Student body
1K
Tuition + fees
$34K
Acceptance
67%
Graduation
32%
Student body
1K
Median SAT/ACT
1000/19
Tuition + fees
$33K
Acceptance
67%
Graduation
61%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1031/22
Tuition + fees
$12K
Acceptance
97%
Graduation
34%
Student body
6K
Tuition + fees
$35K
Acceptance
71%
Graduation
60%
Student body
5K
Median SAT/ACT
1115/24
Tuition + fees
$31K
Acceptance
60%
Graduation
42%
Student body
1K
Median SAT/ACT
1087/22
Tuition + fees
$34K
Acceptance
80%
Graduation
47%
Student body
4K
Median SAT/ACT
1070/22
Tuition + fees
$35K
Acceptance
85%
Graduation
52%
Student body
4K
Median SAT/ACT
1035/21
Tuition + fees
$35K
Acceptance
68%
Graduation
65%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1075/23
Tuition + fees
$27K
Acceptance
86%
Graduation
55%
Student body
6K
Median SAT/ACT
1060/21
Tuition + fees
$15K
Graduation
46%
Student body
<1K
Tuition + fees
$34K
Acceptance
88%
Graduation
43%
Student body
4K
Median SAT/ACT
1085/22
Tuition + fees
$33K
Acceptance
78%
Graduation
56%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1074/23
Tuition + fees
$13K
Student body
<1K
Tuition + fees
$30K
Acceptance
80%
Graduation
48%
Student body
<1K
Median SAT/ACT
990/20
Student body
<1K