Best Online Colleges in Illinois 2026

Badge for BEST ONLINE COLLEGES IN ILLINOIS

Updated: Apr 15, 2026

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.

Top 10 Online Colleges in Illinois in 2026

University of Illinois Chicago
Loyola University Chicago
DePaul University
Roosevelt University
Moody Bible Institute
+5
Western Illinois University
–1
University of Illinois Springfield
+1
Eastern Illinois University
–2
Trinity International University
Illinois College
+3

Key Takeaways

Illinois is home to many growth-oriented industries, including biotechnology, life sciences, energy, manufacturing, and information technology.
The state features many higher learning institutions, and many online colleges and universities offer accelerated academic programs that distance learners can complete in less than four years.
Despite Illinois’ above-average tuition rates, most of the state’s higher education institutions provide a variety of financial aid programs, including scholarships, grants, and loans.

Table of Contents

Featured Programs

Employment Outlook in Illinois

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.

Cost of Attending Online Academic Programs in Illinois

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:

Public 4-Year Institution

$26,252 (In-State)
$28,660 (Out-of-State)

Private 4-Year Institution

$49,783 (In-State)

Public 2-Year Institution

$4,180 (In-State)
$11,166 (Out-of-State)

Out-of-State Students Pursuing Online Programs 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.

Colleges and Universities in Illinois

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.

What are Illinois’s Colleges & Universities?

Illinois’s Best Overall

How do we determine the best online colleges for undergrads?

Methodology

Pursuing your degree online doesn’t mean you need to settle for an inferior school. Today, most universities and colleges offer online degrees, and many respected schools are seeing significant growth in their numbers of online students.

The people affiliated with a school are ultimately what make it great. This is why influence — i.e., the academic impact of faculty and alumni associated with a school — gets at the heart of what is truly best in education. The combined influence score of a college or university’s top academic influencers is the best indicator of academic excellence. For our online degree rankings, we focus on the academic influence of faculty and alumni in the specific disciplines we’re ranking.

If you are serious about finding the best online colleges, you should be asking where the most influential professors are teaching, and whether their graduates themselves are advancing the school’s reputation for academic excellence. Most ranking sites rely on an opaque combination of reputation surveys and arbitrary performance metrics. Influence, as measured by our InfluenceRanking engine, provides a ranking that is free from bias, insulated from manipulation, and reflective of real-world educational outcomes.

Best Online Colleges in Illinois 2023

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Best Online Colleges in Illinois 2026

Top 10 Online Colleges in Illinois in 2026

Key Takeaways

Featured Programs

Employment Outlook in Illinois

Cost of Attending Online Academic Programs in Illinois

Out-of-State Students Pursuing Online Programs in Illinois

Colleges and Universities in Illinois

What are Illinois’s Colleges & Universities?

Best Online Colleges in Illinois 2023

Last Year’s Ranking:

Career Outlook for degree at University of Illinois Chicago

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for degree at Loyola University Chicago

Online Degree Completion Programs

Career Outlook for degree at DePaul University

Online Degrees

Concentrations

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Career Outlook for degree at Roosevelt University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for degree at Moody Bible Institute

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Career Outlook for degree at Western Illinois University

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Emphases

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Career Outlook for degree at University of Illinois Springfield

Online Degree Completion Programs

Career Outlook for degree at Eastern Illinois University

Online Degree Completion Programs

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Career Outlook for degree at Trinity International University

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Online Degree Completion Programs

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Career Outlook for degree at National Louis University

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Career Outlook for degree at Benedictine University

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