Best value colleges for Computer Science in Illinois.2026 Rankings
Illinois is home to 42 accredited institutions offering Computer Science programs — from large public research universities to small private liberal arts colleges. This ranking evaluates each school on admission selectivity, four-year graduation rate, net price, and graduate earnings to surface the programs that deliver the strongest outcomes.
Among the schools listed here, University of Chicago is the most selective, admitting 5% of applicants. Average in-state tuition across this group sits at $35,580, while out-of-state students can expect to pay around $38,010. Median early-career earnings for Computer Science graduates in this state average $35,523 per year, and the average four-year graduation rate among ranked programs is 64%.
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ranked by value score
| # | College | Value Score | Admit Rate | Grad Rate | Net Price | Median Earnings | Student:Faculty | Majors Offered | Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of ChicagoPrivate | Perfect· 55 | 5% | 95% | $770 | $117,578 | 5:1 | 48 | 7,540 |
| 2 | Northwestern UniversityPrivate | Perfect· 52 | 7% | 96% | $6,485 | $99,981 | 6:1 | 83 | 8,960 |
| 3 | Excellent· 42 | 55% | 72% | $16,566 | $86,005 | 17:1 | 39 | 2,812 | |
| 4 | Excellent· 42 | 44% | 85% | $10,065 | $124,530 | 20:1 | 100 | 34,623 | |
| 5 | Augustana CollegePrivate | Great· 41 | 68% | 79% | $17,567 | $74,745 | 11:1 | 49 | 2,418 |
| 6 | Illinois Wesleyan UniversityPrivate | Great· 41 | 45% | 83% | $24,284 | $50,219 | 11:1 | 45 | 1,570 |
| 7 | Millikin UniversityPrivate | Great· 40 | 54% | 59% | $7,953 | $40,104 | 10:1 | 45 | 1,458 |
| 8 | University of St FrancisPrivate | Great· 40 | 64% | 65% | $15,264 | $62,990 | 13:1 | 41 | 1,292 |
| 9 | Wheaton CollegePrivate | Great· 40 | 90% | 87% | $20,430 | $81,470 | 10:1 | 35 | 2,087 |
| 10 | Bradley UniversityPrivate | Great· 39 | 77% | 72% | $19,392 | $66,457 | 11:1 | 78 | 3,865 |
| 11 | North Central CollegePrivate | Great· 38 | 58% | 71% | $18,725 | $53,544 | 12:1 | 54 | 2,360 |
| 12 | Principia CollegePrivate | Great· 38 | 44% | 76% | $33,280 | — | 5:1 | 32 | 337 |
| 13 | Great· 38 | 84% | 61% | $7,999 | $72,657 | 14:1 | 31 | 2,292 | |
| 14 | Chicago State UniversityPublic | Strong· 37 | 41% | 17% | $12,729 | $39,592 | 10:1 | 29 | 1,414 |
| 15 | Illinois CollegePrivate | Strong· 37 | 75% | 61% | $14,241 | $37,109 | 11:1 | 46 | 925 |
| 16 | Lake Forest CollegePrivate | Strong· 37 | 59% | 70% | $23,694 | $48,587 | 12:1 | 33 | 1,782 |
| 17 | Dominican UniversityPrivate | Strong· 36 | 80% | 62% | $15,342 | $41,807 | 12:1 | 55 | 2,271 |
| 18 | Knox CollegePrivate | Strong· 36 | 71% | 68% | $20,692 | $26,306 | 10:1 | 39 | 997 |
| 19 | Strong· 35 | 68% | 45% | $12,371 | $40,194 | 15:1 | 55 | 4,398 | |
| 20 | Strong· 35 | 70% | 17% | $15,777 | $62,831 | 12:1 | 39 | 3,869 | |
| 21 | Strong· 35 | 70% | 50% | $12,674 | $77,257 | 14:1 | 55 | 11,277 | |
| 22 | Quincy UniversityPrivate | Strong· 35 | 50% | 43% | $15,110 | $37,447 | 14:1 | 39 | 1,038 |
| 23 | Trinity Christian CollegePrivate | Strong· 35 | 89% | 64% | $11,213 | $46,878 | 10:1 | 45 | 796 |
| 24 | Strong· 35 | 79% | 60% | $12,887 | $78,040 | 17:1 | 68 | 21,814 | |
| 25 | Blackburn CollegePrivate | Strong· 34 | 80% | 52% | $20,872 | $32,120 | 9:1 | 41 | 341 |
| 26 | Loyola University ChicagoPrivate | Strong· 34 | 81% | 77% | $32,527 | $50,621 | 13:1 | 74 | 11,576 |
| 27 | Monmouth CollegePrivate | Strong· 34 | 87% | 60% | $15,568 | $33,299 | 10:1 | 37 | 725 |
| 28 | Rockford UniversityPrivate | Strong· 34 | 57% | 38% | $21,448 | $50,357 | 10:1 | 37 | 956 |
| 29 | Strong· 34 | 90% | 56% | $13,206 | $70,053 | 11:1 | 89 | 8,116 | |
| 30 | DePaul UniversityPrivate | Good· 33 | 74% | 70% | $26,576 | $47,990 | 17:1 | 71 | 14,283 |