Best value colleges for Economics in Illinois.2026 Rankings
Illinois is home to 36 accredited institutions offering Economics 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 $37,089, while out-of-state students can expect to pay around $38,959. Median early-career earnings for Economics graduates in this state average $34,564 per year, and the average four-year graduation rate among ranked programs is 66%.
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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 | $92,075 | 5:1 | 48 | 7,540 |
| 2 | Northwestern UniversityPrivate | Perfect· 52 | 7% | 96% | $6,485 | $84,932 | 6:1 | 83 | 8,960 |
| 3 | Excellent· 42 | 55% | 72% | $16,566 | $64,069 | 17:1 | 39 | 2,812 | |
| 4 | Excellent· 42 | 44% | 85% | $10,065 | $58,921 | 20:1 | 100 | 34,623 | |
| 5 | Augustana CollegePrivate | Great· 41 | 68% | 79% | $17,567 | $38,767 | 11:1 | 49 | 2,418 |
| 6 | Illinois Wesleyan UniversityPrivate | Great· 41 | 45% | 83% | $24,284 | $50,219 | 11:1 | 45 | 1,570 |
| 7 | University of St FrancisPrivate | Great· 40 | 64% | 65% | $15,264 | $62,990 | 13:1 | 41 | 1,292 |
| 8 | Wheaton CollegePrivate | Great· 40 | 90% | 87% | $20,430 | $62,889 | 10:1 | 35 | 2,087 |
| 9 | Bradley UniversityPrivate | Great· 39 | 77% | 72% | $19,392 | $51,073 | 11:1 | 78 | 3,865 |
| 10 | North Central CollegePrivate | Great· 38 | 58% | 71% | $18,725 | $52,728 | 12:1 | 54 | 2,360 |
| 11 | Principia CollegePrivate | Great· 38 | 44% | 76% | $33,280 | — | 5:1 | 32 | 337 |
| 12 | Great· 38 | 84% | 61% | $7,999 | $45,024 | 14:1 | 31 | 2,292 | |
| 13 | Illinois CollegePrivate | Strong· 37 | 75% | 61% | $14,241 | $37,109 | 11:1 | 46 | 925 |
| 14 | Lake Forest CollegePrivate | Strong· 37 | 59% | 70% | $23,694 | $53,529 | 12:1 | 33 | 1,782 |
| 15 | Dominican UniversityPrivate | Strong· 36 | 80% | 62% | $15,342 | $41,807 | 12:1 | 55 | 2,271 |
| 16 | Knox CollegePrivate | Strong· 36 | 71% | 68% | $20,692 | $23,222 | 10:1 | 39 | 997 |
| 17 | Strong· 35 | 68% | 45% | $12,371 | $40,194 | 15:1 | 55 | 4,398 | |
| 18 | Strong· 35 | 70% | 17% | $15,777 | $40,004 | 12:1 | 39 | 3,869 | |
| 19 | Strong· 35 | 70% | 50% | $12,674 | $45,386 | 14:1 | 55 | 11,277 | |
| 20 | Strong· 35 | 79% | 60% | $12,887 | $37,767 | 17:1 | 68 | 21,814 | |
| 21 | Strong· 35 | 75% | 45% | $11,608 | $41,243 | 14:1 | 71 | 4,939 | |
| 22 | Loyola University ChicagoPrivate | Strong· 34 | 81% | 77% | $32,527 | $50,621 | 13:1 | 74 | 11,576 |
| 23 | Monmouth CollegePrivate | Strong· 34 | 87% | 60% | $15,568 | $47,048 | 10:1 | 37 | 725 |
| 24 | North Park UniversityPrivate | Strong· 34 | 73% | 56% | $17,712 | $45,365 | 11:1 | 50 | 1,844 |
| 25 | Rockford UniversityPrivate | Strong· 34 | 57% | 38% | $21,448 | $50,357 | 10:1 | 37 | 956 |
| 26 | Strong· 34 | 90% | 56% | $13,206 | $37,798 | 11:1 | 89 | 8,116 | |
| 27 | DePaul UniversityPrivate | Good· 33 | 74% | 70% | $26,576 | $37,151 | 17:1 | 71 | 14,283 |
| 28 | Elmhurst UniversityPrivate | Good· 33 | 76% | 65% | $20,115 | $46,060 | 14:1 | 55 | 2,954 |
| 29 | Lewis UniversityPrivate | Good· 33 | 73% | 63% | $17,911 | $49,355 | 14:1 | 59 | 3,665 |
| 30 | Olivet Nazarene UniversityPrivate | Good· 33 | 67% | 60% | $19,653 | $54,169 | 14:1 | 61 | 2,485 |