Best Business Colleges in Illinois2026 Rankings
Illinois is home to 50 accredited institutions offering Business 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, Chicago State University is the most selective, admitting 41% of applicants. Average in-state tuition across this group sits at $30,980, while out-of-state students can expect to pay around $33,409. Median early-career earnings for Business graduates in this state average $37,487 per year, and the average four-year graduation rate among ranked programs is 60%.
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| # | College | Value Score | Admit Rate | Grad Rate | Net Price | Median Earnings | Student:Faculty | Majors Offered | Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignPublic | Excellent· 42 | 44% | 85% | $10,065 | $68,442 | 20:1 | 100 | 34,623 |
| 2 | Illinois Institute of TechnologyPrivate | Excellent· 42 | 55% | 72% | $16,566 | $42,992 | 17:1 | 39 | 2,812 |
| 3 | Illinois Wesleyan UniversityPrivate | Great· 41 | 45% | 83% | $24,284 | $48,706 | 11:1 | 45 | 1,570 |
| 4 | Augustana CollegePrivate | Great· 41 | 68% | 79% | $17,567 | $50,210 | 11:1 | 49 | 2,418 |
| 5 | Millikin UniversityPrivate | Great· 40 | 54% | 59% | $7,953 | $46,431 | 10:1 | 45 | 1,458 |
| 6 | University of St FrancisPrivate | Great· 40 | 64% | 65% | $15,264 | $62,990 | 13:1 | 41 | 1,292 |
| 7 | Bradley UniversityPrivate | Great· 39 | 77% | 72% | $19,392 | $51,347 | 11:1 | 78 | 3,865 |
| 8 | North Central CollegePrivate | Great· 38 | 58% | 71% | $18,725 | $44,934 | 12:1 | 54 | 2,360 |
| 9 | University of Illinois SpringfieldPublic | Great· 38 | 84% | 61% | $7,999 | $44,236 | 14:1 | 31 | 2,292 |
| 10 | Principia CollegePrivate | Great· 38 | 44% | 76% | $33,280 | — | 5:1 | 32 | 337 |
| 11 | Illinois CollegePrivate | Strong· 37 | 75% | 61% | $14,241 | $37,925 | 11:1 | 46 | 925 |
| 12 | Chicago State UniversityPublic | Strong· 37 | 41% | 17% | $12,729 | $42,882 | 10:1 | 29 | 1,414 |
| 13 | Dominican UniversityPrivate | Strong· 36 | 80% | 62% | $15,342 | $45,045 | 12:1 | 55 | 2,271 |
| 14 | Knox CollegePrivate | Strong· 36 | 71% | 68% | $20,692 | $26,306 | 10:1 | 39 | 997 |
| 15 | University of Illinois ChicagoPublic | Strong· 35 | 79% | 60% | $12,887 | $65,781 | 17:1 | 68 | 21,814 |
| 16 | Northeastern Illinois UniversityPublic | Strong· 35 | 70% | 17% | $15,777 | $46,630 | 12:1 | 39 | 3,869 |
| 17 | Quincy UniversityPrivate | Strong· 35 | 50% | 43% | $15,110 | $37,447 | 14:1 | 39 | 1,038 |
| 18 | Eastern Illinois UniversityPublic | Strong· 35 | 68% | 45% | $12,371 | $40,194 | 15:1 | 55 | 4,398 |
| 19 | Trinity Christian CollegePrivate | Strong· 35 | 89% | 64% | $11,213 | $46,878 | 10:1 | 45 | 796 |
| 20 | Western Illinois UniversityPublic | Strong· 35 | 75% | 45% | $11,608 | $45,137 | 14:1 | 71 | 4,939 |
| 21 | Northern Illinois UniversityPublic | Strong· 35 | 70% | 50% | $12,674 | $52,724 | 14:1 | 55 | 11,277 |
| 22 | North Park UniversityPrivate | Strong· 34 | 73% | 56% | $17,712 | $43,658 | 11:1 | 50 | 1,844 |
| 23 | Monmouth CollegePrivate | Strong· 34 | 87% | 60% | $15,568 | $43,162 | 10:1 | 37 | 725 |
| 24 | Loyola University ChicagoPrivate | Strong· 34 | 81% | 77% | $32,527 | $64,513 | 13:1 | 74 | 11,576 |
| 25 | Blackburn CollegePrivate | Strong· 34 | 80% | 52% | $20,872 | $32,120 | 9:1 | 41 | 341 |
| 26 | Southern Illinois University-CarbondalePublic | Strong· 34 | 90% | 56% | $13,206 | $55,633 | 11:1 | 89 | 8,116 |
| 27 | Hebrew Theological CollegePrivate | Strong· 34 | 92% | 73% | $21,742 | — | 5:1 | 12 | 81 |
| 28 | Judson UniversityPrivate | Strong· 34 | 63% | 53% | $23,558 | $45,731 | 11:1 | 41 | 780 |
| 29 | Rockford UniversityPrivate | Strong· 34 | 57% | 38% | $21,448 | $51,314 | 10:1 | 37 | 956 |
| 30 | Elmhurst UniversityPrivate | Good· 33 | 76% | 65% | $20,115 | $49,771 | 14:1 | 55 | 2,954 |