Best English Colleges in Illinois2026 Rankings
Illinois is home to 50 accredited institutions offering English 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 $33,296, while out-of-state students can expect to pay around $35,725. Median early-career earnings for English graduates in this state average $33,379 per year, and the average four-year graduation rate among ranked programs is 63%.
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| # | 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 | $44,397 | 5:1 | 48 | 7,540 |
| 2 | Northwestern UniversityPrivate | Perfect· 52 | 7% | 96% | $6,485 | $31,748 | 6:1 | 83 | 8,960 |
| 3 | University of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignPublic | Excellent· 42 | 44% | 85% | $10,065 | $37,031 | 20:1 | 100 | 34,623 |
| 4 | Illinois Wesleyan UniversityPrivate | Great· 41 | 45% | 83% | $24,284 | $50,219 | 11:1 | 45 | 1,570 |
| 5 | Augustana CollegePrivate | Great· 41 | 68% | 79% | $17,567 | $38,767 | 11:1 | 49 | 2,418 |
| 6 | Millikin UniversityPrivate | Great· 40 | 54% | 59% | $7,953 | $40,104 | 10:1 | 45 | 1,458 |
| 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 | $32,723 | 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 | $39,312 | 12:1 | 54 | 2,360 |
| 11 | University of Illinois SpringfieldPublic | Great· 38 | 84% | 61% | $7,999 | $39,358 | 14:1 | 31 | 2,292 |
| 12 | Principia CollegePrivate | Great· 38 | 44% | 76% | $33,280 | — | 5:1 | 32 | 337 |
| 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 | $32,982 | 12:1 | 33 | 1,782 |
| 15 | Chicago State UniversityPublic | Strong· 37 | 41% | 17% | $12,729 | $39,592 | 10:1 | 29 | 1,414 |
| 16 | Dominican UniversityPrivate | Strong· 36 | 80% | 62% | $15,342 | $41,807 | 12:1 | 55 | 2,271 |
| 17 | Knox CollegePrivate | Strong· 36 | 71% | 68% | $20,692 | $26,306 | 10:1 | 39 | 997 |
| 18 | University of Illinois ChicagoPublic | Strong· 35 | 79% | 60% | $12,887 | $31,066 | 17:1 | 68 | 21,814 |
| 19 | Northeastern Illinois UniversityPublic | Strong· 35 | 70% | 17% | $15,777 | $36,594 | 12:1 | 39 | 3,869 |
| 20 | Quincy UniversityPrivate | Strong· 35 | 50% | 43% | $15,110 | $37,447 | 14:1 | 39 | 1,038 |
| 21 | Eastern Illinois UniversityPublic | Strong· 35 | 68% | 45% | $12,371 | $31,933 | 15:1 | 55 | 4,398 |
| 22 | Trinity Christian CollegePrivate | Strong· 35 | 89% | 64% | $11,213 | $46,878 | 10:1 | 45 | 796 |
| 23 | Western Illinois UniversityPublic | Strong· 35 | 75% | 45% | $11,608 | $30,652 | 14:1 | 71 | 4,939 |
| 24 | Northern Illinois UniversityPublic | Strong· 35 | 70% | 50% | $12,674 | $34,122 | 14:1 | 55 | 11,277 |
| 25 | North Park UniversityPrivate | Strong· 34 | 73% | 56% | $17,712 | $45,365 | 11:1 | 50 | 1,844 |
| 26 | Monmouth CollegePrivate | Strong· 34 | 87% | 60% | $15,568 | $33,299 | 10:1 | 37 | 725 |
| 27 | Loyola University ChicagoPrivate | Strong· 34 | 81% | 77% | $32,527 | $28,640 | 13:1 | 74 | 11,576 |
| 28 | Blackburn CollegePrivate | Strong· 34 | 80% | 52% | $20,872 | $32,120 | 9:1 | 41 | 341 |
| 29 | Southern Illinois University-CarbondalePublic | Strong· 34 | 90% | 56% | $13,206 | $24,145 | 11:1 | 89 | 8,116 |
| 30 | Hebrew Theological CollegePrivate | Strong· 34 | 92% | 73% | $21,742 | — | 5:1 | 12 | 81 |