Best Finance Colleges in Illinois2026 Rankings
Illinois is home to 31 accredited institutions offering Finance 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 Illinois Urbana-Champaign is the most selective, admitting 44% of applicants. Average in-state tuition across this group sits at $31,744, while out-of-state students can expect to pay around $34,250. Median early-career earnings for Finance graduates in this state average $37,189 per year, and the average four-year graduation rate among ranked programs is 61%.
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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 | $75,381 | 20:1 | 100 | 34,623 |
| 2 | Illinois Wesleyan UniversityPrivate | Great· 41 | 45% | 83% | $24,284 | $62,619 | 11:1 | 45 | 1,570 |
| 3 | Augustana CollegePrivate | Great· 41 | 68% | 79% | $17,567 | $38,767 | 11:1 | 49 | 2,418 |
| 4 | Millikin UniversityPrivate | Great· 40 | 54% | 59% | $7,953 | $40,104 | 10:1 | 45 | 1,458 |
| 5 | University of St FrancisPrivate | Great· 40 | 64% | 65% | $15,264 | $53,525 | 13:1 | 41 | 1,292 |
| 6 | Bradley UniversityPrivate | Great· 39 | 77% | 72% | $19,392 | $54,261 | 11:1 | 78 | 3,865 |
| 7 | North Central CollegePrivate | Great· 38 | 58% | 71% | $18,725 | $51,420 | 12:1 | 54 | 2,360 |
| 8 | Principia CollegePrivate | Great· 38 | 44% | 76% | $33,280 | — | 5:1 | 32 | 337 |
| 9 | Illinois CollegePrivate | Strong· 37 | 75% | 61% | $14,241 | $55,155 | 11:1 | 46 | 925 |
| 10 | Lake Forest CollegePrivate | Strong· 37 | 59% | 70% | $23,694 | $61,264 | 12:1 | 33 | 1,782 |
| 11 | Dominican UniversityPrivate | Strong· 36 | 80% | 62% | $15,342 | $41,807 | 12:1 | 55 | 2,271 |
| 12 | University of Illinois ChicagoPublic | Strong· 35 | 79% | 60% | $12,887 | $55,591 | 17:1 | 68 | 21,814 |
| 13 | Northeastern Illinois UniversityPublic | Strong· 35 | 70% | 17% | $15,777 | $48,807 | 12:1 | 39 | 3,869 |
| 14 | Quincy UniversityPrivate | Strong· 35 | 50% | 43% | $15,110 | $37,447 | 14:1 | 39 | 1,038 |
| 15 | Eastern Illinois UniversityPublic | Strong· 35 | 68% | 45% | $12,371 | $51,370 | 15:1 | 55 | 4,398 |
| 16 | Trinity Christian CollegePrivate | Strong· 35 | 89% | 64% | $11,213 | $46,878 | 10:1 | 45 | 796 |
| 17 | Western Illinois UniversityPublic | Strong· 35 | 75% | 45% | $11,608 | $41,243 | 14:1 | 71 | 4,939 |
| 18 | Northern Illinois UniversityPublic | Strong· 35 | 70% | 50% | $12,674 | $54,802 | 14:1 | 55 | 11,277 |
| 19 | North Park UniversityPrivate | Strong· 34 | 73% | 56% | $17,712 | $45,365 | 11:1 | 50 | 1,844 |
| 20 | Loyola University ChicagoPrivate | Strong· 34 | 81% | 77% | $32,527 | $66,919 | 13:1 | 74 | 11,576 |
| 21 | Southern Illinois University-CarbondalePublic | Strong· 34 | 90% | 56% | $13,206 | $48,708 | 11:1 | 89 | 8,116 |
| 22 | Elmhurst UniversityPrivate | Good· 33 | 76% | 65% | $20,115 | $57,171 | 14:1 | 55 | 2,954 |
| 23 | Lewis UniversityPrivate | Good· 33 | 73% | 63% | $17,911 | $52,742 | 14:1 | 59 | 3,665 |
| 24 | DePaul UniversityPrivate | Good· 33 | 74% | 70% | $26,576 | $66,863 | 17:1 | 71 | 14,283 |
| 25 | Benedictine UniversityPrivate | Good· 32 | 77% | 51% | $23,587 | $51,444 | 13:1 | 52 | 1,817 |
| 26 | Saint Xavier UniversityPrivate | Good· 32 | 86% | 59% | $11,794 | $46,452 | 15:1 | 43 | 3,030 |
| 27 | Roosevelt UniversityPrivate | Good· 31 | 94% | 41% | $19,274 | $50,158 | 11:1 | 54 | 2,583 |
| 28 | Illinois State UniversityPublic | Good· 31 | 89% | 66% | $16,424 | $54,958 | 19:1 | 66 | 18,414 |
| 29 | Concordia University-ChicagoPrivate | Good· 30 | 93% | 47% | $17,318 | $58,149 | 13:1 | 53 | 1,337 |
| 30 | Aurora UniversityPrivate | Average· 29 | 85% | 58% | $16,984 | $51,437 | 18:1 | 47 | 4,021 |