Ranking
Best Colleges in Illinois by ROI 2026
Morton College leads this ROI ranking with an A+ value grade and a 20.42 school-wide ROI proxy. EduGradify ranks 25 eligible colleges here by earnings against net price.
Eligible Illinois colleges ranked by school-wide graduate earnings against average net price, from federal data.
- Schools ranked
- 25
- Cheapest net price
- $5,191
- Top earnings 10y
- $91,885
- Public / Private
- 19 / 6
Morton College
A+- ROI proxy
- 20.42
- Net price
- $5,191
- Earnings 10y
- $42,406
- Acceptance
- Open / not reported
Rock Valley College
A+- ROI proxy
- 18.68
- Net price
- $5,242
- Earnings 10y
- $39,158
- Acceptance
- Open / not reported
City Colleges of Chicago-Wilbur Wright College
A+- ROI proxy
- 16.32
- Net price
- $6,375
- Earnings 10y
- $41,625
- Acceptance
- Open / not reported
College of DuPage
A- ROI proxy
- 15.85
- Net price
- $7,401
- Earnings 10y
- $46,909
- Acceptance
- Open / not reported
University of Illinois Chicago
A- ROI proxy
- 15.66
- Net price
- $10,974
- Earnings 10y
- $68,740
- Acceptance
- 77.4%
University of Chicago
A- ROI proxy
- 15.46
- Net price
- $14,860
- Earnings 10y
- $91,885
- Acceptance
- 4.5%
John A Logan College
A- ROI proxy
- 15.38
- Net price
- $5,541
- Earnings 10y
- $34,096
- Acceptance
- Open / not reported
University of Illinois Springfield
A- ROI proxy
- 14.52
- Net price
- $9,833
- Earnings 10y
- $57,103
- Acceptance
- 85.9%
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
A- ROI proxy
- 14.12
- Net price
- $14,355
- Earnings 10y
- $81,054
- Acceptance
- 42.4%
John Wood Community College
A- ROI proxy
- 13.70
- Net price
- $7,050
- Earnings 10y
- $38,631
- Acceptance
- Open / not reported
Saint Xavier University
A- ROI proxy
- 13.37
- Net price
- $10,970
- Earnings 10y
- $58,656
- Acceptance
- 84.3%
Dominican University
A- ROI proxy
- 12.84
- Net price
- $11,745
- Earnings 10y
- $60,327
- Acceptance
- 90.3%
City Colleges of Chicago-Harold Washington College
A- ROI proxy
- 12.35
- Net price
- $7,397
- Earnings 10y
- $36,531
- Acceptance
- Open / not reported
University of St Francis
A- ROI proxy
- 12.29
- Net price
- $13,006
- Earnings 10y
- $63,926
- Acceptance
- 65.3%
Parkland College
A- ROI proxy
- 11.90
- Net price
- $8,048
- Earnings 10y
- $38,320
- Acceptance
- Open / not reported
Governors State University
A- ROI proxy
- 11.80
- Net price
- $12,329
- Earnings 10y
- $58,169
- Acceptance
- 48.3%
Illinois Institute of Technology
A- ROI proxy
- 11.21
- Net price
- $18,425
- Earnings 10y
- $82,592
- Acceptance
- 54.9%
Northern Illinois University
A- ROI proxy
- 10.79
- Net price
- $13,391
- Earnings 10y
- $57,808
- Acceptance
- 69.8%
Western Illinois University
B- ROI proxy
- 10.47
- Net price
- $12,937
- Earnings 10y
- $54,163
- Acceptance
- 71.2%
Eastern Illinois University
B- ROI proxy
- 10.17
- Net price
- $12,786
- Earnings 10y
- $51,989
- Acceptance
- 65.4%
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale
B- ROI proxy
- 10.04
- Net price
- $13,297
- Earnings 10y
- $53,390
- Acceptance
- 86.9%
Waubonsee Community College
B- ROI proxy
- 9.79
- Net price
- $11,442
- Earnings 10y
- $44,788
- Acceptance
- Open / not reported
Lewis University
B- ROI proxy
- 9.70
- Net price
- $17,028
- Earnings 10y
- $66,099
- Acceptance
- 71.3%
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
B- ROI proxy
- 9.46
- Net price
- $14,889
- Earnings 10y
- $56,346
- Acceptance
- 97.5%
Northeastern Illinois University
B- ROI proxy
- 9.26
- Net price
- $14,109
- Earnings 10y
- $52,234
- Acceptance
- 74.6%
How we picked this list
This list starts with Illinois colleges, excludes low-denominator, very small and incomplete records, then sorts by EduGradify's school-wide ROI proxy: ten-year median earnings weighed against average net price. The eligible set's average EduGradify ROI proxy is 13.02 (19 public, 6 private).
ROI lists require average net price of at least $4,600, enrollment of at least 500 and a reported graduation rate so unusually small denominators or incomplete records cannot dominate the public leaderboard.
Source transparency: every figure comes from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard public data set. See our full methodology for the ROI formula, value grade rules and missing-data handling.
FAQ
Who leads this ranking?
Morton College in Cicero, IL tops this ranking. EduGradify value grade is A+.
How does EduGradify pick this list?
We rank this set by roi proxy using the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard — see our methodology for the full formula. No paid placements, no surveys.
How many Illinois colleges are in this list?
61 Illinois colleges qualified for this ranking based on available federal data.
What does net price mean here?
Net price is what students actually pay after grants and scholarships — not the sticker price. It is reported by each college to the U.S. Department of Education.
Can I use this ranking as a final college decision?
Use it as a shortlist, not a final decision. The ranking compares school-wide federal data; you should still confirm program fit, aid letters, graduation path, transfer policies and current costs with each college.