Ranking
Best Colleges in Illinois by ROI 2026
The top-value Illinois colleges — graduate earnings against net price, from federal data.
- Schools ranked
- 25
- Cheapest net price
- $2,835
- Top earnings 10y
- $91,885
- Public / Private
- 19 / 6
Trinity International University-Illinois
A+- ROI score
- 41.44
- Net price
- $2,835
- Earnings 10y
- $46,989
- Acceptance
- 100%
Carl Sandburg College
A+- ROI score
- 24.08
- Net price
- $3,662
- Earnings 10y
- $35,274
- Acceptance
- Open / not reported
Kishwaukee College
A+- ROI score
- 21.68
- Net price
- $4,574
- Earnings 10y
- $39,657
- Acceptance
- Open / not reported
Morton College
A+- ROI score
- 20.42
- Net price
- $5,191
- Earnings 10y
- $42,406
- Acceptance
- Open / not reported
Rock Valley College
A+- ROI score
- 18.68
- Net price
- $5,242
- Earnings 10y
- $39,158
- Acceptance
- Open / not reported
City Colleges of Chicago-Wilbur Wright College
A+- ROI score
- 16.32
- Net price
- $6,375
- Earnings 10y
- $41,625
- Acceptance
- Open / not reported
College of DuPage
A- ROI score
- 15.85
- Net price
- $7,401
- Earnings 10y
- $46,909
- Acceptance
- Open / not reported
University of Illinois Chicago
A- ROI score
- 15.66
- Net price
- $10,974
- Earnings 10y
- $68,740
- Acceptance
- 77.4%
University of Chicago
A- ROI score
- 15.46
- Net price
- $14,860
- Earnings 10y
- $91,885
- Acceptance
- 4.5%
John A Logan College
A- ROI score
- 15.38
- Net price
- $5,541
- Earnings 10y
- $34,096
- Acceptance
- Open / not reported
University of Illinois Springfield
A- ROI score
- 14.52
- Net price
- $9,833
- Earnings 10y
- $57,103
- Acceptance
- 85.9%
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
A- ROI score
- 14.12
- Net price
- $14,355
- Earnings 10y
- $81,054
- Acceptance
- 42.4%
John Wood Community College
A- ROI score
- 13.70
- Net price
- $7,050
- Earnings 10y
- $38,631
- Acceptance
- Open / not reported
Saint Xavier University
A- ROI score
- 13.37
- Net price
- $10,970
- Earnings 10y
- $58,656
- Acceptance
- 84.3%
Dominican University
A- ROI score
- 12.84
- Net price
- $11,745
- Earnings 10y
- $60,327
- Acceptance
- 90.3%
City Colleges of Chicago-Harold Washington College
A- ROI score
- 12.35
- Net price
- $7,397
- Earnings 10y
- $36,531
- Acceptance
- Open / not reported
University of St Francis
A- ROI score
- 12.29
- Net price
- $13,006
- Earnings 10y
- $63,926
- Acceptance
- 65.3%
Parkland College
A- ROI score
- 11.90
- Net price
- $8,048
- Earnings 10y
- $38,320
- Acceptance
- Open / not reported
Governors State University
A- ROI score
- 11.80
- Net price
- $12,329
- Earnings 10y
- $58,169
- Acceptance
- 48.3%
Illinois Institute of Technology
A- ROI score
- 11.21
- Net price
- $18,425
- Earnings 10y
- $82,592
- Acceptance
- 54.9%
Northern Illinois University
A- ROI score
- 10.79
- Net price
- $13,391
- Earnings 10y
- $57,808
- Acceptance
- 69.8%
Western Illinois University
B- ROI score
- 10.47
- Net price
- $12,937
- Earnings 10y
- $54,163
- Acceptance
- 71.2%
Eastern Illinois University
B- ROI score
- 10.17
- Net price
- $12,786
- Earnings 10y
- $51,989
- Acceptance
- 65.4%
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale
B- ROI score
- 10.04
- Net price
- $13,297
- Earnings 10y
- $53,390
- Acceptance
- 86.9%
Waubonsee Community College
B- ROI score
- 9.79
- Net price
- $11,442
- Earnings 10y
- $44,788
- Acceptance
- Open / not reported
How we picked this list
This list starts with Illinois colleges, then sorts by EduGradify's school-wide ROI proxy: ten-year median earnings weighed against average net price. The set's average EduGradify ROI score is 15.37 (19 public, 6 private).
Every figure comes from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. See our full methodology for the formulas.
FAQ
Who leads this ranking?
Trinity International University-Illinois in Deerfield, IL tops this ranking. EduGradify value grade is A+.
How does EduGradify pick this list?
We rank this set by roi score 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?
74 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.