Ranking

Best Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness Colleges in Illinois 2026

Rock Valley College leads this ROI ranking with an A+ value grade and a 18.68 school-wide ROI proxy. EduGradify ranks 25 eligible colleges here by earnings against net price.

37 eligible Illinois colleges reporting awards in Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness, ranked by EduGradify's school-wide value signal.

Schools ranked: 25
Cheapest net price: $5,242
Top earnings 10y: $89,363
Public / Private: 13 / 12

Rock Valley College

A+

Rockford, IL · Public

ROI proxy: 18.68
Net price: $5,242
Earnings 10y: $39,158
Acceptance: Open / not reported

University of Illinois Chicago

Chicago, IL · Public

ROI proxy: 15.66
Net price: $10,974
Earnings 10y: $68,740
Acceptance: 77.4%

University of Illinois Springfield

Springfield, IL · Public

ROI proxy: 14.52
Net price: $9,833
Earnings 10y: $57,103
Acceptance: 85.9%

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, IL · Public

ROI proxy: 14.12
Net price: $14,355
Earnings 10y: $81,054
Acceptance: 42.4%

Saint Xavier University

Chicago, IL · Private Non-Profit

ROI proxy: 13.37
Net price: $10,970
Earnings 10y: $58,656
Acceptance: 84.3%

Parkland College

Champaign, IL · Public

ROI proxy: 11.90
Net price: $8,048
Earnings 10y: $38,320
Acceptance: Open / not reported

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, IL · Public

ROI proxy: 10.79
Net price: $13,391
Earnings 10y: $57,808
Acceptance: 69.8%

Western Illinois University

Macomb, IL · Public

ROI proxy: 10.47
Net price: $12,937
Earnings 10y: $54,163
Acceptance: 71.2%

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, IL · Public

ROI proxy: 10.17
Net price: $12,786
Earnings 10y: $51,989
Acceptance: 65.4%

#10

Southern Illinois University-Carbondale

Carbondale, IL · Public

ROI proxy: 10.04
Net price: $13,297
Earnings 10y: $53,390
Acceptance: 86.9%

#11

Waubonsee Community College

Sugar Grove, IL · Public

ROI proxy: 9.79
Net price: $11,442
Earnings 10y: $44,788
Acceptance: Open / not reported

#12

Lewis University

Romeoville, IL · Private Non-Profit

ROI proxy: 9.70
Net price: $17,028
Earnings 10y: $66,099
Acceptance: 71.3%

#13

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

Edwardsville, IL · Public

ROI proxy: 9.46
Net price: $14,889
Earnings 10y: $56,346
Acceptance: 97.5%

#14

Northeastern Illinois University

Chicago, IL · Public

ROI proxy: 9.26
Net price: $14,109
Earnings 10y: $52,234
Acceptance: 74.6%

#15

North Park University

Chicago, IL · Private Non-Profit

ROI proxy: 8.79
Net price: $16,948
Earnings 10y: $59,572
Acceptance: 68.5%

#16

Illinois State University

Normal, IL · Public

ROI proxy: 8.01
Net price: $19,398
Earnings 10y: $62,117
Acceptance: 88.2%

#17

Aurora University

Aurora, IL · Private Non-Profit

ROI proxy: 7.79
Net price: $18,838
Earnings 10y: $58,709
Acceptance: 80.9%

#18

Northwestern University

Evanston, IL · Private Non-Profit

ROI proxy: 7.66
Net price: $29,167
Earnings 10y: $89,363
Acceptance: 7.7%

#19

Judson University

Elgin, IL · Private Non-Profit

ROI proxy: 7.59
Net price: $18,558
Earnings 10y: $56,313
Acceptance: 47.6%

#20

Monmouth College

Monmouth, IL · Private Non-Profit

ROI proxy: 7.46
Net price: $17,133
Earnings 10y: $51,110
Acceptance: 90.9%

#21

Eureka College

Eureka, IL · Private Non-Profit

ROI proxy: 7.44
Net price: $17,349
Earnings 10y: $51,641
Acceptance: 85%

#22

Concordia University-Chicago

River Forest, IL · Private Non-Profit

ROI proxy: 7.33
Net price: $18,436
Earnings 10y: $54,089
Acceptance: 92.8%

#23

Illinois College

Jacksonville, IL · Private Non-Profit

ROI proxy: 7.18
Net price: $18,298
Earnings 10y: $52,575
Acceptance: 78.2%

#24

North Central College

Naperville, IL · Private Non-Profit

ROI proxy: 7.14
Net price: $21,044
Earnings 10y: $60,123
Acceptance: 77.3%

#25

Benedictine University

Lisle, IL · Private Non-Profit

ROI proxy: 7.11
Net price: $22,313
Earnings 10y: $63,446
Acceptance: 95.2%

How we picked this list

This list starts with Illinois schools reporting awards in Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness, 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 10.06 (13 public, 12 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?

Rock Valley College in Rockford, 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?

37 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.