alphabetical / by state
98 Traditional Schools in Illinois
The Land of Lincoln - also known as the Prairie State - Illinois has long been seen as one of the most American of states. It was one of the first frontiers, and the first object of the innate American compulsion to see what is further west, across the rivers, mountains, and plains. Once Illinois was named a US Territory in 1809, settlers began moving across the Appalachians, and Illinois became a crucial transportation route, especially once the Erie Canal helped turn Chicago into a destination. European immigrants from Germany, Sweden, and Eastern Europe made Illinois a center of agriculture, manufacturing, and mining, and African-American flight from the Jim Crow South made Chicago a cultural center as well, developing blues and jazz into America’s native art forms.
Much of Illinois life is centered around Chicago, one of the world’s most dynamic and culturally rich metropolises, while many suburbs within the Chicago orbit have developed into large, fully-formed cities of their own. Illinois is a national leader in manufacturing and energy, as well as a major economic player through the business and banking sectors of Chicago. As the 5th largest population in the nation, Illinois also has a major higher education system, composed of top-tier public research universities and a great many elite liberal arts colleges; the state is particularly known for its selective Christian institutions.
The University of Chicago ranks alongside the Ivy League and the major polytechnic universities (like MIT and Stanford) as a world-class private research institution, having developed breakthroughs and innovations in every discipline and field. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a definitive public research university, and a widespread system of regional public institutions like Eastern Illinois University provide opportunity to Illinois residents outside the major metropolitan areas. Small Christian liberal arts college - including Catholic, Lutheran, Reformed, and more - prepare leaders with the same rigor and discipline that has shaped western civilization for centuries, while top-tier private institutions like Northwestern University and Wheaton College provide the most current career and professional studies. In all, the best colleges in Illinois represent the best of the US - diverse, bold, rooted in history and always pressing forward.

Adler University
Chicago, Illinois

Ambria College of Nursing
Hoffman Estates, Illinois

American Academy of Art
Chicago, Illinois

Augustana College
Rock Island, Illinois
59.5
College Consensus
73.9
Student Consensus

Aurora University
Aurora, Illinois

Benedictine University
Lisle, Illinois

Bexley Hall Seabury Western Theological Seminary Federation, Inc.
Chicago, Illinois

Blackburn College
Carlinville, Illinois

Blessing Rieman College of Nursing and Health Sciences
Quincy, Illinois

Bradley University
Peoria, Illinois
60.8
College Consensus
72.7
Student Consensus

Catholic Theological Union at Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

Chamberlain University-Illinois
Addison, Illinois

The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

Chicago State University
Chicago, Illinois

Chicago Theological Seminary
Chicago, Illinois

University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois
85.2
College Consensus
78.7
Student Consensus

Columbia College Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

Concordia University-Chicago
River Forest, Illinois

DePaul University
Chicago, Illinois
51.9
College Consensus
72.2
Student Consensus

DeVry University-Illinois
Chicago, Illinois

Dominican University
River Forest, Illinois
63.3
College Consensus
67.9
Student Consensus

East-West University (IL)
Chicago, Illinois

Eastern Illinois University
Charleston, Illinois
72.8
College Consensus
71.9
Student Consensus

Elmhurst College
Elmhurst, Illinois
53.5
College Consensus
69.1
Student Consensus

Erikson Institute
Chicago, Illinois

Eureka College
Eureka, Illinois

Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary
Evanston, Illinois

Governors State University
University Park, Illinois

Greenville University
Greenville, Illinois
