2026 Best Public Universities in Illinois

Name: 2026 Best Public Universities in Illinois (Kollegio college rankings)
Creator: Kollegio
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

12 Illinois schools ranked in Kollegio's 2026 Best Public Universities ranking, based on U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard data.

Showing 1–12 of 12 colleges · How we rank colleges

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Cost of attendance after aid

ⓘ

$77,180

Institution type

2 Year4 Year5 Year

Field of study

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Campus Detail

Institution setting

AllCitySuburbanRural

Undergraduate enrollment

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268763

Financial

Alumni starting salary

Tuition cost

ⓘ

$67,000

In-state tuition

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Proportion of need based aid received

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100%Clear Filter

International students received aid

ⓘ

100%

Average aid package

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$82,308

Application fee

ⓘ

$150

Academics

Mean GPA

ⓘ

Mean SAT

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1200

Mean ACT

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#1 Best Public Universities

University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign

Champaign

Acceptance rate

42.4%

Institution type

UNIV

Total Tuition Cost

$12,254

Avg. Cost after Aid

$14,000

#2 Best Public Universities

University of Illinois - Chicago

Chicago

Acceptance rate

77.4%

Institution type

UNIV

Total Tuition Cost

$10,776

Avg. Cost after Aid

$13,771

#3 Best Public Universities

University of Illinois--Springfield

Springfield

Acceptance rate

85.9%

Institution type

UNIV

Total Tuition Cost

$9,645

Avg. Cost after Aid

$12,000

#4 Best Public Universities

Illinois State University

Normal

Acceptance rate

89.0%

Institution type

UNIV

Total Tuition Cost

$10,932

Avg. Cost after Aid

$21,000

#5 Best Public Universities

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

Edwardsville

Acceptance rate

97.2%

Institution type

UNIV

Total Tuition Cost

$8,579

Avg. Cost after Aid

$16,000

#6 Best Public Universities

Northern Illinois University

DeKalb

Acceptance rate

70.5%

Institution type

UNIV

Total Tuition Cost

$9,608

Avg. Cost after Aid

$13,000

#7 Best Public Universities

Governors State University

University Park

Acceptance rate

48.0%

Institution type

4YEAR

Total Tuition Cost

$7,512

Avg. Cost after Aid

$10,000

#8 Best Public Universities

Southern Illinois University - Carbondale

Carbondale

Acceptance rate

86.9%

Institution type

UNIV

Total Tuition Cost

$9,638

Avg. Cost after Aid

$16,000

#9 Best Public Universities

Western Illinois University

Macomb

Acceptance rate

75.0%

Institution type

UNIV

Total Tuition Cost

$8,886

Avg. Cost after Aid

$12,000

#10 Best Public Universities

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston

Acceptance rate

67.8%

Institution type

COMP

Total Tuition Cost

$9,207

Avg. Cost after Aid

$14,000

#11 Best Public Universities

Northeastern Illinois University

Chicago

Acceptance rate

70.4%

Institution type

COMP

Total Tuition Cost

$10,091

Avg. Cost after Aid

$14,000

#12 Best Public Universities

Chicago State University

Chicago

Acceptance rate

40.5%

Institution type

UNIV

Total Tuition Cost

$7,488

Avg. Cost after Aid

$5,000

2026 Best Public Universities in Illinois

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