Best Colleges In Illinois: 2020 U.S. News Rankings

ILLINOIS — The University of Chicago is Illinois' highest-ranked national university on U.S. News & World Report’s 2020 best colleges list. A total of 17 Illinois colleges were featured on the national list, with the University of Chicago coming in at No. 6 and the lowest-ranking Illinois colleges earning rankings of between 293-381.

The 2020 rankings include the overall best national universities rankings, as well as rankings for the best liberal-arts colleges, the top public schools, the best value schools and more.

Along with being featured on the national list and national liberal arts list, Illinois colleges also placed on other lists, including regional colleges and universities lists.

• 11 Illinois Colleges Ranked Among Best In U.S.
• Illinois' Best School Districts: 2020 Rankings

For the 2020 rankings, U.S. News made some changes to help prospective students with their college search. A new set of rankings looks at the top performers in social mobility, evaluating which schools best serve underrepresented students. The 2020 methodology also factors in which schools support first-generation college students through graduation.

The following Illinois schools were featured on the social mobility rankings:

• University of Illinois - Chicago (14)
• Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago (61)
• Benedictine University, Lisle (66)
• DePaul University, Chicago (84)
• Loyola University (84)
• University of St. Francis, Joliet (90)
• Trinity International University, Deerfield (125)
• Roosevelt University (165)
• Aurora University (176)
• University of Illinois - Urbana Champaign (186)
• Northern Illinois University, DeKalb (200)
• Illinois State University, Normal (224)
• Northwestern University, Evanston (251)
• Southern Illinois University - Carbondale (270)
• Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville (315)
• National Louis University, Chicago (328)
• University of Chicago (335)

A total of 1,400 colleges are included in the 2020 rankings. The publication says that 90 percent of those reading the best-colleges list are looking for schools outside the top 10. (You can read the full methodology here)

“For more than three decades, we’ve collected and analyzed data on thousands of colleges and
universities across the country and helped put schools on the map,” Kim Castro, editor and chief content officer of U.S. News, said in a news release. “We’ve found the best institutions to be ones committed to academically and financially supporting their students through graduation. They draw in high-quality professors and set students up for postgraduate success.”

Here are the Illinois schools that made the national university rankings:

• University of Chicago (6)
• Northwestern University, Evanston (9)
• University of Illinois - Urbana Champaign (48)
• Loyola University Chicago (104)
• Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago (117)
• DePaul University, Chicago (125)
• University of Illinois - Chicago (132)
• Illinois State University, Normal (197)
• University of St. Francis, Joliet (202)
• Southern Illinois University - Carbondale (254)
• Aurora University (#293-#381)
• Benedictine University, Lisle (#293-#381)
• National Lewis University, Chicago (#293-#381)
• Northern Illinois University, DeKalb (#293-#381)
• Roosevelt University, Chicago (#293-#381)
• Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville (#293-#381)
• Trinity International University, Deerfield (#293-#381)

Here are the Illinois schools that made the liberal arts colleges rankings:

• Wheaton College (58)
• Knox College, Galesburg (66)
• Illinois Wesleyan University, Bloomington (80)
• Augustana College, Rock Island (92)
• Lake Forest College (92)
• Principia College, Elsah (100)
• Monmouth College (124)
• Illinois College, Jacksonville (136)
• Blackburn College, Carlinville (#164-#215)
• East-West University, Chicago (#164-#215)

Here are the Illinois schools that made the top public schools rankings:

• University of Illinois - Urbana Champaign (14)
• University of Illinois - Chicago (60)
• Illinois State University, Normal (98)
• Southern Illinois University - Carbondale (123)

Overall, Princeton University once again stayed in the No.1 spot. Williams College was the top liberal-arts college and the University of California-Los Angeles was the No.1 public school.

Below are the top 5 national universities:

1. Princeton University (NJ)
2. Harvard University (MA)
3. Columbia University (NY) (tie)
3. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (tie)
3. Yale University (CT) (tie)

Below are the top 3 liberal arts colleges:

1. Williams College (MA)
2. Amherst College (MA)
3. Swarthmore College (PA) (tie)
3. Wellesley College (MA) (tie)

Below are the top 3 public universities:

1. University of California—Los Angeles
2. University of California—Berkeley
3. University of Michigan—Ann Arbor