Four Illinois universities rank in the top 100 nationally in the latest ratings from U.S. News & World Report. 

Northwestern University (tuition and fees $68,322) in Evanston leads the pack at No. 6. 

What U.S. News says about Northwestern:  “Notable alumni include the 55th mayor of Chicago Rahm Emanuel; former U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens; Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex; ESPN commentator Michael Wilbon; comedian Stephen Colbert; and president and COO of SpaceX, Gwynne Shotwell.”

University of Chicago (tuition and fees $69,324) comes in at No. 11. 

What U.S. News says about the University of Chicago: “The University of Chicago, situated in Hyde Park, offers a rich campus life in a big-city setting. In addition to the college, the university has postgraduate offerings that include the highly ranked Booth School of Business, Law School, Pritzker School of Medicine, and Harris School of Public Policy. The Chicago Maroons have 18 NCAA Division III teams, which compete in the University Athletic Association, and have strong basketball and wrestling programs.”

The University of Illinois’ main campus (tuition and fees $36,760) ranks No. 33 

What U.S. News says about the University of Illinois: “The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign comprises 15 colleges and schools. Its School of Information Sciences, College of Engineering, and Department of Psychology are among the best in the country. The school’s College of Business, College of Education, and College of Law are also highly ranked.”

The University of Illinois’ Chicago campus (tuition and fees $33,726) is tied for 80th.   

What U.S. News says about the University of Illinois-Chicago: “The University of Illinois-Chicago (UIC) is located near public transportation stops, making the university both accessible for commuters and convenient for students who live on campus. There are more than 200 student clubs and organizations to check out, including fraternities and sororities. Through the UIC Undergraduate Research Experience, interested college students can pair up with faculty mentors and create a research project in a variety of academic areas. Each spring, students then present their findings at the university’s Student Research Forum.”

The Illinois Institute of Technology (tuition and fees $52,386) ranked just outside the top 100 at No. 105. 

What U.S. News is saying about the Illinois Institute of Technology: “The Illinois Institute of Technology, a private university in Chicago, provides a variety of options for students interested in the sciences. IIT offers a wide range of engineering degree programs, including aerospace engineering, biomedical engineering, and mechanical engineering, as well as a range of degrees in architecture and the sciences. (For liberal arts-minded students, the school awards degrees for majors including communications, humanities, and political science.) The school also runs an Institute of Design; the Chicago-Kent College of Law, which is particularly well known for its trial advocacy program; the Stuart School of Business; and other graduate student programs.”

Methodology note: More than half of a school’s rank is again made up of outcome measures related to how successful an institution is at enrolling and graduating students from different backgrounds with manageable debt and postgraduation success, according to the U.S. News data team.