By major
Colleges for Economics in Illinois
35 colleges in Illinois award a bachelor’s degree in economics, according to federal data. Each is rated on academics and value, with every figure linked to its source.
Highest-rated
#3
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Where graduates earn the most
Median earnings of bachelor’s graduates in this field a few years after finishing, from the College Scorecard.
| Rank | College | Median earnings | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Chicago Chicago, IL Earnings $159,578 · Debt $13,395 | $159,578 | $13,395 |
| 2 | Northwestern University Evanston, IL Earnings $126,006 · Debt $15,250 | $126,006 | $15,250 |
| 3 | DePaul University Chicago, IL Earnings $100,185 · Debt $20,000 | $100,185 | $20,000 |
| 4 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL Earnings $86,860 · Debt $19,500 | $86,860 | $19,500 |
| 5 | Wheaton College Wheaton, IL Earnings $84,829 · Debt $21,000 | $84,829 | $21,000 |
| 6 | North Central College Naperville, IL Earnings $80,494 · Debt $26,801 | $80,494 | $26,801 |
| 7 | Olivet Nazarene University Bourbonnais, IL Earnings $68,935 · Debt $26,991 | $68,935 | $26,991 |
| 8 | Northern Illinois University Dekalb, IL Earnings $66,760 · Debt $24,976 | $66,760 | $24,976 |
| 9 | University of Illinois Chicago Chicago, IL Earnings $63,429 · Debt $17,500 | $63,429 | $17,500 |
| 10 | Knox College Galesburg, IL Earnings $62,144 · Debt $24,498 | $62,144 | $24,498 |
| 11 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale Carbondale, IL Earnings $60,612 · Debt $21,201 | $60,612 | $21,201 |
| 12 | Northeastern Illinois University Chicago, IL Earnings $58,252 · Debt — | $58,252 | — |
All 35
Filter, sort and compare these colleges
| School | Compass Score | Value | Academics | Net price | Students |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Chicago Honor RollCollege Compass Guide Honor Roll: the top 10% of rated colleges by Compass Score (grades A+ and A), from academics and value. Chicago · Private nonprofit | A+Value: Exceptional (grade A+): the top 3% of rated colleges. Letters are set by rank, so no college gets a D or an F. | A+Academics: A+ (grade A+): 0 to 100 points out of 100, from federal data. | $14,860 | 18,339 | |
| Northwestern University Honor RollCollege Compass Guide Honor Roll: the top 10% of rated colleges by Compass Score (grades A+ and A), from academics and value. Evanston · Private nonprofit | B+Value: Very good (grade B+): the top 35% of rated colleges. Letters are set by rank, so no college gets a D or an F. | A+Academics: A+ (grade A+): 0 to 100 points out of 100, from federal data. | $29,167 | 23,203 | |
| University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Honor RollCollege Compass Guide Honor Roll: the top 10% of rated colleges by Compass Score (grades A+ and A), from academics and value. Champaign · Public | AValue: Exceptional (grade A): the top 10% of rated colleges. Letters are set by rank, so no college gets a D or an F. | AAcademics: Strong (grade A): 85 to 100 points out of 100, from federal data. | $14,355 | 56,563 | |
| Wheaton College Honor RollCollege Compass Guide Honor Roll: the top 10% of rated colleges by Compass Score (grades A+ and A), from academics and value. Wheaton · Private nonprofit | B-Value: Good (grade B-): the top 75% of rated colleges. Letters are set by rank, so no college gets a D or an F. | AAcademics: Strong (grade A): 85 to 100 points out of 100, from federal data. | $26,975 | 2,799 | |
| Lake Forest College RecommendedCompass Recommended: the top 35% of rated colleges by Compass Score (grades A+ to B+), from academics and value. Lake Forest · Private nonprofit | B-Value: Good (grade B-): the top 75% of rated colleges. Letters are set by rank, so no college gets a D or an F. | A-Academics: A- (grade A-): 0 to 100 points out of 100, from federal data. | $28,673 | 1,818 | |
| Illinois Institute of Technology RecommendedCompass Recommended: the top 35% of rated colleges by Compass Score (grades A+ to B+), from academics and value. Chicago · Private nonprofit | A-Value: Excellent (grade A-): the top 20% of rated colleges. Letters are set by rank, so no college gets a D or an F. | A-Academics: A- (grade A-): 0 to 100 points out of 100, from federal data. | $18,425 | 8,563 | |
| Illinois Wesleyan University RecommendedCompass Recommended: the top 35% of rated colleges by Compass Score (grades A+ to B+), from academics and value. Bloomington · Private nonprofit | B-Value: Good (grade B-): the top 75% of rated colleges. Letters are set by rank, so no college gets a D or an F. | A-Academics: A- (grade A-): 0 to 100 points out of 100, from federal data. | $28,199 | 1,576 | |
| Knox College RecommendedCompass Recommended: the top 35% of rated colleges by Compass Score (grades A+ to B+), from academics and value. Galesburg · Private nonprofit | B-Value: Good (grade B-): the top 75% of rated colleges. Letters are set by rank, so no college gets a D or an F. | A-Academics: A- (grade A-): 0 to 100 points out of 100, from federal data. | $24,595 | 1,001 | |
| Loyola University Chicago RecommendedCompass Recommended: the top 35% of rated colleges by Compass Score (grades A+ to B+), from academics and value. Chicago · Private nonprofit | C+Value: Solid (grade C+): the rest of rated colleges. Letters are set by rank, so no college gets a D or an F. | A-Academics: A- (grade A-): 0 to 100 points out of 100, from federal data. | $36,079 | 17,397 | |
| Augustana College RecommendedCompass Recommended: the top 35% of rated colleges by Compass Score (grades A+ to B+), from academics and value. Rock Island · Private nonprofit | BValue: Good (grade B): the top 55% of rated colleges. Letters are set by rank, so no college gets a D or an F. | A-Academics: A- (grade A-): 0 to 100 points out of 100, from federal data. | $22,736 | 2,484 | |
| Bradley University RecommendedCompass Recommended: the top 35% of rated colleges by Compass Score (grades A+ to B+), from academics and value. Peoria · Private nonprofit | BValue: Good (grade B): the top 55% of rated colleges. Letters are set by rank, so no college gets a D or an F. | A-Academics: A- (grade A-): 0 to 100 points out of 100, from federal data. | $22,719 | 5,217 | |
| DePaul University RecommendedCompass Recommended: the top 35% of rated colleges by Compass Score (grades A+ to B+), from academics and value. Chicago · Private nonprofit | B-Value: Good (grade B-): the top 75% of rated colleges. Letters are set by rank, so no college gets a D or an F. | B+Academics: B+ (grade B+): 0 to 100 points out of 100, from federal data. | $30,902 | 21,348 | |
| University of Illinois Chicago RecommendedCompass Recommended: the top 35% of rated colleges by Compass Score (grades A+ to B+), from academics and value. Chicago · Public | A+Value: Exceptional (grade A+): the top 3% of rated colleges. Letters are set by rank, so no college gets a D or an F. | B+Academics: B+ (grade B+): 0 to 100 points out of 100, from federal data. | $10,974 | 33,522 | |
| University of St. Francis RecommendedCompass Recommended: the top 35% of rated colleges by Compass Score (grades A+ to B+), from academics and value. Joliet · Private nonprofit | AValue: Exceptional (grade A): the top 10% of rated colleges. Letters are set by rank, so no college gets a D or an F. | B+Academics: B+ (grade B+): 0 to 100 points out of 100, from federal data. | $13,006 | 3,185 | |
| Elmhurst University RecommendedCompass Recommended: the top 35% of rated colleges by Compass Score (grades A+ to B+), from academics and value. Elmhurst · Private nonprofit | BValue: Good (grade B): the top 55% of rated colleges. Letters are set by rank, so no college gets a D or an F. | B+Academics: B+ (grade B+): 0 to 100 points out of 100, from federal data. | $24,185 | 3,906 | |
| North Central College RecommendedCompass Recommended: the top 35% of rated colleges by Compass Score (grades A+ to B+), from academics and value. Naperville · Private nonprofit | BValue: Good (grade B): the top 55% of rated colleges. Letters are set by rank, so no college gets a D or an F. | B+Academics: B+ (grade B+): 0 to 100 points out of 100, from federal data. | $21,044 | 2,856 | |
| Illinois State University Normal · Public | B+Value: Very good (grade B+): the top 35% of rated colleges. Letters are set by rank, so no college gets a D or an F. | BAcademics: Good (grade B): 70 to 100 points out of 100, from federal data. | $19,398 | 20,989 | |
| Olivet Nazarene University Bourbonnais · Private nonprofit | B-Value: Good (grade B-): the top 75% of rated colleges. Letters are set by rank, so no college gets a D or an F. | BAcademics: Good (grade B): 70 to 100 points out of 100, from federal data. | $20,729 | 3,275 | |
| Monmouth College Monmouth · Private nonprofit | BValue: Good (grade B): the top 55% of rated colleges. Letters are set by rank, so no college gets a D or an F. | B+Academics: B+ (grade B+): 0 to 100 points out of 100, from federal data. | $17,133 | 727 | |
| Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Edwardsville · Public | B+Value: Very good (grade B+): the top 35% of rated colleges. Letters are set by rank, so no college gets a D or an F. | BAcademics: Good (grade B): 70 to 100 points out of 100, from federal data. | $14,889 | 12,045 | |
| University of Illinois Springfield Springfield · Public | AValue: Exceptional (grade A): the top 10% of rated colleges. Letters are set by rank, so no college gets a D or an F. | BAcademics: Good (grade B): 70 to 100 points out of 100, from federal data. | $9,833 | 4,661 | |
| Illinois College Jacksonville · Private nonprofit | BValue: Good (grade B): the top 55% of rated colleges. Letters are set by rank, so no college gets a D or an F. | BAcademics: Good (grade B): 70 to 100 points out of 100, from federal data. | $18,298 | 958 | |
| Southern Illinois University-Carbondale Carbondale · Public | B+Value: Very good (grade B+): the top 35% of rated colleges. Letters are set by rank, so no college gets a D or an F. | BAcademics: Good (grade B): 70 to 100 points out of 100, from federal data. | $13,297 | 11,359 | |
| Dominican University River Forest · Private nonprofit | A-Value: Excellent (grade A-): the top 20% of rated colleges. Letters are set by rank, so no college gets a D or an F. | BAcademics: Good (grade B): 70 to 100 points out of 100, from federal data. | $11,745 | 3,424 | |
| North Park University Chicago · Private nonprofit | B+Value: Very good (grade B+): the top 35% of rated colleges. Letters are set by rank, so no college gets a D or an F. | BAcademics: Good (grade B): 70 to 100 points out of 100, from federal data. | $16,948 | 2,624 | |
| Northern Illinois University Dekalb · Public | A-Value: Excellent (grade A-): the top 20% of rated colleges. Letters are set by rank, so no college gets a D or an F. | BAcademics: Good (grade B): 70 to 100 points out of 100, from federal data. | $13,391 | 15,504 | |
| Governors State University University Park · Public | AValue: Exceptional (grade A): the top 10% of rated colleges. Letters are set by rank, so no college gets a D or an F. | C+Academics: C+ (grade C+): 0 to 100 points out of 100, from federal data. | $12,329 | 4,337 | |
| McKendree University Lebanon · Private nonprofit | B-Value: Good (grade B-): the top 75% of rated colleges. Letters are set by rank, so no college gets a D or an F. | B-Academics: B- (grade B-): 0 to 100 points out of 100, from federal data. | $24,717 | 2,075 | |
| Eastern Illinois University Charleston · Public | B+Value: Very good (grade B+): the top 35% of rated colleges. Letters are set by rank, so no college gets a D or an F. | B-Academics: B- (grade B-): 0 to 100 points out of 100, from federal data. | $12,786 | 8,804 | |
| Benedictine University Lisle · Private nonprofit | BValue: Good (grade B): the top 55% of rated colleges. Letters are set by rank, so no college gets a D or an F. | B-Academics: B- (grade B-): 0 to 100 points out of 100, from federal data. | $22,313 | 2,989 | |
| Northeastern Illinois University Chicago · Public | A-Value: Excellent (grade A-): the top 20% of rated colleges. Letters are set by rank, so no college gets a D or an F. | C+Academics: C+ (grade C+): 0 to 100 points out of 100, from federal data. | $14,109 | 5,504 | |
| Western Illinois University Macomb · Public | B+Value: Very good (grade B+): the top 35% of rated colleges. Letters are set by rank, so no college gets a D or an F. | B-Academics: B- (grade B-): 0 to 100 points out of 100, from federal data. | $12,937 | 7,073 | |
| Rockford University Rockford · Private nonprofit | BValue: Good (grade B): the top 55% of rated colleges. Letters are set by rank, so no college gets a D or an F. | B-Academics: B- (grade B-): 0 to 100 points out of 100, from federal data. | $22,436 | 1,249 | |
| Roosevelt University Chicago · Private nonprofit | B-Value: Good (grade B-): the top 75% of rated colleges. Letters are set by rank, so no college gets a D or an F. | B-Academics: B- (grade B-): 0 to 100 points out of 100, from federal data. | $20,194 | 4,015 | |
| Principia College Elsah · Private nonprofit | — | N/AValue: Not enough information. Federal data does not cover enough of this to grade it yet. | AAcademics: Strong (grade A): 85 to 100 points out of 100, from federal data. | — | 338 |
Common questions
How many colleges in Illinois offer a economics degree?
35, counting colleges that award a bachelor’s degree in economics in the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard data. Some colleges offer the field as a minor or under another name; check each college’s catalog.
How are these colleges rated?
Every college is rated from the U.S. Department of Education’s data: Academic Excellence (graduation, retention, preparation and teaching) and Value (what families pay after aid, what graduates earn, and student debt). The major does not affect the grades. See the methodology.
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