Technology has made higher education accessible to more people than ever before. Colleges and universities across the country have added online degrees and programs to their curriculum. Students can now earn their degrees from wherever is most convenient for them with an increase of online schools in Illinois. Interested in online colleges throughout the whole country? Check out our rankings of the best online colleges and universities in the United States.
As online degrees and education become more popular, the value of an online education is continuing to increase. In the past, employers may have looked down on someone who decided to earn their degree online – this has changed. Employers no longer discriminate against those who decided to earn their degree online. More and more big name schools are starting to add online degrees to their core offerings, check out our rankings of the best online colleges in Illinois below.
List of Best Online Schools in Illinois
University of Illinois Springfield
- $9,405 In-State Tuition
- $18,90 Out-Of-State Tuition
- 53% Acceptance Rate
Eastern Illinois University
- $9,060 In-State Tuition
- $11,340 Out-Of-State Tuition
- 55% Acceptance Rate
Greenville University
- $27,580 In-State Tuition
- $27,580 Out-Of-State Tuition
- 48% Acceptance Rate
Lincoln Christian University
- $13,590 In-State Tuition
- $13,590 Out-Of-State Tuition
- 64% Acceptance Rate
Our team analyzed various components when ranking the best online schools in Illinois. Some of the components we looked at included retention rates, graduation rates, and percentage of students that are taking online classes. While those were all important components to finding the best online colleges in Illinois, our team looked at numerous other components throughout the ranking process.
It was important for our team to rank the online portion of these colleges and universities. As online college has become more popular, more and more schools have added online programs. Our team picked factors that specifically looked at the online aspect of these colleges and universities. An example of this would be looking at the percentage of students who are enrolled in online courses at their respective colleges and universities.
Our rankings of the best online colleges in Illinois only contains public 4-year universities or private 4-year, not-for-profit colleges. Another constraint we put on the rankings when gathering data was that these schools had to offer at least 2 completely online undergraduate degrees. Our rankings for the best online colleges in Illinois are below.
Sort and Expand Tables
Feel free to sort the tables below based on the criteria most important to you. Expand the tables to see the full rankings for the best online colleges in Illinois.
Best Online Schools in Illinois
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The Best of the Best
The above table is our rankings for the best online colleges in Illinois. The list takes into account numerous academic, affordability, and online factors. All data for the list was collected from the National Center for Education. We weighted various factors differently based on their importance to an online education and online experience. If you are more concerned with academic factors or affordability factors, check out our rankings of online colleges based solely off academic factors or affordability factors.
Our rankings should be used as a resource for students considering an online education. We encourage students to conduct their own research after referencing our rankings. Some students may put more importance on some factors versus other factors. Use our list as a guide to help narrow down your search for the best online colleges in Illinois. Read below for more information on the top 5 online colleges in Illinois from our findings.
University of Illinois at Springfield
The University of Illinois at Springfield was founded in 1969 as Sangamon State University. In 1995, the school became part of the University of Illinois school system. The university is located in Springfield, Illinois and has an enrollment of 2,704. University of Illinois – Springfield currently offers 14 online bachelors programs and 12 online masters programs. Some of their online bachelors programs include computer science, communication, psychology, political science, and philosophy.
Fast Facts
- Bachelors Programs Offered – 14
- Masters Programs Offered – 12
- Graduation Rate – 51%
- Retention Rate – 77%
- Acceptance Rate – 53%
- % Students Receiving Financial Aid – 66%
Eastern Illinois University
Eastern Illinois University was founded in 1895. The university is a public university located in Charleston, Illinois. The school has an enrollment of around 4,500 students and an acceptance rate of 55%. Eastern Illinois currently offers 9 online bachelors programs and 15 online masters programs. Some of their online masters programs include English, special education, cybersecurity, and talent development.
Fast Facts
- Bachelors Programs Offered – 9
- Masters Programs Offered – 15
- Graduation Rate – 58%
- Retention Rate – 70%
- Acceptance Rate – 55%
- % Students Receiving Financial Aid – 70%
Greenville University
Greenville University is located in Greenville, Illinois. The school has an enrollment of just under 1,000 students. The university is affiliated wit the Free Methodist Church and has an acceptance rate of 48%. Greenville University currently offers 6 online bachelors programs and 5 online masters programs. Some of their online bachelors programs include psychology, organizational leadership, liberal studies, and business management.
Fast Facts
- Bachelors Programs Offered – 6
- Masters Programs Offered – 5
- Graduation Rate – 59%
- Retention Rate – 70%
- Acceptance Rate – 48%
- % Students Receiving Financial Aid – 96%
Lincoln Christian University
Lincoln Christian University is located in Lincoln, Illinois. The university is a private university and has Christian roots. Lincoln Christian is a smaller school with around 500 students. The university is somewhat selective with an acceptance rate of 64%. Lincoln Christian offers 3 online bachelors programs and 2 online masters programs. Their program offerings include business administration, christian ministry, psychology, bible and theology, and organizational leadership.
Fast Facts
- Bachelors Programs Offered – 3
- Masters Programs Offered – 2
- Graduation Rate – 55%
- Retention Rate – 85%
- Acceptance Rate – 64%
- % Students Receiving Financial Aid – 83%
North Park University
North Park University is located in Chicago, Illinois. The school is a private Christian university and has an enrollment of 1,967 students. North Park University is very selective with a 47% acceptance rate. North Park University currently offers 4 online bachelors programs and 7 online masters programs. Some of their online masters programs include business administration, human resource management, nonprofit administration, and organizational management and leadership.
Fast Facts
- Bachelors Programs Offered – 4
- Masters Programs Offered – 7
- Graduation Rate – 60%
- Retention Rate – 75%
- Acceptance Rate – 47%
- % Students Receiving Financial Aid – 94%
Most Affordable Online Schools in Illinois
After ranking the best online colleges in Illinois we decided to do another ranking. For this ranking, we only considered affordability factors. Some of the factors we used for this ranking included in-state tuition, out-of-state tuition, and the percentage of students who received any sort of financial aid. Sort through the table below to learn more about the schools and see which online colleges are the most affordable in the state of Illinois.
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Best Academic Online Schools in Illinois
If you are like most students, academics are important to you. Our rankings below only take into consideration academic factors. With more schools adding online programs, the quality of online education continues to increase. In the past, online programs may have been dismissed as being too easy – not anymore. As technology has improved, so has the online learning experience. Click though our rankings below to see the best academic online colleges in Illinois.
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Rankings
Our online college rankings for the state of Illinois took a lot of different criteria into consideration. We only looked at 4-year public colleges or universities and 4-year private, not-for-profit colleges. We also only considered schools that offered at least 2 undergraduate online programs.
After compiling a list of colleges that met the above criteria, we looked at various factors that we felt were important when ranking online colleges. We looked at retention rates, graduation rates, tuition, financial aid, number of online course offerings, and other various online college factors.
Online College FAQS
According to our findings, the best online school in Illinois is University of Illinois at Springfield. The school offers 14 online bachelors programs and 12 online masters programs. Other great online schools in Illinois include Eastern Illinois, Greenville University, Lincoln Christian University, and North Park University. Click here to see the best online colleges in the United States.
Online schools have gained popularity throughout the years. More and more students want to be able to study from wherever is most convenient. As this demand for online school has increased, colleges and universities have added more online offerings. Online programs are now very legit and many businesses and companies view an online degree the same as a traditional degree.
Online schools will be cheaper than the traditional college options. Online school do not require students to pay room and board or any on-campus fees, so students can save a lot of money by earning their degree online. Students can also save money by living at home and not having to pay for an off-campus apartment or house. Read our complete guide to online schools for more information.