The 7 Most Popular Universities in Illinois

Finding the right university to attend can be an intimidating process. In this day and age, there are countless universities in US offering various degree options which makes the decision even more difficult. It is important that you select a school that best suits your interests and goals.

To help make it easier for prospective students, we’ve created a list of the top 7 universities in Illinois that offer some of the highest quality education available! Explore each school’s strengths, examine their highly ranked academics, learn about their thought-provoking research projects and discover why these schools are considered among America’s finest.

The Top 7 Universities in Illinois

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

• Address: Champaign, IL, United States
• Map: Click here
• Rating: 4.6 (1137)
• Phone: +1 217-333-1000
• Website: Link
• Reviews:
  I was in UIUC to see off my Nephew.
  The university campus is humongous .
  The college buildings are awesome , transport system within the university is great(sometimes it takes a long time), there are dedicated bike lanes and accessibility access almost all places
  they boast the biggest engineering library .
  The orientation program was good and informative, people seem efficient and I am sure teaching staff is also great
  There are quite a few frat houses and student quarters around the university
  The restaurant selection is great and the university also has multiple on campus food court, and surprisingly have a lot of good vegetarian options as well
  Students who really want to learn well can do wonders. Great place to study and enjoy

  ✭✭✭✭✭ By Pavankumar Harapanhalli (4 months ago)

  Visited for a quiz bowl competition but almost all sidewalks were coated in ice which made it quite treacherous to walk anywhere. Seems a northern school would take more care in winter safety. Other than that it was pretty interesting with the old style architecture compared to my university.

  ✭✭✭ By Jordan (10 months ago)

  My wife and I adventured together on the campus to shoot some photos while on our honeymoon. We both are Alumni of Indiana University. I from Bloomington and she from IUPUI. The campus is beautiful and the architecture is gorgeous. The fall weather was perfect, while the Sun just happened to be in all the right places for pictures. The campus is attractive enough to consider for my Masters degree.

  ✭✭✭✭✭ By Jonathan BarneZ (a month ago)

  UIUC is a great, world class university filled with lots of energy and excitement. I am thrilled that my son is pursuing a math major in the college of LAS. UIUC is the way!

  ✭✭✭✭✭ By Sudheer Kumar (6 months ago)

  Great tour, alot of great choices, had a great time with our tour guide Allegra, thanks

  ✭✭✭✭✭ By Ernestor Muniz (4 months ago)

Northwestern University

• Address: 633 Clark St, Evanston, IL 60208, United States
• Map: Click here
• Rating: 4.6 (692)
• Phone: +1 847-491-3741
• Website: Link
• Reviews:
  Went to the after graduation ceremony at the Norris Center…really nice

  ✭✭✭✭✭ By michael perry (6 months ago)

  Amazing University. Awesome Campus
  Evanston is an amazing town.

  ✭✭✭✭✭ By Chaitanya Davani (2 weeks ago)

  I have three NU degrees, met my wife of 40 years here, and one of our kids met his wife here. Go ‘Cats!

  ✭✭✭✭✭ By Ben Slivka (3 months ago)

  This summer sunshine, golden beach and surfing people gave me an illusion that Northwestern University has a campus towards the vast ocean. But in fact, it just next to the Michigan Lake. When I came here in the early morning, this beautiful campus was in tranquility and peace. Some people playing beach volleyball and sand statues, some surfing and sailing. Yes, it’s just one plain day, but also one perfect day, perfect campus!

  ✭✭✭✭ By TIANWEI CHEN (a year ago)

  Fitzgerald is the worst football coach in the country. Over paid and his poor son gets to go to school for free and embarrassed by his father

  ✭ By F Ha (3 weeks ago)

University of Illinois Chicago

• Address: 1200 W Harrison St, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• Map: Click here
• Rating: 4.4 (661)
• Phone: +1 312-996-7000
• Website: Link
• Reviews:
  The university has a modern and big campus. Famous singers and comedians go to their arena to perform there and it’s for free if you study there! There’s a lot of things there. There’s a bank, Amazon, and a lot of restaurants. We had lunch there. There were a lot of choices to choose from. It was good and two students talked to us about how it is there. I really like this university and I might go there.

  ✭✭✭✭✭ By 3b0p (a year ago)

  One of the most diverse universities in the US. I feel belong here.

  ✭✭✭✭✭ By Ch (a month ago)

  First time here and I loved it. The facility is so clean and the staff are so kind and understanding. The parking was easy but it was early my appointment but there is a parking garage near by. But surprised by the cleanliness because I am a neat freak and I loved it. Awesome 👍🏼😍

  ✭✭✭✭✭ By Roxanne Lucas (2 months ago)

  5 stars. They have some of the funniest looking stairs ever.

  ✭✭✭✭✭ By BryanCerrosRBLX (a month ago)

  Place is not good. No help for the freshmen at all. You go there and you are just lost. No one tells you anything. They didn’t even tell you you needed to waive the medical insurance if you had one, otherwise it was automatic. Horrible environment as well. Every class has corny presentations that you need to do MOSTLY once a week. Not to mention, its a total rip off. Price has skyrocketed over the past years. College ain’t it.

  ✭ By longjohn silver (6 months ago)

Illinois Institute of Technology

• Address: 10 W 35th St, Chicago, IL 60616, United States
• Map: Click here
• Rating: 4.4 (352)
• Phone: +1 312-567-3000
• Website: Link
• Reviews:
  ILLINOIS TECH is a prestigious University. It is not a party school. It has strong academic rules. If you work hard in academics then definitely it is an excellent choice for you.

  ✭✭✭✭✭ By Anirudha Behera (a week ago)

  Decent little 9 hole course. Mostly putter holes, but a fun mix of lines. It’s top quality is that it is lit up enough that you can play it at night, so when winter rolls around, it’s the only place we can go after work.

  ✭✭✭✭ By Sugar (2 months ago)

  This institute is very good acording to study and precticles and all precticles done by student and teachers teach them.
  This institute is do the agriculture and engineering courses.
  So if you are interested then you should try to go and take some details about college.

  ✭✭✭✭ By Vijay Prajapati (2 years ago)

  Great school and really fixed up campus nicely lately. Felt very secure always. Got my MS Computers here really has helped me in my career.

  ✭✭✭✭ By Steven Thompson (a year ago)

  During my trip to Chicago I had the chance to visit this university complex and I was very impressed by the size of the spaces and the amount of activity it offers. I had lunch on campus and visited the Crown Hall, the library and the laboratories.

  ✭✭✭✭✭ By Claudia Compostella (3 years ago)

Southern Illinois University

• Address: 1263 Lincoln Dr, Carbondale, IL 62901, United States
• Map: Click here
• Rating: 4.4 (302)
• Phone: +1 618-453-2121
• Website: Link
• Opening hours:
  Monday: 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM

  Tuesday: 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM

  Wednesday: 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM

  Thursday: 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM

  Friday: 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM

  Saturday: Closed

  Sunday: Closed
• Reviews:
  Great campus and program. Instructors are also caring and knowledgeable!

  ✭✭✭✭✭ By Darin Moore (7 years ago)

  This college has a beautiful campus. With all the different trees and plant life and types of building styles. The dorm rooms are all singles which leaves you with a lot of space for your stuff. The food offered in the dining halls are of wide variety and quite good. If you have a problem in your room, maintenance strives to solve it as quickly as possible. There are a wide variety of services available to the students in whatever area they need help in.

  ✭✭✭✭✭ By Flo Dascotte (a year ago)

  I’m not a student at SIUC, however after attending their Fall Open House, I can safely say that may soon be the case! Beautiful campus with an atmosphere that would make it feel like a home away from home. Their Journalism and Honors programs seem very nice, and although tuition seems a little high, I think scholarships could even that out. I enjoyed my time!

  ✭✭✭✭✭ By Wes (5 years ago)

  The business program is fantastic and has maintained the highest level of business accreditation. Some professors are lacking, but most are absolutely wonderful. Housing is on top of maintenance, the staff is fantastic, and most students are kind and welcoming. MUCH better than U of I

  ✭✭✭✭✭ By Derek Tucker (4 years ago)

  I’m definitely proud to say I graduated from SIU. Went on a tour recently for a family member and the campus looks great! It’s definitely a school where you get out of it what you put in. Reflecting back on things, there were a lot of resources offered that I should have taken advantage of, and now, there are even more resources available to students.

  It’s a great location. Weather is much better than Chicago and there are great state parks nearby.

  ✭✭✭✭✭ By Jake Sanford (6 years ago)

Illinois State University

• Address: 100 N University St, Normal, IL 61761, United States
• Map: Click here
• Rating: 4.5 (265)

Northern Illinois University

• Address: Northeast Illinois, 1425 W Lincoln Hwy, DeKalb, IL 60115, United States
• Map: Click here
• Rating: 4.2 (253)

Thank you for reading! We hope this list helps you find the best universities in Illinois. If you have any additional information, please leave a comment below!