2021 Best Colleges for International Students in Illinois
48
Colleges
$37,116
Avg Tuition & Fees*
54%
Avg 4-Year Grad Rate*
When it comes to choosing a college, international students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our Best Colleges for International Students in Illinois ranking is part of that endeavor.
After analyzing 48 schools in Illinois, we came up with our list of those that offered the best educational experiences for international students in Illinois. Our ranking is based on several objective factors, including the school's overall quality and the total number of international students at the school. We steer clear of subjective measures since they don't give a clear picture when determining how one school compares to another.
Learn more about our ranking methodology.
One Size Does Not Fit All
We've developed a number of other tools and rankings to help you make your college decision. Start by filtering this list by location and then explore our other rankings that feature schools great for different groups of students such as online students or returnings adults.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
Top Colleges in Illinois for International Students
See which schools came out on top of our ranking:
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign tops this year’s ranking as the best school for international students in Illinois. UIUC is a public institution located in Champaign, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 9,305 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
International students make up 19.2% of the total student body at the school. Students studying at UIUC come from such countries as China, India, and South Korea.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at Northwestern University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools for international students in Illinois. Located in Evanston, Illinois, the large private not-for-profit school awarded 2,722 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
International students make up 16.3% of the total student body at the school. Students from as far away as China, India, and South Korea come to Northwestern to study.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.
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A rank of #3 on our list means University of Chicago is a great place for international students in Illinois working on their bachelor’s degree. UChicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 2,163 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
International students make up 26.6% of the total student body at the school. Students studying at UChicago come from such countries as China, India, and South Korea.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 100%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on University of Chicago
The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at Illinois Institute of Technology helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools for international students in Illinois. Located in Chicago, Illinois, the medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 620 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of the total number of students at the school, 33.9% are international. Students studying at Illinois Tech come from such countries as China, India, and Spain.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read full report on Illinois Institute of Technology
A rank of #5 on our list means University of Illinois at Chicago is a great place for international students in Illinois working on their bachelor’s degree. UIC is a large public school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 5,247 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
International students make up 10.4% of the total student body at the school. Students studying at UIC come from such countries as India, China, and Iran.
Full University of Illinois at Chicago Report
DePaul University landed the #6 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for international Students in Illinois. Located in Chicago, Illinois, the large private not-for-profit school awarded 3,335 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
Around 5.1% of the total student population at the school is international. The top three countries sending students to study at DePaul are China, India, and Saudi Arabia.
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Bradley University did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for international Students in Illinois ranking, coming in at #7. Located in Peoria, Illinois, the medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 1,287 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
Of the total number of students at the school, 3.1% are international. Students studying at Bradley come from such countries as India, China, and Sudan.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.
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Loyola University Chicago came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for international Students in Illinois ranking. Located in Chicago, Illinois, the fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 3,353 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of the total number of students at the school, 3.8% are international. Students studying at Loyola Chicago come from such countries as China, India, and Saudi Arabia.
Read full report on Loyola University Chicago
Wheaton College Illinois ranked #9 on this year’s Best Colleges for international Students in Illinois list. Located in Wheaton, Illinois, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 661 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
Of the total number of students at the school, 5.7% are international. Students from as far away as China, South Korea, and Philippines come to Wheaton College Illinois to study.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%.
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Illinois Wesleyan University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Colleges for international Students in Illinois list. Illinois Wesleyan is a private not-for-profit institution located in Bloomington, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 393 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 2.8% of the total student population at the school is international. Students studying at Illinois Wesleyan come from such countries as China, Vietnam, and South Korea.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Full Illinois Wesleyan University Report
Principia College ranked #11 on this year’s Best Colleges for international Students in Illinois list. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Elsah, Illinois, and it awarded 102 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 20.9% of the total student population at the school is international. The top three countries sending students to study at Principia are Kenya, Canada, and Brazil.
The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read full report on Principia College
With a ranking of #12, Knox College did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for international Students in Illinois. Galesburg, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 318 students in 2020-2021.
Of the total number of students at the school, 15.8% are international. Students studying at Knox come from such countries as China, Pakistan, and India.
Full Knox College Report
School of the Art Institute of Chicago landed the #13 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for international Students in Illinois. Located in Chicago, Illinois, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 588 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of the total number of students at the school, 30.8% are international. Students from as far away as China, South Korea, and India come to School of the Art Institute of Chicago to study.
The student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read full report on School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Illinois State University did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for international Students in Illinois ranking, coming in at #14. Illinois State is located in Normal, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 4,745 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
Of the total number of students at the school, 2.6% are international. The top three countries sending students to study at Illinois State are India, Panama, and China.
Read full report on Illinois State University
University of Illinois at Springfield did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for international Students in Illinois ranking, coming in at #15. UIS is a small public school situated in Springfield, Illinois. It awarded 607 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
International students make up 6.2% of the total student body at the school. The top three countries sending students to study at UIS are India, China, and Saudi Arabia.
Full University of Illinois at Springfield Report
Lake Forest College landed the #16 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for international Students in Illinois. Lake Forest is located in Lake Forest, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 449 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
International students make up 13.2% of the total student body at the school. Students studying at Lake Forest come from such countries as China, Canada, and Swaziland.
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Lewis University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for international Students in Illinois ranking. Lewis is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Romeoville, Illinois. It awarded 1,119 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of the total number of students at the school, 2.5% are international. Students from as far away as Saudi Arabia, India, and China come to Lewis to study.
Full Lewis University Report
With a ranking of #18, Northern Illinois University did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for international Students in Illinois. Located in Dekalb, Illinois, the fairly large public school handed out 3,080 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 4.4% of the total student population at the school is international. The top three countries sending students to study at NIU are India, China, and Saudi Arabia.
Full Northern Illinois University Report
North Central College came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for international Students in Illinois ranking. Located in Naperville, Illinois, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 751 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of the total number of students at the school, 2.9% are international. Students studying at North Central come from such countries as Japan, China, and Vietnam.
Read full report on North Central College
With a ranking of #20, Eastern Illinois University did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for international Students in Illinois. Located in Charleston, Illinois, the medium-sized public school awarded 1,076 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
Around 3.0% of the total student population at the school is international. The top three countries sending students to study at EIU are India, China, and Nigeria.
Read full report on Eastern Illinois University
Southern Illinois University Carbondale did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for international Students in Illinois ranking, coming in at #21. SIUC is a public institution located in Carbondale, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 2,476 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
International students make up 8.1% of the total student body at the school. The top three countries sending students to study at SIUC are India, Saudi Arabia, and China.
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Dominican University landed the #22 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for international Students in Illinois. Dominican University is a small private not-for-profit school located in River Forest, Illinois that handed out 547 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of the total number of students at the school, 1.5% are international. The top three countries sending students to study at Dominican U are Saudi Arabia, China, and Thailand.
Full Dominican University Report
With a ranking of #23, Illinois College did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for international Students in Illinois. Located in Jacksonville, Illinois, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 296 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
Of the total number of students at the school, 2.9% are international. The top three countries sending students to study at Illinois College are Nigeria, China, and Ghana.
Full Illinois College Report
With a ranking of #24, Western Illinois University did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for international Students in Illinois. Macomb, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 1,560 students in 2020-2021.
Around 3.4% of the total student population at the school is international. The top three countries sending students to study at WIU are India, Saudi Arabia, and Nigeria.
Read full report on Western Illinois University
University of St Francis did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for international Students in Illinois ranking, coming in at #25. Located in Joliet, Illinois, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 461 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of the total number of students at the school, 2.0% are international. Students from as far away as China, Saudi Arabia, and India come to University of Saint Francis to study.
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