2026 Best Urban Education & Leadership Schools in Illinois
Urban Education & Leadership is a field worth a close look when choosing where to study. While the number of schools offering the program varies, there are still top-quality ones to be found.
For its 2026 ranking, College Factual looked at 3 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for urban education & leadership students pursuing a degree.
What’s on this page:
Best Schools for Urban Education & Leadership in Illinois
If you are not interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the urban education & leadership degrees they offer, see the list below.
Top Schools in Urban Education & Leadership
No school ranked higher than University Of Illinois At Chicago this year for urban education & leadership. This very large public university is located in the city of Chicago. Roughly 62% of students complete a degree within six years here. There were roughly 20 urban education & leadership students who graduated with this degree at University Of Illinois At Chicago in the most recent data year. Graduates of the urban education & leadership program make about $61,834 in their early career. Students borrow a median of $20,115 to complete this degree.
See the full urban education & leadership program report for University Of Illinois At Chicago
Northeastern Illinois University came in at #2 on our 2026 list of the best urban education & leadership schools. Located in the city of Chicago, Northeastern Illinois University is a moderately-sized public university. Northeastern Illinois University graduates 22% of students within six years. Northeastern Illinois University awarded about 10 urban education & leadership degrees in the most recent data year. Urban Education & Leadership graduates of Northeastern Illinois University earn a median of $82,842 early in their careers. Typical student debt for the program is $17,600.
Read more about the urban education & leadership program at Northeastern Illinois University
Rockford College is one of the finest schools in the country for a degree in urban education & leadership, ranking #3. Located in the city of Rockford, Rockford College is a small private not-for-profit university. Roughly 47% of students complete a degree within six years here. Rockford College awarded about 18 urban education & leadership degrees in the most recent data year. Students who receive their urban education & leadership degree from Rockford College earn around $73,751 in the first couple years of their career. Typical student debt for the program is $28,094.
Read more about the urban education & leadership program at Rockford College
More Urban Education & Leadership Rankings
View All Urban Education & Leadership Rankings >
Notes and References
This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs graduation rate, post-graduation earnings, cost, and program quality, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Top Ranked · 3 schools evaluated.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
