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2023 Most Popular Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Education in Illinois

24 Ranked Colleges
562 Degrees Awarded
$90,265 Avg Salary
Most Well Attended Education Major in Illinois for a Doctorate

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Most Well Attended Education Major in Illinois for a Doctorate” ranking is part of that endeavor.

With 327,871 degrees handed out in 2020-2021, education is the 4th most popular major in the United States. In 2019-2020, education graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $46,202 and had an average of $24,437 in loans still to pay off.

Across Illinois, there were 10,730 education graduates with average earnings and debt of $49,951 and $25,324 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 562 education graduates with average earnings and debt of $81,698 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Most Well Attended Education Major in Illinois for a Doctorate” ranking analyzed 24 colleges that offered a degree in education. This ranking identifies schools that graduate the most students in education.

See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Most Well Attended Education Major in Illinois for a Doctorate” list to help you make the college decision.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest 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.

Most Well Attended Education Major in Illinois for a Doctorate

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois doctor’s degree education students.

1
Concordia University, Chicago crest
Concordia University, Chicago
River Forest, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Concordia University, Chicago. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in Illinois for a Doctorate list. Concordia University, Chicago is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in River Forest, Illinois. It awarded 83 doctorate’s education degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Education at Concordia University, Chicago

2
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National Louis University
Chicago, Illinois

Out of the 24 schools in the Most Well Attended Education Major in Illinois for a Doctorate that were part of this year’s ranking, National Louis University landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 77 degrees to qualified doctorate’s education students in 2020-2021.

Full NLU Education Report

3

Out of the 24 schools in the Most Well Attended Education Major in Illinois for a Doctorate that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Champaign, Illinois, this large public school handed out 75 degrees to qualified doctorate’s education students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Read full report on Education at UIUC

4

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northern Illinois University. The school came in at #4 for the Most Well Attended Education Major in Illinois for a Doctorate. Northern Illinois University is a fairly large public school situated in Dekalb, Illinois. It awarded 56 doctorate’s education degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Education at Northern Illinois University

5
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Aurora University
Aurora, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Aurora University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in Illinois for a Doctorate list. Located in Aurora, Illinois, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 30 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s education students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Aurora Education Report

6
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University of St Francis
Joliet, Illinois

University of St Francis came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Education Major in Illinois for a Doctorate ranking. Located in Joliet, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 28 degrees to qualified doctorate’s education students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Education at University of St Francis

6

With a ranking of #6, University of Illinois at Chicago did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in Illinois for a Doctorate list. UIC is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 28 doctorate’s education degrees to qualified students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about Education at UIC

8
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, Illinois

DePaul University ranked #8 on this year’s Most Well Attended Education Major in Illinois for a Doctorate list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 23 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s education students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full DePaul Education Report

8

Illinois State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in Illinois for a Doctorate ranking, coming in at #8. Located in Normal, Illinois, this large public school handed out 23 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s education students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Illinois State Education Report

10

Southern Illinois University Carbondale ranked #10 on this year’s Most Well Attended Education Major in Illinois for a Doctorate list. Located in Carbondale, Illinois, this fairly large public school awarded 17 degrees to qualified doctorate’s education students in 2020-2021.

Read more about Education at SIUC

11

Western Illinois University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Education Major in Illinois for a Doctorate ranking. Macomb, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s education degrees to 14 students in 2020-2021.

Full Western Illinois University Education Report

12
Olivet Nazarene crest
Olivet Nazarene University
Bourbonnais, Illinois

Olivet Nazarene University ranked #12 on this year’s Most Well Attended Education Major in Illinois for a Doctorate list. Bourbonnais, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s education degrees to 10 students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read full report on Education at Olivet Nazarene

12
Loyola Chicago crest
Loyola University Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

Loyola University Chicago ranked #12 on this year’s Most Well Attended Education Major in Illinois for a Doctorate list. Loyola Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 10 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Loyola Chicago Education Report

14
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Governors State University
University Park, Illinois

Governors State University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Education Major in Illinois for a Doctorate ranking. Located in University Park, Illinois, this small public school handed out 8 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s education students in 2020-2021.

Read more about Education at Governors State University

14

With a ranking of #14, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Chicago did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in Illinois for a Doctorate list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s education degrees to 8 students in 2020-2021.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about Education at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Chicago

14
Judson crest
Judson University
Elgin, Illinois

Judson University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in Illinois for a Doctorate ranking, coming in at #14. Judson University is a small school located in Elgin, Illinois that handed out 8 doctorate’s education degrees in 2020-2021.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full Judson Education Report

14

With a ranking of #14, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in Illinois for a Doctorate list. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a fairly large public school situated in Edwardsville, Illinois. It awarded 8 doctorate’s education degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Education at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

14
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McKendree University
Lebanon, Illinois

With a ranking of #14, McKendree University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in Illinois for a Doctorate list. This small school is located in Lebanon, Illinois, and it awarded 8 doctorate’s education degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read full report on Education at McKendree

19
CSU crest
Chicago State University
Chicago, Illinois

Chicago State University landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in Illinois for a Doctorate ranking. This small school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 6 doctorate’s education degrees in 2020-2021.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read more about Education at CSU

20
Lewis crest
Lewis University
Romeoville, Illinois

Lewis University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Education Major in Illinois for a Doctorate ranking. Located in Romeoville, Illinois, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 5 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s education students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Education at Lewis

21
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Benedictine University
Lisle, Illinois

Benedictine University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Education Major in Illinois for a Doctorate ranking. This small school is located in Lisle, Illinois, and it awarded 4 doctorate’s education degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read full report on Education at Benedictine U

22
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

Northwestern University landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in Illinois for a Doctorate ranking. Located in Evanston, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 2 degrees to qualified doctorate’s education students in 2020-2021.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Education at Northwestern University

23
Roosevelt crest
Roosevelt University
Chicago, Illinois

Roosevelt University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in Illinois for a Doctorate ranking, coming in at #23. Roosevelt University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 1 doctorate’s education degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Education at Roosevelt University

24

Illinois Institute of Technology did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in Illinois for a Doctorate ranking, coming in at #24. This medium-sized school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 0 doctorate’s education degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full Illinois Tech Education Report

Notes and References

References

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