2026 Best Electrical Engineering Schools in Illinois
Electrical Engineering 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.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 13 schools to find the best for electrical engineering students.
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Best Schools for Electrical Engineering 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 electrical engineering degrees they offer, see the list below.
Top Schools in Electrical Engineering
Northwestern University tops our 2026 ranking of the best electrical engineering schools. Set in the city of Evanston, Northwestern University is a very large private not-for-profit institution. Roughly 95% of students complete a degree within six years here. Northwestern University awarded about 66 electrical engineering degrees in the most recent data year. Graduates of the electrical engineering program make about $78,551 in their early career. Northwestern University graduates carry a median of $16,616 in student loans.
See the full electrical engineering program report for Northwestern University
University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign is a great choice for students pursuing a degree in electrical engineering, landing the #2 spot this year. Located in the city of Champaign, University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign is a very large public university. About 85% of students finish within six years. There were roughly 425 electrical engineering students who graduated with this degree at University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign in the most recent data year. Graduates of the electrical engineering program make about $99,772 in their early career. Students borrow a median of $21,600 to complete this degree.
Read more about the electrical engineering program at University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign
University Of Illinois At Chicago came in at #3 on our 2026 list of the best electrical engineering schools. University Of Illinois At Chicago is a very large public school located in the city of Chicago. University Of Illinois At Chicago graduates 62% of students within six years. There were roughly 110 electrical engineering students who graduated with this degree at University Of Illinois At Chicago in the most recent data year. Graduates of the electrical engineering program make about $83,287 in their early career. University Of Illinois At Chicago graduates carry a median of $23,500 in student loans.
More information about a degree in electrical engineering from University Of Illinois At Chicago
Illinois Institute Of Technology is one of the finest schools in the country for a degree in electrical engineering, ranking #4. Illinois Institute Of Technology is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago. About 75% of students finish within six years. Illinois Institute Of Technology awarded about 70 electrical engineering degrees in the most recent data year. Graduates of the electrical engineering program make about $69,966 in their early career. Students borrow a median of $25,500 to complete this degree.
Get the full electrical engineering details for Illinois Institute Of Technology
Northern Illinois University came in at #5 on our 2026 list of the best electrical engineering schools. Northern Illinois University is a large public school located in the suburb of Dekalb. The six-year graduation rate is 49%. About 84 electrical engineering degrees were awarded at Northern Illinois University in the most recent year. Soon after graduation, electrical engineering degree recipients from Northern Illinois University generally make around $74,442. Northern Illinois University graduates carry a median of $25,000 in student loans.
Read more about the electrical engineering program at Northern Illinois University
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville placed #6 among the best electrical engineering schools. Set in the suburb of Edwardsville, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a large public institution. The six-year graduation rate is 55%. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville awarded about 33 electrical engineering degrees in the most recent data year. Graduates of the electrical engineering program make about $79,617 in their early career. Typical student debt for the program is $25,113.
More information about a degree in electrical engineering from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Southern Illinois University Carbondale ranked #7 on our 2026 list of the best electrical engineering schools. This large public university is located in the town of Carbondale. Roughly 60% of students complete a degree within six years here. About 26 electrical engineering degrees were awarded at Southern Illinois University Carbondale in the most recent year. Graduates of the electrical engineering program make about $68,670 in their early career. Typical student debt for the program is $19,750.
Read more about the electrical engineering program at Southern Illinois University Carbondale
More Electrical Engineering Rankings
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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 · 13 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.
