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2023 Most Focused Colleges for Engineering in Illinois

60 Ranked Colleges
6,585 Degrees Awarded
$29,400 Avg Cost*
Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in Illinois

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its “Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in Illinois” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2020-2021, 198,468 engineering students received their degree, making the major the 7th most popular in the country. In 2019-2020, engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $68,653 and had an average of $23,855 in loans still to pay off.

Across Illinois, there were 6,585 engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $68,398 and $22,915 respectively.

For this year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in Illinois” ranking, we looked at 60 colleges that offer a degree in engineering. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their engineering program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.

For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in Illinois” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in Illinois

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois engineering students.

Top 25 Most Focused Colleges for Engineering in Illinois

1

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Illinois Institute of Technology. The school came in at #1 for the Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in Illinois. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s engineering degrees to 606 students in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.9% 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%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full Illinois Institute of Technology Engineering Report

2

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in Illinois list. Located in Champaign, Illinois, this large public school awarded 2,695 diplomas to qualified ’s engineering students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Engineering at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

3
Bradley crest
Bradley University
Peoria, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Bradley University. The school came in at #3 for the Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in Illinois. Located in Peoria, Illinois, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 195 diplomas to qualified ’s engineering students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Full Bradley University Engineering Report

4

Out of the 60 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this large public school handed out 877 degrees to qualified ’s engineering students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full UIC Engineering Report

5

Out of the 60 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville landed the #5 spot on the list. SIUE is a fairly large public school situated in Edwardsville, Illinois. It awarded 299 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Engineering at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

6
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Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

With a ranking of #6, Northwestern University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in Illinois list. Located in Evanston, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 813 diplomas to qualified ’s engineering students in 2020-2021.

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%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. 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 more about Engineering at Northwestern University

7

With a ranking of #7, Northern Illinois University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in Illinois list. NIU is a public institution located in Dekalb, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 298 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Northern Illinois University Engineering Report

8

Southern Illinois University Carbondale came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in Illinois ranking. SIUC is a fairly large school located in Carbondale, Illinois that handed out 192 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Engineering at Southern Illinois University Carbondale

9
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Olivet Nazarene University
Bourbonnais, Illinois

Olivet Nazarene University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #9. Olivet Nazarene University is located in Bourbonnais, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 48 ’s engineering degrees to qualified students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Engineering at Olivet Nazarene

10
Principia crest
Principia College
Elsah, Illinois

With a ranking of #10, Principia College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in Illinois list. Elsah, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s engineering degrees to 2 students in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Engineering at Principia

11
Rock Valley College crest
Rock Valley College
Rockford, Illinois

Rock Valley College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #11. Rock Valley College is a public institution located in Rockford, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 31 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Engineering at Rock Valley College

12
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Parkland College
Champaign, Illinois

Parkland College ranked #12 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in Illinois list. Champaign, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s engineering degrees to 29 students in 2020-2021.

Read more about Engineering at Parkland College

13

With a ranking of #13, City Colleges of Chicago - Wilbur Wright College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in Illinois list. This medium-sized school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 27 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Engineering at Wilbur Wright College

14
Greenville crest
Greenville University
Greenville, Illinois

Greenville University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in Illinois ranking. Greenville is a small school located in Greenville, Illinois that handed out 5 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default 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.

Full Greenville Engineering Report

15
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Oakton Community College
Des Plaines, Illinois

Oakton Community College landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in Illinois ranking. Oakton Community College is a public institution located in Des Plaines, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 26 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.4% 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 Engineering at Oakton Community College

16
Wheaton College Illinois crest
Wheaton College Illinois
Wheaton, Illinois

Wheaton College Illinois landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in Illinois ranking. Wheaton, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s engineering degrees to 10 students in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% 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%. 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.

Read full report on Engineering at Wheaton College Illinois

17

Western Illinois University ranked #17 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in Illinois list. Western Illinois University is a medium-sized school located in Macomb, Illinois that handed out 24 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Engineering at Western Illinois University

18
ICC crest
Illinois Central College
East Peoria, Illinois

Illinois Central College landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in Illinois ranking. Illinois Central College is a public institution located in East Peoria, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 13 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Engineering at ICC

19
Loyola Chicago crest
Loyola University Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

Loyola University Chicago landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in Illinois ranking. Loyola University Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 53 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Read full report on Engineering at Loyola University Chicago

20
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College of DuPage
Glen Ellyn, Illinois

College of DuPage came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in Illinois ranking. COD is located in Glen Ellyn, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 31 ’s engineering degrees to qualified students.

Read full report on Engineering at College of DuPage

21
UChicago crest
University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

University of Chicago landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in Illinois ranking. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s engineering degrees to 55 students in 2020-2021.

The impressive undergraduate 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. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.0% 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 100%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Engineering at University of Chicago

22
Kishwaukee College crest
Kishwaukee College
Malta, Illinois

Kishwaukee College landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in Illinois ranking. Kishwaukee College is a small public school situated in Malta, Illinois. It awarded 6 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Engineering at Kishwaukee College

23
Harper College crest
William Rainey Harper College
Palatine, Illinois

William Rainey Harper College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #23. This fairly large school is located in Palatine, Illinois, and it awarded 35 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Engineering at William Rainey Harper College

24
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, Illinois

With a ranking of #24, DePaul University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in Illinois list. DePaul is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 48 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full DePaul Engineering Report

25
ECC crest
Elgin Community College
Elgin, Illinois

With a ranking of #25, Elgin Community College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Engineering Major in Illinois list. Elgin Community College is a public institution located in Elgin, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 16 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Elgin Community College Engineering Report

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