2026 Best Geography Schools in Illinois
Geography programs are offered at a focused set of schools across the country. 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 18 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for geography students pursuing a degree.
What’s on this page:
Best Schools for Geography 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 geography degrees they offer, see the list below.
Top Schools in Geography
Illinois State University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in geography. Illinois State University is a very large public school located in the suburb of Normal. The six-year graduation rate is 64%. About 22 geography degrees were awarded at Illinois State University in the most recent year. Geography graduates of Illinois State University earn a median of $34,952 early in their careers. Students borrow a median of $15,500 to complete this degree.
Read more about the geography program at Illinois State University
A rank of #2 makes Northern Illinois University one of the top schools for geography. This large public university is located in the suburb of Dekalb. Northern Illinois University graduates 49% of students within six years. There were roughly 17 geography students who graduated with this degree at Northern Illinois University in the most recent data year. Graduates of the geography program make about $52,308 in their early career. Students borrow a median of $25,209 to complete this degree.
See the full geography program report for Northern Illinois University
View All Geography Rankings >
Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on a blend of student outcomes (graduation rate, post-graduation earnings), affordability, and program focus, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Top Ranked · 18 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.
