by our College Data Analytics Team
If you’re seeking a diverse and multi-faceted college experience, you’ve come to the right place. This list highlights 136 schools by geographic diversity in Illinois, using our 2026 methodology.
We measure this ranking on the geographic origins of the student body (how widely students are drawn from across the country and the world). To arm you with the information you need, College Factual reviewed 136 colleges, drawing primarily on U.S. Department of Education data (IPEDS and College Scorecard). Learn more about our ranking methodology.
Not every student measures diversity the same way. Refine the list by location, or explore the overall, racial-ethnic, gender, economic, and age diversity rankings, or other rankings below.
Looking to pit your favorite colleges against each other? Try our tool College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter most to you.
Learn more about these geographically diverse colleges below:
DeVry University-Illinois earned the #1 spot in this year's Most Geographically Diverse Colleges ranking in Illinois. On geographic diversity, it scores 66.9 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 67.5, with a gender-diversity score of 91.9.
Out of the 136 colleges in Illinois in this year's ranking, Northwestern University landed the #2 spot. The school's geographic diversity score is 63.0 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 78.8, with a gender-diversity score of 99.4.
School of the Art Institute of Chicago came in at #3 on this year's Most Geographically Diverse Colleges ranking in Illinois. On geographic diversity, it scores 62.8 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 74.4, and gender diversity 81.7.
You'll find a welcoming community at University of Chicago, which ranked #4 this year. University of Chicago scores 62.6 out of 100 for geographic diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 76.7, with a gender-diversity score of 99.5.
A rank of #5 makes Wheaton College one of the most geographically diverse colleges in Illinois. It scores 62.5 out of 100 for geographic diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 55.4, alongside a 98.8 gender-diversity score.
Moody Bible Institute came in at #6 in this year's ranking. On geographic diversity, it scores 59.8 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 68.7, and gender diversity 99.6.
Principia College landed the #7 spot in Illinois this year. The school's geographic diversity score is 52.6 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 63.4, with a gender-diversity score of 98.0.
Knox College came in at #8 in this year's ranking. On geographic diversity, it scores 47.3 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 69.5, and gender diversity 99.9.
Lake Forest College landed the #9 spot in Illinois this year. Lake Forest College scores 46.3 out of 100 for geographic diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 70.8, with a gender-diversity score of 98.6.
Columbia College Chicago ranked #10 on our 2026 list of the most geographically diverse colleges. On geographic diversity, it scores 45.8 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 67.8, alongside a 96.2 gender-diversity score.
Olivet Nazarene University ranked #11 on our 2026 list of the most geographically diverse colleges. It scores 44.5 out of 100 for geographic diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 59.1, alongside a 96.7 gender-diversity score.
Chamberlain University-Illinois came in at #12 in this year's ranking. It scores 44.3 out of 100 for geographic diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 65.0, alongside a 47.9 gender-diversity score.
Loyola University Chicago landed the #13 spot in Illinois this year. The school's geographic diversity score is 43.7 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 70.0, and gender diversity 90.5.
Quincy University landed the #14 spot in Illinois this year. The school's geographic diversity score is 38.0 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 48.4, and gender diversity 99.7.
DePaul University ranked #15 on our 2026 list of the most geographically diverse colleges. It scores 37.3 out of 100 for geographic diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 74.2, alongside a 99.3 gender-diversity score.
Judson University placed #16 among the most geographically diverse colleges in Illinois. It scores 36.9 out of 100 for geographic diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 70.9, and gender diversity 99.2.
Augustana College earned the #17 position in Illinois. It scores 36.2 out of 100 for geographic diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 59.7, and gender diversity 99.6.
McKendree University earned the #18 position in Illinois. It scores 35.2 out of 100 for geographic diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 62.4, and gender diversity 98.4.
Greenville University placed #19 among the most geographically diverse colleges in Illinois. The school's geographic diversity score is 34.8 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 53.8, with a gender-diversity score of 99.9.
Illinois Institute of Technology landed the #20 spot in Illinois this year. The school's geographic diversity score is 33.8 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 65.5, alongside a 94.7 gender-diversity score.
Roosevelt University ranked #21 on our 2026 list of the most geographically diverse colleges. It scores 32.9 out of 100 for geographic diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 78.2, and gender diversity 95.8.
Eureka College earned the #22 position in Illinois. The school's geographic diversity score is 32.1 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 51.1, and gender diversity 99.9.
Chicago State University landed the #23 spot in Illinois this year. Chicago State University scores 30.3 out of 100 for geographic diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 53.8, alongside a 88.4 gender-diversity score.
Rockford University ranked #24 on our 2026 list of the most geographically diverse colleges. Rockford University scores 29.1 out of 100 for geographic diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 72.4, and gender diversity 98.2.
North Park University placed #25 among the most geographically diverse colleges in Illinois. North Park University scores 27.8 out of 100 for geographic diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 77.4, and gender diversity 97.6.
These colleges rounded out the top of the list:
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
We measure this ranking on the geographic origins of the student body (how widely students are drawn from across the country and the world). The racial-ethnic minorities percentage is calculated by taking the total number of students, subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity is unknown, and dividing by total enrollment.
The ranking above is published by College Factual, 2026 edition.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.
