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2023 Top Illinois Men's Football Schools

28 Colleges
$36,228 Avg Tuition & Fees*
54% Avg 4-Year Grad Rate*

With all of the options student athletes have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its Best Colleges for Men's Football in Illinois ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

After analyzing 28 schools in Illinois, we came up with our list of those that offered the best educational experiences for Men's Football athletes in Illinois. Instead of depending on subjective information, we focus on objective factors to determine this ranking. These factors include such things as the athletic competitiveness of the school and the school's overall quality. This means that a school must provide students with a great education in addition to having a good sports team if it wants to rank well.

Get more details on our ranking methodology.

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Top Colleges in Illinois for Men's Football athletes in Illinois

See which schools came out on top of our ranking:

1
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

Our analysis found Northwestern University to be the best school for Men’s Football athletes in Illinois in this year’s ranking. This large private not-for-profit school is located in Evanston, Illinois, and it awarded 2,688 bachelor’s degrees in . Northwestern brought in $58,918,531 while tallying up $32,910,340 in expenses for its Men’s Football team. So, the team made money for the school, bringing in $26,008,191 in profit. The great academic progress rate of 995 shows that team members perform well in the classroom, too. With a freshman retention rate of 99%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. In addition to its Best Colleges for Men’s Football in Illinois ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Northwestern is ranked #1 for overall quality in Illinois. Full Northwestern University Sports Report

2
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University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

A rank of #2 on our list means University of Chicago is a great place for Men’s Football athletes in Illinois working on their bachelor’s degree. UChicago is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In , this school awarded 2,425 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates. Speaking financially, the Men’s Football team at UChicago took home $676,204 in revenue. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a bachelor’s degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. In addition to its Best Colleges for Men’s Football in Illinois ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, UChicago is ranked #2 for overall quality in Illinois. Read More…

3
Wheaton College Illinois crest
Wheaton College Illinois
Wheaton, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best athletes around if you attend Wheaton College Illinois. The school came in at #3 in this year’s ranking. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Wheaton, Illinois, and it awarded 648 bachelor’s degrees in . On the financial side of things, the Men’s Football team at Wheaton College Illinois made $724,343 in revenue. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. Wheaton College Illinois also took the #4 spot in our overall quality rankings. Full Wheaton College Illinois Sports Report

4
Illinois Wesleyan crest
Illinois Wesleyan University
Bloomington, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best athletes around if you attend Illinois Wesleyan University. The school came in at #4 in this year’s ranking. Located in Bloomington, Illinois, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 404 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in . On the financial side of things, the Men’s Football team at Illinois Wesleyan made $496,188 in revenue. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Illinois Wesleyan also is in the top 10% of our overall quality ranking. Read full sports report on Illinois Wesleyan University

5
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Augustana College
Rock Island, Illinois

The excellent sports programs at Augustana College helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools for Men’s Football athletes in Illinois. Augustana is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Rock Island, Illinois. It awarded 755 bachelor’s degrees in . The Men’s Football team at Augustana brought home $606,591 in revenue in a single year. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Augustana also is in the top 20% of our overall quality ranking. Read More…

6
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Knox College
Galesburg, Illinois

Knox College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Men’s Football in Illinois ranking. Knox is located in Galesburg, Illinois and, has a small student population. In , this school awarded 332 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates. Speaking financially, the Men’s Football team at Knox took home $435,300 in revenue. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Knox also is in the top 20% of our overall quality ranking. Read full sports report on Knox College

7
Lake Forest crest
Lake Forest College
Lake Forest, Illinois

With a ranking of #7, Lake Forest College did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Men’s Football in Illinois ranking. Lake Forest is located in Lake Forest, Illinois and, has a small student population. In , this school awarded 466 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates. The Men’s Football team at Lake Forest brought home $457,183 in revenue in a single year. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Read full sports report on Lake Forest College

8
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North Central College
Naperville, Illinois

North Central College landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Men’s Football in Illinois ranking. Naperville, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 653 students in . The Men’s Football team at North Central made $964,301 in revenue, while incurring $840,412 in expenses. Thus, the team actually made $123,889, which isn’t bad at all. Read More…

9

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Men’s Football in Illinois ranking, coming in at #9. This large public school is located in Champaign, Illinois, and it awarded 9,150 bachelor’s degrees in . The Men’s Football team at UIUC made $63,208,225 in revenue, while incurring $29,035,738 in expenses. So, the team made money for the school, bringing in $34,172,487 in profit. The academic progress rate of the team is 970. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. UIUC also took the #3 spot in our overall quality rankings. Read More…

10
Elmhurst crest
Elmhurst University
Elmhurst, Illinois

Elmhurst University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Colleges for Men’s Football in Illinois list. Elmhurst is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Elmhurst, Illinois. It awarded 831 bachelor’s degrees in . Speaking financially, the Men’s Football team at Elmhurst took home $572,879 in revenue. Full Elmhurst University Sports Report

11
Illinois College crest
Illinois College
Jacksonville, Illinois

Illinois College did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Men’s Football in Illinois ranking, coming in at #11. Illinois College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Jacksonville, Illinois. It awarded 323 bachelor’s degrees in . Speaking financially, the Men’s Football team at Illinois College took home $438,125 in revenue. Read More…

12

Illinois State University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Colleges for Men’s Football in Illinois list. Illinois State University is a large public school located in Normal, Illinois that handed out 4,495 bachelor’s degrees in . Speaking financially, the Men’s Football team at Illinois State took home $4,742,299 in revenue. The academic progress rate of the team is 962. Read More…

13
Monmouth crest
Monmouth College
Monmouth, Illinois

Monmouth College came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Men’s Football in Illinois ranking. Monmouth is a private not-for-profit institution located in Monmouth, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 189 bachelor’s degrees in . On the financial side of things, the Men’s Football team at Monmouth made $336,660 in revenue. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Read full sports report on Monmouth College

14
Millikin crest
Millikin University
Decatur, Illinois

With a ranking of #14, Millikin University did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Men’s Football in Illinois ranking. Millikin is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Decatur, Illinois. It awarded 414 bachelor’s degrees in . The team at Millikin took home $677,474 in revenue and paid out $671,915 in expenses in recent times. Thus, the team actually made $5,559, which isn’t bad at all. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Read full sports report on Millikin University

15
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North Park University
Chicago, Illinois

With a ranking of #15, North Park University did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Men’s Football in Illinois ranking. North Park is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 369 bachelor’s degrees in . The Men’s Football team at North Park brought home $548,083 in revenue in a single year. Read full sports report on North Park University

16

Northern Illinois University did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Men’s Football in Illinois ranking, coming in at #16. Located in Dekalb, Illinois, the fairly large public school awarded 2,844 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in . On the financial side of things, the Men’s Football team at NIU made $7,600,688 in revenue. The team has a respectable academic progress rate of 962. Full Northern Illinois University Sports Report

17
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Benedictine University
Lisle, Illinois

Benedictine University landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Men’s Football in Illinois ranking. Located in Lisle, Illinois, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 686 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in . The Men’s Football team at Benedictine U made $468,535 in revenue, while incurring $444,961 in expenses. Thus, the team actually made $23,574, which isn’t bad at all. Read More…

18
Aurora crest
Aurora University
Aurora, Illinois

Aurora University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Men’s Football in Illinois ranking. Aurora is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Aurora, Illinois. It awarded 1,249 bachelor’s degrees in . The Men’s Football team at Aurora brought home $595,317 in revenue in a single year. Full Aurora University Sports Report

19
Greenville crest
Greenville University
Greenville, Illinois

Greenville University ranked #19 on this year’s Best Colleges for Men’s Football in Illinois list. Located in Greenville, Illinois, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 205 bachelor’s degrees in . Greenville brought in $310,401 while tallying up $296,084 in expenses for its Men’s Football team. That boils down to a yearly profit of $14,317 for the sports team. Read full sports report on Greenville University

20
EIU crest
Eastern Illinois University
Charleston, Illinois

Eastern Illinois University ranked #20 on this year’s Best Colleges for Men’s Football in Illinois list. Located in Charleston, Illinois, the medium-sized public school awarded 1,132 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in . Speaking financially, the Men’s Football team at EIU took home $2,989,810 in revenue. The academic progress rate of the team is 930. Read More…

21
Concordia University, Chicago crest
Concordia University, Chicago
River Forest, Illinois

With a ranking of #21, Concordia University, Chicago did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Men’s Football in Illinois ranking. Concordia University, Chicago is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in River Forest, Illinois. It awarded 329 bachelor’s degrees in . The Men’s Football team at Concordia University, Chicago made $473,086 in revenue, while incurring $471,314 in expenses. That boils down to a yearly profit of $1,772 for the sports team. Read More…

22
Eureka College crest
Eureka College
Eureka, Illinois

Eureka College landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Men’s Football in Illinois ranking. Eureka, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 143 students in . Speaking financially, the Men’s Football team at Eureka College took home $189,373 in revenue. Read full sports report on Eureka College

23

Western Illinois University did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Men’s Football in Illinois ranking, coming in at #23. WIU is located in Macomb, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In , this school awarded 1,237 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates. On the financial side of things, the Men’s Football team at WIU made $3,104,498 in revenue. The team has a respectable academic progress rate of 959. Read full sports report on Western Illinois University

24
25
Rockford crest
Rockford University
Rockford, Illinois

With a ranking of #25, Rockford University did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Men’s Football in Illinois ranking. Rockford is located in Rockford, Illinois and, has a small student population. In , this school awarded 254 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates. The Men’s Football team at Rockford brought home $360,302 in revenue in a single year. Read More…

Best Colleges for Men's Football in the Great Lakes Region

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Notes and References

Footnotes

*Avg Tuition and Fees and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top 25 schools only.

References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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