Rankings / Online
Best Online Education Programs in Illinois
CollegeRanker Research
What Surprised Us Most
Graduate earnings span a wide band on this list: $42,778 at the low end to $81,054 at the top, a 1.9× spread that underscores how much outcomes vary within a single category.
University of Illinois Chicago offers the strongest payback: graduates earn a median of $68,740 against $10,974 in annual net price, the best earnings-to-cost ratio in this ranking.
Cost and quality aren't at odds here: the most affordable school, University of Illinois Springfield at $9,833 a year in net price, delivers earnings of $57,103 — matching or exceeding the list average.
Completion rates tell a revealing story: Wheaton College graduates 86% of its students, well above the 55% list average. Finishing what you start matters as much as where you start.
Debt-to-earnings ratios highlight University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign: graduates owe only 0.24× their yearly income, the most manageable debt burden on the list.
Surprising Comparisons
- The ranking's top spot belongs to University of St Francis ($63,926 earnings), not the highest earner University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign ($81,054) — a direct result of weighting mobility and value over salary alone.
- Price and payoff diverge sharply: University of Illinois Springfield ($9,833/yr) and Loyola University Chicago ($36,079/yr) produce graduates earning $57,103 and $71,530 respectively — a much narrower earnings gap than the $26,246 cost difference would suggest.
- On a cost-adjusted basis, University of Illinois Chicago outperforms University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign: similar career earnings at a much lower net price.
The Takeaway
What this ranking consistently reveals: the schools that finish at the top do so not by charging more or rejecting more applicants, but by delivering strong earnings, manageable debt, and real mobility — the outcomes that actually define educational value.
What This Means for Students
For students evaluating these schools, begin with University of Illinois Chicago and Wheaton College. Look beyond sticker price: pull each school's net price for your income level, compare it against projected earnings, and let the data — not the brand — guide your decision.
At a Glance
How the Top Schools Compare
| School | Earnings | Net Price | Graduation | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 University of St Francis #1 overall | $63,926 +11% vs avg | $13,006 | 66% | 100 |
| 2 National Louis University #2 overall | $45,799 -21% vs avg | $12,641 | 33% | 100 |
| 3 University of Illinois Springfield #3 overall | $57,103 -1% vs avg | $9,833 | 57% | 100 |
| $58,572 +1% vs avg | $24,717 | 57% | 100 | |
| $58,169 +1% vs avg | $12,329 | 21% | 100 |
Score uses our 4-pillar methodology. Earnings % is vs. this list's average.
See full ranking →Key Findings
Best Online Education Programs in Illinois
Strongest Earnings-to-Cost Ratio: University of Illinois Chicago (Net Price: $10,974 | Graduation Rate: 61%)
Strongest Completion Outcomes: Wheaton College (86% completion rate)
Highest Earnings Generator: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (Median alumni earnings: $81,054)
Data Insight
The most expensive quartile of colleges costs 373% more than the most affordable — but their graduates earn just 34% more.
Why this ranking matters
These schools are ranked on the outcomes that actually compound — graduate earnings, upward mobility, debt, and value — using federal tax-records and Scorecard data rather than reputation surveys. The list rewards results over prestige, led by institutions whose graduates earn a median of about $58K ten years out.
How we measure this — full methodology →How we rank · 4 pillars
Federal-source data only. Build your own weighting →
Educator Pipeline Analysis
What does this ranking tell us about the educator pipeline?
$57,808
Median earnings (10yr)
57%
Median graduation rate
$18,436
Median net price
1.7%
Avg. mobility rate
The teaching profession sits at an uncomfortable intersection: society needs more educators than ever, yet the pay and working conditions make retention a persistent challenge. Education programs are the gateway — they produce licensed teachers who staff classrooms, and the best ones pair pedagogical training with strong clinical practice and placement networks that keep graduates in the profession.
This list of 37 schools tells a data-driven story about outcomes. Graduates earn a median of $57,808 a decade out, or about $9,808 above the $48,000 a typical American worker earns. The median graduation rate is 57%, and the typical net price runs $18,436 a year with about $22,500 in federal debt. Pell grants reach 40% of students on average, and the average mobility rate — students lifted from bottom to top — is 1.7%.
The numbers tell a straightforward story: in education, low debt is as important as a solid paycheck. Graduates earn a median of $57,808 against a typical net price of $18,436 — a ratio that makes cost-conscious program selection essential for anyone entering a mission-driven but modestly compensated profession.
The podium
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Tip: Check the box on any 2–4 schools below to compare them side by side.
Full rankings
Edwardsville, IL · 98% accepted · $14,889 net
Carbondale, IL · 87% accepted · $13,297 net
Champaign, IL · 42% accepted · $14,355 net
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Cut it by what you care about
The same 37 schools, re-ranked by the outcome that matters to you.
Where the programs are
This ranking scores 37 institutions on graduation rates, graduate earnings, debt burdens, and social mobility data from Opportunity Insights. Every data point comes from federal sources. No surveys, no opinions.
Social mobility carries the heaviest weight in our algorithm. We use Raj Chetty's Mobility Report Card — built on 30 million anonymized tax records — to measure whether a college changes a family's economic trajectory across generations. Schools that take low-income students and launch them into higher earnings rank higher than schools that admit wealthy students and take credit for their success.
The transparency penalty matters here. Schools that don't report their data get scored lower than schools that do. If an institution won't show you its numbers, we think you should know that before you write them a tuition check.
The story behind the ranking
A ranking gives you an order; these charts give you the shape. They show how this group of schools spreads across the four things that decide whether a degree pays off — what graduates earn, whether they finish, how far they move up, and what it costs. Look for the standouts, the outliers, and the trade-offs the list alone can't show.
Earnings Outcomes
What graduates earn 10 years after enrolling. Data from College Scorecard.
Distribution of Median Earnings
Earnings vs. Net Price
Top-left = best value. Top-ranked schools are highlighted.
Completion & Access
Graduation rates and who gets in. Data from College Scorecard & IPEDS.
Graduation Rates
Pell Grant Rate vs. Graduation Rate
Right = more low-income students. Higher = more graduate.
What the Mobility Data Says
The backbone of this ranking is social-mobility data from Raj Chetty's Mobility Report Card, drawing on over 30 million tax records. Among the 28 schools on this list with available data, the typical mobility rate — the share of students who move from the bottom income quintile to the top — averages 1.7%. Chicago State University leads the group at 3.7%, with Northeastern Illinois University (3.2%) and Roosevelt University (3.2%) close behind.
Who gets in matters as much as what happens after. Across these schools, an average of 7.2% of students start in the bottom income quintile. Chicago State University leads at 25.7% — evidence of genuine access, not just selective enrollment of already-advantaged students. Schools that pair high access with high mobility are the ones driving real generational change.
Once low-income students enroll, their odds of reaching the top income quintile average 25.6% across this list. DePaul University posts the highest success rate at 43% — a reminder that access without completion and career momentum is an incomplete picture.
Social capital — measured by economic connectedness, or the degree of cross-class friendships on campus — is another dimension Opportunity Insights ties to long-run outcomes. Across these schools it averages 1.63 (1.0 is the national benchmark); Loyola University Chicago reaches 1.80, the highest on the list.
Mobility, access, and social-capital figures from Raj Chetty's Mobility Report Card & the Opportunity Insights Social Capital Atlas.
Cost & Debt
What families actually pay and what students owe. Data from College Scorecard.
Median Debt at Graduation
Frequently Asked Questions
Best Online Education Programs in Illinois: Your Questions, Answered
What is the #1 school in the Best Online Education Programs in Illinois ranking? +
University of St Francis in Joliet, IL ranks #1 in our 2026 Best Online Education Programs in Illinois ranking. It earns the top spot on the strength of a median $63,926 in graduate earnings ten years out and a 66% graduation rate. Our score is built entirely from federal data — graduation rates, graduate earnings, debt, and social-mobility figures — not reputation surveys.
Which school has the highest graduate earnings? +
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign posts the highest median earnings on this list at $81,054 ten years after enrollment — well above the $57,795 average across the 37 ranked schools with earnings data. Strong earnings relative to cost are what separate a degree that pays off from one that doesn't.
Which school offers the best value? +
On a pure return-on-cost basis, University of Illinois Chicago leads: graduates earn a median $68,740 against net price of about $10,974 a year, the strongest earnings-to-cost ratio in the ranking. Value-minded applicants should weigh that payback against sticker price, not just prestige.
Which school has the highest graduation rate? +
Wheaton College has the highest graduation rate in this ranking at 86%, compared with a 55% average across the list. Completion matters because the students who finish are the ones who actually capture the earnings and mobility gains a degree promises.
How much does it cost to attend these schools? +
The average net price — what students actually pay after grants and scholarships — is about $18,101 a year across the 37 ranked schools with cost data, with University of Illinois Springfield among the most affordable at roughly $9,833. Net price is a far better guide to affordability than the published sticker price.
How is the Best Online Education Programs in Illinois ranking calculated? +
We score every school on a four-pillar algorithm: economic outcomes (graduate earnings and debt), social mobility (Raj Chetty's Mobility Report Card, built on more than 30 million anonymized tax records), academic quality (graduation and retention), and value (net price and loan burden). Social mobility carries the heaviest weight, so schools that lift low-income students into higher earnings rank above those that simply admit wealthy students. Every input comes from federal data, and schools that withhold their numbers are scored lower for it.
How many schools are ranked and where does the data come from? +
This ranking evaluates 37 institutions using the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard, the Opportunity Insights Mobility Report Card and Social Capital Atlas, Times Higher Education, and NCES IPEDS. There are no opinion surveys or paid placements — the order is determined by the data alone and refreshed as new federal figures are released.
Sources & Citations
David Krug
Co-Founder, CollegeRanker
David Krug is the co-founder of CollegeRanker and a data systems architect focused on making institutional research accessible to families. He builds the data pipelines and ranking algorithms that power CollegeRanker, drawing from federal datasets and Raj Chetty's Opportunity Insights research to measure what traditional rankings ignore: whether a college actually changes a family's economic trajectory.
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