Colleges in Illinois: acceptance rates and cost
Looking at the 8 Illinois colleges we cover, no college here admitted a smaller share for fall 2023 than University of Chicago, which took 4.8% of its applicants.
Over the decade, Illinois State moved further than any other college here, from 68.9% in fall 2013 to 89.0% by fall 2023, a rise of 20.1 points.
If you live outside Illinois, NIU asks $13,792 of out-of-state students for 2025-26, the lowest figure in the table; Illinois residents pay the same.
The smallest net price for the $0 to $30,000 income band is $394 at University of Chicago, from 2024-25 data, against tuition and fees of $73,962 before aid.
In raw numbers, UIUC leads on applications with 67,398 for fall 2023, up 103% from fall 2013.
As a yardstick, in Illinois, 59 bachelor's colleges reported admissions for fall 2023, with a median admit rate of 76.4%, and the median out-of-state tuition at the state's 12 public bachelor's colleges is $16,364 for 2025-26.
Illinois colleges on AdmitFacts
| College | Admit rate, fall 2023 |
|---|---|
| Northwestern | 7.2% |
| University of Chicago | 4.8% |
| UIUC | 43.7% |
| Loyola Chicago | 81.4% |
| DePaul | 73.5% |
| UIC | 78.5% |
| Illinois State | 89.0% |
| NIU | 70.5% |
Admit rates: IPEDS fall 2023. Tuition and fees: College Scorecard 2025-26; private colleges charge every student the same. Graduation within 6 years: College Scorecard, students who started in 2019. Net price for families earning $0 to $30,000: College Scorecard 2024-25, students with federal aid. State medians cover every operating bachelor's-degree college in the Scorecard file.
Every state median in the summary, with its source field
| Figure | Value | File, field, year |
|---|---|---|
| Median admit rate, Illinois (N = 59) | 76.4% | IPEDS ADM2023, median ADMSSN/APPLCN, bachelor's institutions, fall 2023 |
| Median out-of-state tuition and fees, public colleges, Illinois (N = 12) | $16,364 | College Scorecard, median TUITIONFEE_OUT, public bachelor's institutions, 2025-26 |