ILLINOIS — Princeton College Review just released its ranking of the 391 best colleges in America, and 12 are in Illinois.
The schools on the 2026 Best Colleges list aren’t ranked; however, the top 25 colleges were ranked in 50 categories designed to help guide those making college choices to institutions that best fit their academic and personal needs.
They are also published in The Best 391 Colleges: 2026 Edition (Penguin Random House, $26.99), which went on sale Tuesday.
According to the rankings, the schools from Illinois named are:
- Illinois Institute of Technology (Chicago) — 3,135 full-time enrollment
- Loyola University Chicago (Chicago) — 12,538 full-time enrollment
- DePaul University (Chicago) — 14,188 full-time enrollment
- The University of Chicago (Chicago) — 7,519 full-time enrollment
- University of St. Francis (Joliet) — 1,306 full-time enrollment
- Northwestern University (Evanston) — 8,846 full-time enrollment
- Wheaton College (Wheaton) — 2,150 full-time enrollment
- Knox College (Galesburg) — 1,136 full-time enrollment
- Bradley University (Peoria) — 3,596 full-time enrollment
- Illinois Wesleyan University (Bloomington) — 1,582 full-time enrollment
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (Champaign) — 35,564 full-time enrollment
- Lake Forest College (Lake Forest) — 1,814 full-time enrollment
All the ranking lists are based on The Princeton Review’s surveys of students attending the schools in the book who rate their own colleges on dozens of topics and report on their campus experiences at them. The rankings are based on data from the company’s surveys of 170,000 students at the 391 schools in the book (about 435 per school on average). The surveys were conducted in 2024–25 and/or the previous two academic years.
“We don’t rank colleges based on our opinion of them, nor would we crown a school ‘best’ overall. It is what the students attending the colleges in this book tell us about their experiences at their schools that determines on which lists the schools appear in our book.”
A new ranking list — Most Politically Moderate Students — was added to the project this year in consideration of the rising political polarization in the country. It, as well as two related lists that have long been in the book — Most Politically Liberal Students and Most Politically Conservative Students — is based on a survey question that asks students their assessment of their personal political views.
Among colleges from Illinois on the list that received high marks in specific categories were:
- Illinois Institute of Technology — Best College Radio Station (ranked No. 14)
- Loyola University Chicago — Top 50 Green Colleges (No. 12)
- DePaul College — Top Midwest Entrepreneurship UGrad (No. 5)
- The University of Chicago — Top 50 Best Value Colleges Private Schools (No. 34)
- University of St. Francis — Best Science Lab Facilities (No. 11)
- Northwestern University — Best College Theater (No. 9)
- Wheaton College — Most Religious Students (No. 7)
- Bradley University — Top Midwest Game Design UGrad (No. 4)
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign — Top 20 Value Colleges without aid Public Schools (No. 4)
- Lake Forest College — Best Health Services (No. 2)
A special feature in the new edition of the book identifies colleges in the book with compelling distinctions based on data from The Princeton Review’s institutional survey for the project. Among them are:
- Highest Average Need-Based Scholarships — $74,113 / Williams College (MA)
- Lowest Public School In-state Tuition & Fees — $6,368 / University of South Florida
- Lowest Average Undergraduate Debt — $7,242 / City University of New York: City College
- Most Diverse Student Body — City University of New York: Brooklyn College
“The colleges we profile in our ‘Best Colleges’ book are a truly select group. They constitute only about 15 percent of America’s nearly 2,400 four-year institutions,” Franek said. “While they vary by locale, type, size, and campus culture, each one offers its students an academically outstanding undergraduate education. In our opinion, they are the nation’s best undergraduate colleges and ideal choices for students seeking their ‘best-fit’ college.”
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