10 Best Colleges in Illinois for 2025 Includes Legendary Schools

If you are looking for the best education possible at the college level, you could do a lot worse than choosing one of the 10 best colleges in Illinois for 2025 as it's a who's who list of legendary schools.

I will admit that I'm a peculiar messenger for this list since I did not complete my college education. I was studying computer science in 1984 in my first year of college while also doing a full-time radio gig. I had to pick one or the other and guess which one I chose? Spoiler Alert - becoming a computer major back in 1984 would likely have resulted in me driving a Lamborghini right now, but that's a discussion for a different day.

The good news for you is this is not my list. It's the very prestigious US News & World Report Best Colleges in Illinois for 2025 ranking.

For the record, Northwestern also comes in at #6 for the overall best colleges in America countdown. When you have list that includes DePaul, Loyola and Bradley, you know you're dealing with iconic places of higher education. It seriously made me wonder if I should have shut my mouth (literally) back in 1984 and buckled down on those computer studies. Now, where did I park that Lamborghini anyway?