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2025 Best Finance Schools in Illinois

26 Colleges in Illinois
2,095 Finance Degrees Awarded
Finance is of the hottest degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #11 most popular major in the country. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.

For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 26 schools in Illinois to determine which ones were the best for finance students pursuing a degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 2,095 degrees in finance annually.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Finance School

Best Finance Schools in Illinois The finance program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Finance rankings. For our Best Overall Finance School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Finance Rankings by Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in Finance
Master's Degrees in Finance

The finance school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Finance Schools in Illinois. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.

Best Schools for Finance in Illinois

The schools below may not offer all types of finance degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

10 Top Illinois Schools in Finance

1
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
9th Most Popular In IL
351 Finance Degrees Awarded

Northwestern University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in finance. Northwestern is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Evanston. A Best Colleges rank of #5 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Northwestern is a great university overall.

There were roughly 351 finance students who graduated with this degree at Northwestern in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in finance from Northwestern University

2
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In IL
301 Finance Degrees Awarded

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in finance. Located in the city of Champaign, UIUC is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #41 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UIUC is a great university overall.

There were roughly 301 finance students who graduated with this degree at UIUC in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in finance from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Sponsored
Bachelors Degree Type
BS in Finance Program Name

Managing and quantifying money is at the heart of the online bachelor's degree in finance at SNHU. You'll learn the fundamentals of investments, address key managerial issues, examine ethics from every angle and build the skillset to be a player in the multidimensional business marketplace.

More information about a degree in BS in Finance from Southern New Hampshire University

Related Programs

3
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, IL
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In IL
247 Finance Degrees Awarded

Any student who is interested in finance needs to look into DePaul University. Located in the city of Chicago, DePaul is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #135 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means DePaul is a great university overall.

There were about 247 finance students who graduated with this degree at DePaul in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in finance from DePaul University

4
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
5th Most Popular In IL
146 Finance Degrees Awarded

Every student pursuing a degree in finance has to take a look at Loyola University Chicago. Located in the large city of Chicago, Loyola Chicago is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #100 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Loyola Chicago is a great university overall.

There were roughly 146 finance students who graduated with this degree at Loyola Chicago in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in finance from Loyola University Chicago

5
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
4th Most Popular In IL
161 Finance Degrees Awarded

Located in the suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #210 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Illinois State is a great university overall.

There were about 161 finance students who graduated with this degree at Illinois State in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in finance from Illinois State University

6
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In IL
274 Finance Degrees Awarded

UIC is a very large public university located in the city of Chicago. A Best Colleges rank of #254 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UIC is a great university overall.

There were about 274 finance students who graduated with this degree at UIC in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in finance from University of Illinois at Chicago

7
Augustana crest
Augustana College
Rock Island, IL
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
8th Most Popular In IL

Augustana is a small private not-for-profit college located in the city of Rock Island. This college ranks 21st out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were about 27 finance students who graduated with this degree at Augustana in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in finance from Augustana College

Sponsored
Masters Degree Type
MBA in Finance Program Name

Earn the finance MBA that can fit both your goals and your budget.

More information about a degree in MBA in Finance from Southern New Hampshire University

Related Programs

8
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
6th Most Popular In IL
48 Finance Degrees Awarded

NIU is a large public university located in the small suburb of Dekalb. A Best Colleges rank of #529 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means NIU is a great university overall.

There were about 48 finance students who graduated with this degree at NIU in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in finance from Northern Illinois University

9
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
23rd Most Popular In IL
37.9% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Bloomington, Illinois Wesleyan is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #514 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Illinois Wesleyan is a great university overall.

There were roughly 29 finance students who graduated with this degree at Illinois Wesleyan in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in finance from Illinois Wesleyan University

10
North Central crest
North Central College
Naperville, IL
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
12th Most Popular In IL
35 Finance Degrees Awarded

Located in the medium-sized city of Naperville, North Central is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This college ranks 32nd out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were about 35 finance students who graduated with this degree at North Central in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in finance from North Central College

Best Finance Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Finance Colleges in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Ohio 939 3,095
Michigan 915 1,634
Indiana 737 1,111
Wisconsin 672 1,439

View All Rankings >

Finance is one of 8 different types of Finance & Financial Management programs to choose from.

Related Major Annual Graduates
International Finance 68
Other Finance and Financial Management Services 9
Banking and Financial Support Services 5
Financial Planning & Services 2

View All Finance Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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