by our College Data Analytics Team
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Most Well Attended Education Major in Illinois” ranking.
With 327,871 degrees handed out in 2020-2021, education is the 4th most popular major in the United States. In 2019-2020, education graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $46,202 and had an average of $24,437 in loans still to pay off.
Across Illinois, there were 10,730 education graduates with average earnings and debt of $49,951 and $25,324 respectively.
This year’s “Most Well Attended Education Major in Illinois” ranking looked at 88 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in education. To top this list, a school must have a successful education program that graduates more students in the field than other colleges that offer the same major.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
The education 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 “Most Well Attended Education Major in Illinois”.
We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Well Attended Education Major in Illinois”.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend National Louis University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in Illinois list. NLU is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1,158 ’s education degrees to qualified students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Concordia University, Chicago. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in Illinois list. Concordia University, Chicago is a medium-sized school located in River Forest, Illinois that handed out 987 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Education at Concordia University, Chicago
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Illinois State University. The school came in at #3 for the Most Well Attended Education Major in Illinois. Illinois State University is located in Normal, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 956 ’s education degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northern Illinois University. The school came in at #4 for the Most Well Attended Education Major in Illinois. Northern Illinois University is a fairly large school located in Dekalb, Illinois that handed out 630 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
Out of the 88 schools in the Most Well Attended Education Major in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #5 spot on the list. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is located in Champaign, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 567 ’s education degrees to qualified students.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Education at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
DePaul University landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in Illinois ranking. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s education degrees to 452 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #7, University of Illinois at Chicago did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in Illinois list. University of Illinois at Chicago is a large public school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 385 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read full report on Education at University of Illinois at Chicago
Northeastern Illinois University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #8. Northeastern Illinois University is a medium-sized public school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 356 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Education at Northeastern Illinois University
Southern Illinois University Carbondale did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #9. SIUC is a public institution located in Carbondale, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 334 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Education at Southern Illinois University Carbondale
University of St Francis did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #10. University of St Francis is a small school located in Joliet, Illinois that handed out 334 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Eastern Illinois University landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in Illinois ranking. Located in Charleston, Illinois, this medium-sized public school handed out 366 diplomas to qualified ’s education students in 2020-2021.
Olivet Nazarene University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #12. Olivet Nazarene is a private not-for-profit institution located in Bourbonnais, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 399 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #13, Aurora University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in Illinois list. This medium-sized school is located in Aurora, Illinois, and it awarded 313 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Western Illinois University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Education Major in Illinois ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Macomb, Illinois, and it awarded 277 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
Lewis University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Education Major in Illinois ranking. Lewis University is a medium-sized school located in Romeoville, Illinois that handed out 230 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Education Major in Illinois ranking. SIUE is a fairly large school located in Edwardsville, Illinois that handed out 213 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
Full Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Education Report
Roosevelt University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #17. Roosevelt is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 183 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Loyola University Chicago did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #18. This fairly large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 178 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
North Park University ranked #19 on this year’s Most Well Attended Education Major in Illinois list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 133 diplomas to qualified ’s education students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
North Central College landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in Illinois ranking. North Central College is a small school located in Naperville, Illinois that handed out 120 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #21, McKendree University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in Illinois list. Located in Lebanon, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 129 degrees to qualified ’s education students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Bradley University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Education Major in Illinois ranking. Bradley is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Peoria, Illinois. It awarded 114 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Elmhurst University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Education Major in Illinois ranking. Elmhurst is a private not-for-profit institution located in Elmhurst, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 111 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Trinity Christian College came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Education Major in Illinois ranking. Trinity Christian is a private not-for-profit institution located in Palos Heights, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 104 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Greenville University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Education Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #25. Greenville is a small school located in Greenville, Illinois that handed out 103 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
