2025 Best Early Childhood Education Schools in Illinois
19
Colleges in Illinois
1,110
Child development Degrees Awarded
Ranked #34 in popularity,
early childhood education is one of the most sought-after degree programs in the nation. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.
In 2025, College Factual analyzed 19 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Early Childhood Education Schools in Illinois ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 1,110 degrees in early childhood education to qualified students.
What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings
Choosing a Great Early Childhood Education School
The child development program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Early Childhood Education rankings. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for early childhood education schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.
In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.
Early Childhood Education Rankings by Degree Level
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Early Childhood Education Schools in Illinois ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
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 Early Childhood Education in Illinois
Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the child development degree levels they offer.
10 Top Illinois Schools in Child development
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
2nd
Most Popular In IL
84
Child development Degrees Awarded
It is difficult to beat Illinois State University if you want to pursue a degree in early childhood education. Illinois State is a very large public university located in the midsize suburb of Normal. A Best Colleges rank of #210 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Illinois State is a great university overall.
There were about 84 early childhood education students who graduated with this degree at Illinois State in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in early childhood education from Illinois State University
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
15th
Most Popular In IL
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in early childhood education. UIUC is a very large public university located in the small city of Champaign. A Best Colleges rank of #41 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UIUC is a great university overall.
There were roughly 11 early childhood education students who graduated with this degree at UIUC in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in early childhood education from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
23rd
Most Popular In IL
Loyola University Chicago is a good choice for students interested in a degree in early childhood education. Loyola Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Chicago. A Best Colleges rank of #100 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Loyola Chicago is a great university overall.
There were about 4 early childhood education students who graduated with this degree at Loyola Chicago in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in early childhood education from Loyola University Chicago
Every student pursuing a degree in early childhood education has to take a look at Concordia University, Chicago. Located in the suburb of River Forest, Concordia University, Chicago is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #125 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Concordia University, Chicago is a great university overall.
There were roughly 27 early childhood education students who graduated with this degree at Concordia University, Chicago in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in early childhood education from Concordia University, Chicago
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
1st
Most Popular In IL
345
Child development Degrees Awarded
NLU is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Chicago. A Best Colleges rank of #385 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means NLU is a great university overall.
There were roughly 345 early childhood education students who graduated with this degree at NLU in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in early childhood education from National Louis University
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
5th
Most Popular In IL
Located in the suburb of Dekalb, NIU is a public university with a large student population. This university ranks 20th out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.
There were about 29 early childhood education students who graduated with this degree at NIU in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in early childhood education from Northern Illinois University
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
16th
Most Popular In IL
Bradley is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the midsize city of Peoria. A Best Colleges rank of #519 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Bradley is a great university overall.
There were about 7 early childhood education students who graduated with this degree at Bradley in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in early childhood education from Bradley University
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
8th
Most Popular In IL
34
Child development Degrees Awarded
DePaul is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Chicago. A Best Colleges rank of #135 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means DePaul is a great university overall.
There were about 34 early childhood education students who graduated with this degree at DePaul in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in early childhood education from DePaul University
Located in the city of Chicago, SXU is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 30th out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.
There were about 24 early childhood education students who graduated with this degree at SXU in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in early childhood education from Saint Xavier University
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
7th
Most Popular In IL
38
Child development Degrees Awarded
Located in the city of Chicago, Northeastern Illinois University is a public university with a medium-sized student population. This university ranks 59th out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.
There were approximately 38 early childhood education students who graduated with this degree at Northeastern Illinois University in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in early childhood education from Northeastern Illinois University
