2025 Best English Schools in Illinois
18
Colleges in Illinois
1,147
English Language Degrees Awarded
English is of the hottest degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #19 most popular major in the country. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.
College Factual looked at 18 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best English Schools in Illinois ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,147 degrees in english annually.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings
Choosing a Great English School
The english language program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for English rankings. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for english schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.
You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.
Pick Your English Degree Level
When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best English Schools in Illinois list to help you make the college decision.
You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.
In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you.
When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.
More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.
Best Schools for English in Illinois
The schools below may not offer all types of english language 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 English Language
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
2nd
Most Popular In IL
115
English Language Degrees Awarded
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a good choice for students interested in a degree in english. Located in the city of Champaign, UIUC is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #41 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UIUC is a great university overall.
There were roughly 115 english students who graduated with this degree at UIUC in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in english from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
4th
Most Popular In IL
73
English Language Degrees Awarded
It's difficult to beat Northwestern University if you wish to pursue a degree in english. Northwestern is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Evanston. A Best Colleges rank of #5 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Northwestern is a great university overall.
There were roughly 73 english students who graduated with this degree at Northwestern in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in english from Northwestern University
Bachelors
Degree Type
BA in English Language & Literature
Program Name
Turn your love of reading and writing into a career with this online bachelor's from Southern New Hampshire University.
More information about a degree in BA in English Language & Literature from Southern New Hampshire UniversityRelated Programs
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
1st
Most Popular In IL
120
English Language Degrees Awarded
Illinois State University is a wonderful choice for students pursuing a degree in english. Located in the medium-sized 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 roughly 120 english students who graduated with this degree at Illinois State in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in english from Illinois State University
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
7th
Most Popular In IL
66
English Language Degrees Awarded
Loyola University Chicago is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in english. Located in the 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 66 english students who graduated with this degree at Loyola Chicago in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in english from Loyola University Chicago
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
3rd
Most Popular In IL
102
English Language Degrees Awarded
UIC is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Chicago. A Best Colleges rank of #254 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UIC is a great university overall.
There were roughly 102 english students who graduated with this degree at UIC in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in english from University of Illinois at Chicago
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
12th
Most Popular In IL
47
English Language Degrees Awarded
Wheaton College Illinois is a small private not-for-profit college located in the suburb of Wheaton. A Best Colleges rank of #407 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Wheaton College Illinois is a great college overall.
There were about 47 english students who graduated with this degree at Wheaton College Illinois in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in english from Wheaton College Illinois
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
5th
Most Popular In IL
54
English Language Degrees Awarded
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 schools nationwide means DePaul is a great university overall.
There were about 54 english students who graduated with this degree at DePaul in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in english from DePaul University
Masters
Degree Type
MA in English
Program Name
You can earn your MA in English entirely online with Southern New Hampshire University! This online English degree program can help you increase your analytical and communication skills.
More information about a degree in MA in English from Southern New Hampshire UniversityRelated Programs
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
8th
Most Popular In IL
63
English Language Degrees Awarded
NIU is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of Dekalb. A Best Colleges rank of #529 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means NIU is a great university overall.
There were roughly 63 english students who graduated with this degree at NIU in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in english from Northern Illinois University
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
9th
Most Popular In IL
59
English Language Degrees Awarded
Located in the suburb of Edwardsville, SIUE is a public university with a large student population. This university ranks 31st out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.
There were approximately 59 english students who graduated with this degree at SIUE in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in english from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
20th
Most Popular In IL
Augustana is a small private not-for-profit college located in the city of Rock Island. A Best Colleges rank of #533 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Augustana is a great college overall.
There were about 14 english students who graduated with this degree at Augustana in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in english from Augustana College
