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2025 Best Exercise Science and Kinesiology Schools in Illinois

16 Colleges in Illinois
1,184 Exercise Science Degrees Awarded
Ranked #22 in popularity, exercise science and kinesiology is one of the most sought-after degree programs in the nation. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 16 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Exercise Science and Kinesiology Schools in Illinois ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,184 degrees in exercise science and kinesiology annually.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Exercise Science and Kinesiology School

Best Exercise Science and Kinesiology Schools in Illinois Your choice of exercise science and kinesiology school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for exercise science and kinesiology 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.

Exercise Science and Kinesiology Rankings by Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in Exercise Science
Master's Degrees in Exercise Science
Doctor's Degrees in Exercise Science

The exercise science 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 Exercise Science and Kinesiology Schools in Illinois. 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 Exercise Science and Kinesiology in Illinois

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the exercise science degrees they offer, see the list below.

10 Top Illinois Schools in Exercise Science

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In IL
184 Exercise Science Degrees Awarded

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a good choice for students pursuing a degree in exercise science and kinesiology. 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 approximately 184 exercise science and kinesiology students who graduated with this degree at UIUC in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in exercise science and kinesiology from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In IL
259 Exercise Science Degrees Awarded

Concordia University, Chicago is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in exercise science and kinesiology. 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 schools nationwide means Concordia University, Chicago is a great university overall.

There were about 259 exercise science and kinesiology students who graduated with this degree at Concordia University, Chicago in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in exercise science and kinesiology from Concordia University, Chicago

3
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In IL
131 Exercise Science Degrees Awarded

University of Illinois at Chicago is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in exercise science and kinesiology. Located in the large city of Chicago, UIC is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #254 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UIC is a great university overall.

There were approximately 131 exercise science and kinesiology students who graduated with this degree at UIC in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in exercise science and kinesiology from University of Illinois at Chicago

4
North Central crest
North Central College
Naperville, IL
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
10th Most Popular In IL

It's hard to beat North Central College if you wish to pursue a degree in exercise science and kinesiology. North Central is a small private not-for-profit college located in the medium-sized city of Naperville. This college ranks 32nd out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were about 23 exercise science and kinesiology students who graduated with this degree at North Central in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in exercise science and kinesiology from North Central College

5
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
4th Most Popular In IL
66 Exercise Science Degrees Awarded

Illinois State is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized suburb of Normal. A Best Colleges rank of #210 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Illinois State is a great university overall.

There were about 66 exercise science and kinesiology students who graduated with this degree at Illinois State in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in exercise science and kinesiology from Illinois State University

6
Aurora crest
Aurora University
Aurora, IL
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
8th Most Popular In IL
77 Exercise Science Degrees Awarded

Aurora is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Aurora. A Best Colleges rank of #348 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Aurora is a great university overall.

There were approximately 77 exercise science and kinesiology students who graduated with this degree at Aurora in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in exercise science and kinesiology from Aurora University

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
4th Most Popular In IL
67 Exercise Science Degrees Awarded

Located in the remote town of Charleston, EIU is a public university with a medium-sized student population. This university ranks 52nd out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were approximately 67 exercise science and kinesiology students who graduated with this degree at EIU in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in exercise science and kinesiology from Eastern Illinois University

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
9th Most Popular In IL
34 Exercise Science Degrees Awarded

Located in the remote town of Macomb, WIU is a public university with a medium-sized student population. This university ranks 37th out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were roughly 34 exercise science and kinesiology students who graduated with this degree at WIU in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in exercise science and kinesiology from Western Illinois University

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
7th Most Popular In IL
47 Exercise Science Degrees Awarded

Located in the town of Carbondale, SIUC is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 36th out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were about 47 exercise science and kinesiology students who graduated with this degree at SIUC in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in exercise science and kinesiology from Southern Illinois University Carbondale

10
Elmhurst crest
Elmhurst University
Elmhurst, IL
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
13th Most Popular In IL

Located in the large suburb of Elmhurst, Elmhurst is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #730 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Elmhurst is a great university overall.

There were about 16 exercise science and kinesiology students who graduated with this degree at Elmhurst in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in exercise science and kinesiology from Elmhurst University

Best Exercise Science and Kinesiology Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Exercise Science and Kinesiology Colleges in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Ohio 939 872
Michigan 915 1,437
Indiana 737 1,201
Wisconsin 672 696

View All Rankings >

One of 5 majors within the Health & Physical Education area of study, Exercise Science and Kinesiology has other similar majors worth exploring.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Sports Management 442
Sports Kinesiology and Physical Education/Fitness General 298
Outdoor Health & Physical Education/Fitness 66
Sports Studies 14

View All Exercise Science Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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