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2025 Best Philosophy Schools in Illinois

5 Colleges in Illinois
400 Philosophy Degrees Awarded
$33,575 Avg Early-Career Salary
A degree in philosophy is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #83 out of 395 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 5 schools in Illinois to determine which ones were the best for philosophy students pursuing a degree. Combined, these schools handed out 400 degrees in philosophy to qualified students.

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

Choosing a Great Philosophy School

Best Philosophy Schools in Illinois Your choice of philosophy 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 philosophy 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.

Philosophy Rankings by Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in Philosophy
Master's Degrees in Philosophy
Doctor's Degrees in Philosophy

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Philosophy Schools in Illinois list, to help you choose the best school for you. 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 Philosophy 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 philosophy degrees they offer, see the list below.

Top Illinois Schools in Philosophy

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In IL
85 Philosophy Degrees Awarded

University of Chicago is a wonderful decision for students pursuing a degree in philosophy. UChicago is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Chicago. A Best Colleges rank of #3 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UChicago is a great university overall.

There were about 85 philosophy students who graduated with this degree at UChicago in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in philosophy from University of Chicago

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In IL
34 Philosophy Degrees Awarded

It is hard to beat Loyola University Chicago if you wish to pursue a degree in philosophy. Loyola Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Chicago. This university ranks 4th out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were roughly 34 philosophy students who graduated with this degree at Loyola Chicago in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in philosophy from Loyola University Chicago

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
31 Philosophy Degrees Awarded
12.9% Growth in Graduates

It is hard to beat University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign if you wish to pursue a degree in philosophy. UIUC is a very large public university located in the small city of Champaign. A Best Colleges rank of #41 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UIUC is a great university overall.

There were approximately 31 philosophy students who graduated with this degree at UIUC in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the philosophy program make around $21,824 in the first couple years of working.

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

4
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
8th Most Popular In IL
23.8% Growth in Graduates

Wheaton College Illinois is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in philosophy. Located in the large suburb of Wheaton, Wheaton College Illinois is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This college ranks 13th out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were roughly 21 philosophy students who graduated with this degree at Wheaton College Illinois in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in philosophy from Wheaton College Illinois

5
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$23,219 Median Starting Salary

SIUE is a large public university located in the large suburb of Edwardsville. This university ranks 31st out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were roughly 4 philosophy students who graduated with this degree at SIUE in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, philosophy degree recipients generally earn around $23,219 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in philosophy from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

Best Philosophy Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Michigan 322 262
Ohio 314 314
Indiana 294 217
Wisconsin 273 182

View All Rankings >

Philosophy is one of 3 different types of Philosophy & Religious Studies programs to choose from.

Philosophy Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Philosophy 387
Applied & Professional Ethics 11
Other Philosophy 2

View All Philosophy Concentrations >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Religious Studies 184
General Philosophy & Religious Studies 5
Other Philosophy & Religious Studies 1

View All Philosophy Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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