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2025 Best Psychology Schools in Illinois

36 Colleges in Illinois
6,309 Psychology Degrees Awarded
$40,723 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you plan on majoring in psychology, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #8 in the country in terms of popularity. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 36 schools in Illinois to determine which ones were the best for psychology students pursuing a degree. Combined, these schools handed out 6,309 degrees in psychology to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Psychology School

Best Psychology Schools in Illinois The psychology program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Psychology rankings. For our Best Overall Psychology School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Psychology Rankings by Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in Psychology
Master's Degrees in Psychology
Doctor's Degrees in Psychology

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Psychology 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 Psychology 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 psychology degree levels they offer.

10 Top Illinois Schools in Psychology

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
565 Psychology Degrees Awarded
$43,275 Median Starting Salary

Northwestern University is a good option for students pursuing a degree in psychology. Northwestern is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the 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 565 psychology students who graduated with this degree at Northwestern in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the psychology degree program at Northwestern University make $2,553 more than the typical college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in psychology from Northwestern University

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
403 Psychology Degrees Awarded
$41,203 Median Starting Salary

Every student pursuing a degree in psychology needs to take a look at Loyola University Chicago. 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 approximately 403 psychology students who graduated with this degree at Loyola Chicago in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the psychology program state that they receive average early career wages of $41,203.

More information about a degree in psychology from Loyola University Chicago

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
606 Psychology Degrees Awarded
$33,384 Median Starting Salary

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in psychology. Located in the small city of Champaign, UIUC is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #41 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UIUC is a great university overall.

There were approximately 606 psychology students who graduated with this degree at UIUC in the most recent data year. After graduation, psychology degree recipients typically earn around $33,384 in their early careers.

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

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
211 Psychology Degrees Awarded
$35,005 Median Starting Salary

University of Chicago is a good decision for students pursuing a degree in psychology. Located in the large city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #3 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UChicago is a great university overall.

There were approximately 211 psychology students who graduated with this degree at UChicago in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the psychology program make around $35,005 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a degree in psychology from University of Chicago

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
488 Psychology Degrees Awarded
$30,565 Median Starting Salary

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 488 psychology students who graduated with this degree at UIC in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, psychology degree recipients generally make about $30,565 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in psychology from University of Illinois at Chicago

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
185 Psychology Degrees Awarded
$32,277 Median Starting Salary

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 approximately 185 psychology students who graduated with this degree at Illinois State in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the psychology program report average early career wages of $32,277.

More information about a degree in psychology from Illinois State University

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
229 Psychology Degrees Awarded
$39,369 Median Starting Salary

NIU is a large public university located in the small suburb of Dekalb. This university ranks 20th out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were roughly 229 psychology students who graduated with this degree at NIU in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the psychology program make an average of $39,369 for their early career.

More information about a degree in psychology from Northern Illinois University

8
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, IL
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
208 Psychology Degrees Awarded
$33,820 Median Starting Salary

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 colleges nationwide means DePaul is a great university overall.

There were about 208 psychology students who graduated with this degree at DePaul in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the psychology program report average early career income of $33,820.

More information about a degree in psychology from DePaul University

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
105 Psychology Degrees Awarded
$32,287 Median Starting Salary

SIUC is a fairly large public university located in the town of Carbondale. This university ranks 36th out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were about 105 psychology students who graduated with this degree at SIUC in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the psychology program report average early career earnings of $32,287.

More information about a degree in psychology from Southern Illinois University Carbondale

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
303 Psychology Degrees Awarded
$48,166 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large city of Chicago, NLU is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #385 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means NLU is a great university overall.

There were about 303 psychology students who graduated with this degree at NLU in the most recent data year. Those psychology students who get their degree from National Louis University earn $7,444 more than the average psychology grad.

More information about a degree in psychology from National Louis University

Best Psychology Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Indiana 38 3,395
Michigan 38 4,211
Ohio 38 4,799
Wisconsin 37 2,693

View All Rankings >

Psychology Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
General Psychology 3,382
Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology 1,987
Child Development & Psychology 917
Other Psychology 23

View All Psychology Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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