2025 Best Illustration Schools in Illinois

A degree in illustration is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #249 out of 1506 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. This means you won't have too much trouble finding schools that offer the degree.

College Factual reviewed 2 schools in Illinois to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of illustration. Combined, these schools handed out 53 degrees in illustration to qualified students.

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

• Best Overall Illustration Schools List

Illustration Rankings by Degree Level

The illustration 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 Illustration 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 Illustration in Illinois

The schools below may not offer all types of illustration degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

Top Illinois Schools in Illustration

1

Columbia College Chicago
Chicago, IL

Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type

39 Illustration Degrees Awarded

Columbia College Chicago is a good choice for students interested in a degree in illustration. Located in the large city of Chicago, Columbia is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.More information about a degree in illustration from Columbia College Chicago

2

American Academy of Art
Chicago, IL

Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type

7.1% Growth in Graduates

American Academy of Art is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in illustration. Located in the city of Chicago, The Academy is a private for-profit school with a small student population.More information about a degree in illustration from American Academy of Art

Best Illustration Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

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

State	Colleges	Degrees Awarded
Ohio	939	80
Michigan	915	89
Indiana	737	4
Wisconsin	672	51

View All Rankings >

Illustration Related Rankings by Major

One of 9 majors within the Design & Applied Arts area of study, Illustration has other similar majors worth exploring.

Most Popular Majors Related to Illustration

Related Major	Annual Graduates
Graphic Design	484
Visual Communications	138
Interior Design	128
Game & Interactive Media Design	109
Industrial Design	83
Fashion Design	69
Commercial Photography	29
Other Design & Applied Arts	27
Commercial & Advertising Art	23

View All Illustration Related Majors >

Notes and References

• The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
• Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).

More about our data sources and methodologies.