2021 Best Colleges in Illinois for Students from Canada
23
Colleges
$32,556
Avg Tuition & Fees*
48%
Avg 4-Year Grad Rate*
When it comes to choosing a college, international students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our Best Colleges for Canadian Students in Illinois ranking is part of that endeavor.
We analyzed 23 colleges and universities across Illinois to determine which were the best for Canadian students in Illinois. Our ranking methodology focuses a number of different objective factors - such as the overall quality of the school, number of total international students at the school, and the percentage of international students on campus - to make this determination.
Get more details on our ranking methodology.
One Size Does Not Fit All
We've developed a number of other tools and rankings to help you make your college decision. Start by filtering this list by location and then explore our other rankings that feature schools great for different groups of students such as online students or returnings adults.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
Top Colleges in Illinois for Students from Canada
See which schools came out on top of our ranking:
Our analysis found Northwestern University to be the best school for Canadian students in Illinois in this year’s ranking. Northwestern is a private not-for-profit institution located in Evanston, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 2,722 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of the total number of students at the school, 16.3% are international. Students from as far away as China, India, and South Korea come to Northwestern to study.
With a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read full report on Northwestern University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Chicago. The school came in at #2 in this year’s ranking. UChicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 2,163 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 26.6% of the total student population at the school is international. Students from as far away as China, India, and South Korea come to UChicago to study.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 100%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read More…
Out of the 23 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #3 spot on the list. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a large public school located in Champaign, Illinois that handed out 9,305 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
International students make up 19.2% of the total student body at the school. Students studying at UIUC come from such countries as China, India, and South Korea.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
A rank of #4 on our list means Illinois Institute of Technology is a great place for Canadian students in Illinois working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in Chicago, Illinois, the medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 620 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
International students make up 33.9% of the total student body at the school. The top three countries sending students to study at Illinois Tech are China, India, and Spain.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.
Read full report on Illinois Institute of Technology
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Chicago. The school came in at #5 in this year’s ranking. This large public school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 5,247 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
International students make up 10.4% of the total student body at the school. Students from as far away as India, China, and Iran come to UIC to study.
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DePaul University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Colleges for Canadian Students in Illinois list. DePaul is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 3,335 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 5.1% of the total student population at the school is international. Students from as far away as China, India, and Saudi Arabia come to DePaul to study.
Read full report on DePaul University
With a ranking of #7, School of the Art Institute of Chicago did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Canadian Students in Illinois. School of the Art Institute of Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 588 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of the total number of students at the school, 30.8% are international. The top three countries sending students to study at School of the Art Institute of Chicago are China, South Korea, and India.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a bachelor’s degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Full School of the Art Institute of Chicago Report
With a ranking of #8, Loyola University Chicago did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Canadian Students in Illinois. This fairly large private not-for-profit school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 3,353 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 3.8% of the total student population at the school is international. Students studying at Loyola Chicago come from such countries as China, India, and Saudi Arabia.
Read More…
With a ranking of #9, Principia College did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Canadian Students in Illinois. Principia is a private not-for-profit institution located in Elsah, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 102 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
International students make up 20.9% of the total student body at the school. Students from as far away as Kenya, Canada, and Brazil come to Principia to study.
With a student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Full Principia College Report
Illinois State University did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Canadian Students in Illinois ranking, coming in at #10. Located in Normal, Illinois, the large public school handed out 4,745 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of the total number of students at the school, 2.6% are international. The top three countries sending students to study at Illinois State are India, Panama, and China.
Full Illinois State University Report
Lake Forest College landed the #11 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for Canadian Students in Illinois. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Lake Forest, Illinois, and it awarded 449 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
International students make up 13.2% of the total student body at the school. The top three countries sending students to study at Lake Forest are China, Canada, and Swaziland.
Read More…
With a ranking of #12, Wheaton College Illinois did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Canadian Students in Illinois. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Wheaton, Illinois, and it awarded 661 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
International students make up 5.7% of the total student body at the school. Students from as far away as China, South Korea, and Philippines come to Wheaton College Illinois to study.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%.
Read More…
Northern Illinois University landed the #13 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for Canadian Students in Illinois. NIU is a public institution located in Dekalb, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 3,080 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 4.4% of the total student population at the school is international. Students studying at NIU come from such countries as India, China, and Saudi Arabia.
Read full report on Northern Illinois University
With a ranking of #14, Southern Illinois University Carbondale did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Canadian Students in Illinois. Located in Carbondale, Illinois, the fairly large public school awarded 2,476 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
International students make up 8.1% of the total student body at the school. Students from as far away as India, Saudi Arabia, and China come to SIUC to study.
Read More…
Eastern Illinois University ranked #15 on this year’s Best Colleges for Canadian Students in Illinois list. Charleston, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 1,076 students in 2020-2021.
International students make up 3.0% of the total student body at the school. Students from as far away as India, China, and Nigeria come to EIU to study.
Read More…
Western Illinois University ranked #16 on this year’s Best Colleges for Canadian Students in Illinois list. Western Illinois University is a medium-sized public school located in Macomb, Illinois that handed out 1,560 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
International students make up 3.4% of the total student body at the school. Students studying at WIU come from such countries as India, Saudi Arabia, and Nigeria.
Read More…
McKendree University ranked #17 on this year’s Best Colleges for Canadian Students in Illinois list. McKendree is a private not-for-profit institution located in Lebanon, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 447 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 3.9% of the total student population at the school is international. Students from as far away as Canada, United Kingdom, and New Zealand come to McKendree to study.
Read More…
Trinity International University - Illinois ranked #18 on this year’s Best Colleges for Canadian Students in Illinois list. TIU Illinois is located in Deerfield, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 135 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
Around 14.7% of the total student population at the school is international. The top three countries sending students to study at TIU Illinois are South Korea, China, and Canada.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a bachelor’s degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read full report on Trinity International University - Illinois
Roosevelt University ranked #19 on this year’s Best Colleges for Canadian Students in Illinois list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 820 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
International students make up 4.0% of the total student body at the school. The top three countries sending students to study at Roosevelt are China, India, and Taiwan.
Read More…
Columbia College Chicago ranked #20 on this year’s Best Colleges for Canadian Students in Illinois list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 1,335 students in 2020-2021.
Of the total number of students at the school, 3.9% are international. The top three countries sending students to study at Columbia are China, South Korea, and India.
Read full report on Columbia College Chicago
With a ranking of #21, Chicago State University did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Canadian Students in Illinois. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 316 students in 2020-2021.
Of the total number of students at the school, 3.4% are international. The top three countries sending students to study at CSU are India, Canada, and China.
The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Full Chicago State University Report
With a ranking of #22, Aurora University did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Canadian Students in Illinois. Aurora, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 1,259 students in 2020-2021.
Around 0.5% of the total student population at the school is international. Students studying at Aurora come from such countries as Canada, Latvia, and Germany.
Full Aurora University Report
Robert Morris University Illinois came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Canadian Students in Illinois ranking.
Students studying at RMU come from such countries as India, Canada, and Pakistan.
Read full report on Robert Morris University Illinois
Best Colleges for International Students in the Great Lakes Region
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