Illinois Teacher Colleges and Degrees Online Guide
The school guide found below is designed to help aspiring teachers find and evaluate teaching schools in Illinois. Fortunately for new students, there are several colleges and universities that offer degree programs for aspiring teachers looking to obtain a teaching degree in Illinois. For details on programs in the state, scroll down to find useful information such as lists of top-rated teaching programs, a table of accredited, state-approved teacher preparation programs, and student reviews. Whether researching college for the first time or looking to change careers, the information on this page is intended to help future teachers find a quality program that meets their individual career goals.
Quick Facts
- There are 93 colleges and universities with teacher degree programs in Illinois.1
- 34 colleges and universities offer an associate’s degree in education.*1
- 52 colleges and universities offer a bachelor’s degree in education.*1
- 48 colleges and universities offer a master’s or advanced degree in education.*1
- 10 schools ranked in Kiplinger’s Best College Values 2019.2
- 2 schools ranked in Princeton Review’s Great Schools for Education Majors 2020.3
- 11 schools ranked in US News & World Report’s Best Graduate Education Programs 2019.4
- 7 schools ranked in US News & World Report’s Best Online Graduate Education Programs 2019.5
- 22 not-for-profit teacher programs are accredited by the NCATE, TEAC, or CAEP.
*For not-for-profit four-year colleges and universities with teacher degree programs.
Top-Ranked Schools with Education Programs in Illinois
Kiplinger’s Best College Values 2019*
- University of Chicago (#44)
- Wheaton College (#49)
- Northwestern University (#56)
- Principia College (#79)
- Illinois Wesleyan University (#97)
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (#98)
- Augustana College (#151)
- Knox College (#156)
- Lake Forest College (#193)
- Bradley University (#215)
*Institution-wide ranking.
Princeton Review’s Great Schools for Education Majors 2020
- Knox College
- Northwestern University
US News & World Report’s Best Graduate Education Programs 2019
- Northwestern University (#10)
- University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign (#50 tie)
- University of Illinois at Chicago (#53 tie)
- Illinois State University (#88 tie)
- Loyola University Chicago (#118 tie)
- Northern Illinois University (#163 tie)
- DePaul University (#172 tie)
- McKendree University (#195-258)
- National-Louis University (#195-258)
- University of St. Francis (#195-258)
- Western Illinois University (#195-258)
US News & World Report’s Best Online Graduate Education Programs 2019
- Northern Illinois University (#9 tie)
- University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign (#16 tie)
- University of St. Francis (#61 tie)
- University of Illinois-Springfield (#77 tie)
- Concordia University (#132 tie)
- McKendree University (#139 tie)
- Chicago State University (#228-299)
School Programs for Becoming a Teacher in Illinois
Comparison of Teacher Preparation Programs
We have designed the following table to help you compare teacher preparation programs in Illinois according to various factors. All of the schools included are not-for-profit institutions approved by the Illinois State Board of Education for the preparation of teachers. Completing a state-approved teacher preparation program is an important step towards earning licensure.
While accreditation from the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) is not a requirement for licensure, it is included in the following table as CAEP provides a highly-regarded accreditation that is accepted in many states. Read more about the CAEP, NCATE, and TEAC accrediting bodies. We have also included rankings from the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ), a research and policy group that scores teacher preparation programs at the national level using key standards chosen to measure students’ preparation for success in teaching. For further information on the NCTQ’s program rankings, please see the notes below the table.
You will also find data on teacher preparation program enrollment, completion, and licensing exam pass rates by institution for the 2017-2018 academic year in this table. These data points are collected from annual US Department of Education records under Title II (Teacher Quality) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), which provides for reporting that holds institutions and state departments of education accountable for increasing academic achievement through improvements in teacher quality.
Programs that are not ranked, or for which data is not available, in a given category are denoted as “-“.
State-Approved School | CAEP Accred.?6 | NCTQ Undergrad Elementary Prog. % (2016)**7 | NCTQ Undergrad Secondary Prog. % (2017)**7 | Teacher Prep Prog. Enrollment8 | Teacher Prep Prog. Completers8 | Licensing Exams Pass Rate8 | Net Price***1 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Augustana College | Yes | 79% | 81% | 71 | 30 | 93% | $23,919 |
Aurora University | Yes | — | 61% | 140 | 85 | 100% | $17,848 |
Benedictine University | No | 12% | — | 118 | 23 | 79% | $24,039 |
Blackburn College | No | — | 44% | 41 | 4 | 95% | $12,037 |
Bradley University | Yes | — | 57% | 106 | 84 | 94% | $25,857 |
Chicago State University | Yes | — | 20% | 32 | 22 | 99% | $11,141 |
Columbia College Chicago | No | — | — | 15 | 8 | 99% | $31,484 |
Concordia University Chicago | Yes | 54% | 3% | 279 | 73 | 98% | $17,846 |
DePaul University | No | 82% | 34% | 655 | 257 | 96% | $32,927 |
Dominican University | Yes | — | 18% | 96 | 48 | 99% | $18,250 |
Eastern Illinois University | Yes | 92% | — | 412 | 254 | 100% | $14,107 |
Elmhurst College | No | 25% | 10% | 174 | 73 | 97% | $22,685 |
Erikson Institute | No | — | — | 30 | 6 | 98% | — |
Eureka College | No | 60% | — | 36 | 20 | 100% | $19,754 |
Governors State University | Yes | 54% | — | 295 | 48 | 99% | $16,000 |
Greenville College | Yes | — | 20% | 65 | 42 | 98% | $20,707 |
Hebrew Theological College | No | — | — | 4 | 2 | 98% | $21,120 |
Illinois College | No | 28% | 40% | 38 | 12 | 100% | $17,177 |
Illinois Insitute of Technology | No | — | — | 17 | 6 | 68% | $26,324 |
Illinois State University | Yes | — | 14% | 3069 | 811 | 100% | $19,227 |
Illinois Wesleyan University | No | — | 71% | 48 | 26 | 100% | $30,147 |
Judson University | No | 49% | 59% | 50 | 18 | 94% | $20,782 |
Knox College | No | 52% | 10% | 25 | 15 | 99% | $25,136 |
Lake Forest College | No | — | — | 45 | 18 | 95% | $25,646 |
Lewis University | Yes | 45% | 6% | 317 | 93 | 100% | $19,967 |
Loyola University Chicago | Yes | — | — | 264 | 88 | 98% | $34,526 |
MacMurray College | No | — | 49% | 4 | 5 | 99% | — |
McKendree University | No | — | 71% | 154 | 43 | 98% | $20,890 |
Millikin University | No | 54% | 21% | 218 | 63 | 99% | $20,988 |
Monmouth College | No | — | — | 31 | 28 | 97% | $18,467 |
National Louis University | Yes | 34% | — | 767 | 301 | 100% | $15,319 |
North Central College | No | 79% | 40% | 128 | 41 | 100% | $25,037 |
Northeastern Illinois University | Yes | — | — | 604 | 186 | 97% | $16,462 |
Northern Illinois University | Yes | 70% | 6% | 1438 | 369 | 98% | $19,379 |
North Park University | No | 12% | 2% | 282 | 101 | 97% | $20,651 |
Northwestern University | No | — | — | 49 | 54 | 95% | $26,099 |
Olivet Nazarene University | Yes | — | 86% | 174 | 70 | 99% | $21,085 |
Quincy University | No | 79% | 71% | 21 | 13 | 100% | $16,986 |
Rockford University | No | 60% | 25% | 93 | 38 | 100% | $20,985 |
Roosevelt University | Yes | 12% | — | 121 | 53 | 97% | $26,098 |
Saint Xavier University | Yes | — | — | 174 | 104 | 97% | $14,911 |
School of the Art Institute of Chicago | No | — | — | 27 | 23 | 92% | $45,728 |
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale | Yes | 74% | 81% | 154 | 109 | 98% | $16,431 |
Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville | Yes | — | 34% | 153 | 130 | 100% | $15,090 |
Trinity Christian College | No | 91% | 25% | 83 | 81 | 100% | $22,223 |
Trinity International University | No | — | — | 50 | 28 | 99% | $20,283 |
University of Chicago | No | — | — | 32 | 25 | 100% | $34,834 |
Univeristy of Illinois at Chicago | No | 66% | — | 32 | 158 | 98% | $11,884 |
Univeristy of Illinois at Springfield | No | 45% | 4% | 136 | 17 | 100% | $12,054 |
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | No | 76% | — | 439 | 283 | 100% | $16,638 |
University of St. Francis | Yes | 34% | — | 50 | 29 | 94% | $18,766 |
VanderCook College of Music | No | — | — | 60 | 18 | 100% | $28,433 |
Western Illinois University | Yes | 84% | 44% | 183 | 124 | 97% | $15,605 |
Wheaton College | Yes | 60% | 28% | 69 | 56 | 100% | $30,021 |
*The NCTQ rated undergraduate elementary teaching programs in 2016 and undergraduate secondary teaching programs in 2017 by national percentile based on their overall scores on the NCTQ’s standards for teacher education. Schools that do not provide data on all key standards or that fall below the top 50% of schools nationally are not included by the NCTQ in their ratings. Visit the NCTQ website for more information on its standards and methodologies.
**Net price is per year for undergraduate tuition as calculated by the National Center for Education Statistics based on the cost of attendance (tuition, books, room and board, and related expenses) for students who qualify for in-state tuition and fees, less the average financial aid award (including grants and scholarships).
Profiles of Well-Known Schools
DePaul University: Located in Chicago, DePaul is a private university with a stellar College of Education that regularly trains and educates the city’s finest educators at all levels. DePaul has a rich tradition of academic excellence grounded in scholarly research and academic rigor. The university is routinely regarded as one of the finest in the nation. The College of Education dates back to 1911 when it was founded as one of the university’s departments. It was named one of the university’s colleges in 1962 and has grown to be one of the university’s largest colleges. The College of Education offers degrees at all levels with dozens of majors to choose from depending on career goal and area of interest. The two most popular degrees at the undergraduate level include the Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education and the Bachelor of Arts in Secondary Education. Graduate students have several options including fully online iterations of degrees that combine the rigor of a DePaul education with the flexibility needed for those who work.
Schools with Teaching Degree Programs in Illinois
Augustana College-Rock Island
639 38th St
Rock Island, IL 61201-2296
(309) 794-7000
www.augustana.edu
Aurora University
347 S Gladstone Ave
Aurora, IL 60506-4892
(630) 892-6431
www.aurora.edu
Blackburn College
700 College Ave
Carlinville, IL 62626
(217) 854-3231
Bradley University
1501 W Bradley Ave
Peoria, IL 61625-0001
(309) 676-7611
www.bradley.edu
Chicago State University
9501 S. King Dr
Chicago, IL 60628-1598
(773) 995-2000
www.csu.edu
College of Lake County*
19351 W Washington St
Grayslake, IL 60030-1198
(847) 543-2000
www.clcillinois.edu
Columbia College Chicago
600 South Michigan
Chicago, IL 60605-1996
(312) 663-1600
www.colum.edu

Concordia University-River Forest
7400 Augusta
River Forest, IL 60305-1499
(708) 771-8300
www.cuchicago.edu
Danville Area Community College*
2000 E Main St
Danville, IL 61832-5118
(217) 443-3222
www.dacc.edu
DePaul University
55 E Jackson
Chicago, IL 60604
(312) 362-8000
Dominican University
7900 W Division St
River Forest, IL 60305
(708) 366-2490
www.dom.edu
Eastern Illinois University
600 Lincoln Ave
Charleston, IL 61920
(217) 581-5000
www.eiu.edu

Elmhurst College
190 Prospect Ave
Elmhurst, IL 60126-3096
(630) 617-3500
www.public.elmhurst.edu
Eureka College
300 E. College Ave.
Eureka, IL 61530
(309) 467-3721
Governors State University
1 University Pky
University Park, IL 60466-0975
(708) 534-5000
www.govst.edu
Greenville College
315 E College Ave
Greenville, IL 62246-0159
(618) 664-2800
www.greenville.edu
Harold Washington College*
30 E Lake St
Chicago, IL 60601
(312) 553-5600
www.ccc.edu

Hebrew Theological College
7135 N Carpenter Rd
Skokie, IL 60077
(847) 982-2500
Illinois Eastern Community Colleges – Olney Central College*
305 N West St
Olney, IL 62450
(618) 393-2982
Illinois Institute of Technology
3300 S Federal St
Chicago, IL 60616
(312) 567-3000
www.iit.edu
Illinois State University
North and School Streets
Normal, IL 61790-1000
(309) 438-2111
https://illinoisstate.edu

Illinois Wesleyan University
1312 N Park St
Bloomington, IL 61702-2900
(309) 556-1000
www2.iwu.edu
Joliet Junior College*
1215 Houbolt Rd
Joliet, IL 60431-8938
(815) 729-9020
www.jjc.edu
Judson University
1151 N State St
Elgin, IL 60123-1498
(847) 628-2500
Kankakee Community College*
100 College Dr
Kankakee, IL 60901
(815) 802-8500
www.kcc.edu
Lake Land College*
5001 Lake Land Blvd
Mattoon, IL 61938
(217) 234-5253
Lewis University
One University Parkway
Romeoville, IL 60446-2200
(815) 838-0500
www.lewisu.edu
Loyola University Chicago
820 N Michigan
Chicago, IL 60611-9810
(312) 915-6000
www.luc.edu
MacMurray College
447 E College Ave
Jacksonville, IL 62650-2590
(217) 479-7000
www.mac.edu
McKendree University
701 College Rd
Lebanon, IL 62254-1291
(618) 537-4481
www.mckendree.edu
Millikin University
1184 W Main St
Decatur, IL 62522-2084
(217) 424-6211
www.millikin.edu

Moraine Valley Community College*
9000 W College Parkway
Palos Hills, IL 60465-0937
(708) 974-4300
www.morainevalley.edu
National-Louis University
122 S Michigan Ave
Chicago, IL 60603
(800) 443-5522
www.nl.edu
North Central College
30 N Brainard St
Naperville, IL 60540
(630) 637-5100
https://www.northcentralcollege.edu/

North Park University
3225 W Foster Ave
Chicago, IL 60625-4895
(773) 244-6200
www.northpark.edu

Northeastern Illinois University
5500 N Saint Louis Ave
Chicago, IL 60625-4699
(773) 583-4050
www.neiu.edu
Northern Illinois University
1425 W Lincoln Hwy
Dekalb, IL 60115-2825
(800) 892-3050
https://www.niu.edu/index.shtml


Northwestern University
633 Clark St
Evanston, IL 60208
(312) 491-3741
https://www.northwestern.edu/

Olivet Nazarene University
One University Ave
Bourbonnais, IL 60914-2271
(815) 939-5011
https://www.olivet.edu/

Parkland College
2400 W Bradley Ave
Champaign, IL 61821-1899
(217) 351-2200
www.parkland.edu
Prairie State College*
202 South Halsted St
Chicago Heights, IL 60411-8226
(708) 709-3500
www.prairiestate.edu
Quincy University
1800 College Ave
Quincy, IL 62301-2699
(217) 228-5432
www.quincy.edu
Rend Lake College*
468 N Ken Gray Pkwy
Ina, IL 62846
(618) 437-5321
Richland Community College*
One College Pk
Decatur, IL 62521-8512
(217) 875-7200
Rock Valley College*
3301 N Mulford Rd
Rockford, IL 61114-5699
(815) 921-7821
Rockford University
5050 E State St
Rockford, IL 61108-2393
(815) 226-4000
www.rockford.edu
Roosevelt University
430 S Michigan Ave
Chicago, IL 60605-1394
(312) 341-3500
https://www.roosevelt.edu/

Saint Xavier University
3700 W 103rd St
Chicago, IL 60655
(773) 298-3000
www.sxu.edu
School of the Art Institute of Chicago
36 S Wabash
Chicago, IL 60603
(312) 629-6100
South Suburban College*
15800 South State St
South Holland, IL 60473-1200
(708) 596-2000
Southeastern Illinois College
3575 College Road
Harrisburg, IL 62946
(618) 252-5400
www.sic.edu
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale
Carbondale, IL 62901-4512
(618) 453-2121
www.siu.edu
Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville
Il State Rte 157
Edwardsville, IL 62026-1001
(618) 650-2000
www.siue.edu
Southwestern Illinois College
2500 Carlyle Ave
Belleville, IL 62221-5899
(618) 235-2700
www.swic.edu
Trinity Christian College
6601 W College Dr
Palos Heights, IL 60463-0929
(708) 597-3000
www.trnty.edu
Trinity International University-Deerfield
2065 Half Day Rd
Deerfield, IL 60015-1283
(847) 945-8800
Triton College*
2000 5th Ave
River Grove, IL 60171-1995
(708) 456-0300
www.triton.edu
University of Illinois at Chicago
601 S Morgan
Chicago, IL 60607
(312) 996-7000
https://www.uic.edu/


University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
601 E John St
Champaign, IL 61820-5711
(217) 333-1000
https://illinois.edu/



University of St. Francis
500 N Wilcox St
Joliet, IL 60435-6188
(815) 740-3360
VanderCook College of Music
3140 S Federal St
Chicago, IL 60616-3731
(312) 225-6288
Western Illinois University
1 University Cir
Macomb, IL 61455
(309) 295-1414
http://www.wiu.edu/

Wheaton College
501 College Ave
Wheaton, IL 60187-5593
(630) 752-5000
www.wheaton.edu

An asterisk (*) denotes a two-year or certificate program in education. While a two-year degree will not qualify graduates for teacher certification, it can be a good starting point for a teaching career. To learn more about what you can do with this degree, see our guide to associate’s degrees in education.
References:
1. National Center for Education Statistics College Navigator: https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/
2. Kiplinger’s Best College Values: https://www.kiplinger.com/tool/college/T014-S001-best-college-values-college-finder/index.php#Tile
3. The Princeton Review. The Best 385 Colleges, 2020 Edition. The Princeton Review, 2019.
4. US News & World Report Best Graduate Education Schools 2019: https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-education-schools/edu-rankings
5. US News & World Report Best Online Graduate Education Schools 2019: https://www.usnews.com/education/online-education/education/rankings
6. Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP): http://caepnet.org/provider-search
7. National Council on Teacher Quality Teacher Preparation Program Review: https://www.nctq.org/review/home
8. US Department of Education 2018 Title II Reports: https://title2.ed.gov/Public/Home.aspx