These 2 southern Illinois universities rank among top 9 public institutions statewide
Two Southern Illinois institutions were recently named among the best nine public four-year universities in the Land of Lincoln, according to one national site.
The 2023 Top Public Universities in Illinois ranking from Niche compares the nine top-performing universities in the state on metrics that include academics, diversity and more.
Niche creates ratings on colleges based on reviews and data. Sources include the Office of Post-Secondary Education from the U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard data, the Niche college student survey and more.
The ranking uses the following methodology:
Academics grade: Based on acceptance rate, quality of professors and surveys from students and alumni (40% of overall grade)
Value grade: Based on data such as average loan amount, alumni earnings and surveys (27.5%)
Professors grade: Based on the number of awards won by faculty, student-faculty ratio and surveys (7.5%)
The campus grade is based on the quality of campus food and housing and surveys (5%)
Niche’s diversity grade takes into consideration “ethnic composition” of the student body, proportion of international students and out-of-state students and surveys (5%)
Student life grade: Based on data on safety, diversity, athletics and surveys on student life (5%)
Student surveys about overall experience (5%)
Local area grade: Based on median rent, local crime rates, access to amenities and surveys (2.5%)
The safety grade is based on the campus crime rate, local crime rate and surveys (2.5%)
Here’s how the top nine public four-year universities in Illinois compare, according to Niche:
9. Northeastern Illinois University
Grades: B overall, B- academics, A- diversity, A- safety, B dorms (Information about more grade categories is available online.)
Northeastern Illinois University is an “above-average” institution with 2,657 students, according to Niche.
The school has a 62% acceptance rate, Niche reports, and its most popular majors include liberal arts and humanities, social work and youth services and computer science.
8. Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Grades: B overall, B academics, A diversity, C safety, B- dorms
More than 6,700 undergraduate students attend SIU Carbondale, which has an acceptance rate of 95%.
Some of the most popular majors include education, accounting and automotive engineering technician, according to Niche, and the school has a graduation rate of 45%.
7. Western Illinois University
Grades: B overall, B academics, A diversity, C+ safety, C+ dorms
Western Illinois University, located in Macomb, has 4,574 students. Its admissions are “somewhat competitive,” according to Niche, as it has a 72% acceptance rate.
The university’s most popular majors are criminal justice and law enforcement, liberal arts and humanities and agriculture.
6. Eastern Illinois University
Grades: B overall, B academics, A diversity, B safety, B+ dorms
This university is located in Charleston and has 3,966 undergraduate students, according to Niche. Eastern Illinois University has a 72% acceptance rate and a 51% graduation rate.
The most popular majors at EIU include liberal arts and humanities, psychology and kinesiology and exercise science.
5. University of Illinois Springfield
Grades: B overall, B academics, A diversity, B- safety, B- dorms
The University of Illinois Springfield has about 1,700 full-time undergraduate students, Niche reports, and its most popular majors are business, computer science and psychology.
The university has a 79% acceptance rate and a 53% graduation rate, and 91% of alumni are employed two years after graduation, according to Niche.
4. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Grades: B overall, B- academics, A- diversity, B+ safety, B+ dorms
More than 8,000 undergraduate students attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, which has an acceptance rate of 98% and a 52% graduation rate, according to Niche.
The most popular majors at SIUE are nursing, business and psychology, and 99% of students receive some amount of financial aid.
3. Illinois State University
Grades: B overall, B academics, B+ diversity, B- safety, B dorms
Illinois State University is home to more than 16,000 students, and the school has an acceptance rate of 92% and a graduation rate of 67%.
ISU’s most popular majors include marketing, elementary education and finance, according to Niche, and 95% of students receive financial aid.
2. University of Illinois Chicago
Grades: A- overall, A- academics, A+ diversity, B- safety, C- dorms
This “highly rated” institution has more than 20,000 students, with an acceptance rate of 79% and a graduation rate of 62%.
The most popular majors at University of Illinois Chicago are psychology, biology and computer science, and 81% of students receive financial aid, according to Niche.
1. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Grades: A+ overall, A+ academics, A+ diversity, B- safety, B- dorms
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is the Land of Lincoln’s top public four-year institution, according to Niche, and it’s home to more than 33,000 students.
UIUC’s most popular majors include research and experimental psychology, economics, accounting and computer hardware engineering, according to Niche.
The university has a 60% acceptance rate and 85% of students receive financial aid, with an average total aid amount of $11,212.
UIUC also ranked highly in several other Niche lists, including a fourth place for Best Greek Life Colleges in America out of 718 schools and 10th for Top Party Schools in America out of 1,525 institutions.
