Acceptance Rate and Application Statistics
The following table compares the admission related statistics including number of applicants, admitted, and enrolled between best schools in Illinois. The average acceptance rate of best schools in Illinois is 37.89% and the average admission yield (enrollment rate) is 19.99%.
University of Chicago has the tighest (lowest) acceptance rate of 4.48% and University of Chicago has the highest yield (enrollment rate) of 88.29% among best schools in Illinois. The numbers in parenthesis() in below table represent the number and rate by gender (men/women). The statistics is based on the latest data from IPEDS, U.S. Department of Education for academic year 2024-2025.
| Rank | Name | Applicants | Admitted | Enrolled | Acceptance Rate | Enrollment Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Chicago | 43,612 (19,195/23,636) | 1,955 (1,070/885) | 1,726 (955/771) | 4% (6%/4%) | 88% (89%/3%) |
| 2 | Northwestern University | 49,474 (23,774/25,686) | 3,806 (1,735/2,070) | 2,105 (977/1,127) | 8% (7%/8%) | 55% (56%/4%) |
| 3 | Principia College | No admission statistics available for the school. | ||||
| 4 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | 73,742 (41,597/32,124) | 31,247 (15,134/16,102) | 9,008 (4,538/4,469) | 42% (36%/50%) | 29% (30%/14%) |
| 5 | Illinois Institute of Technology | 12,216 (7,202/4,488) | 6,710 (3,872/2,644) | 519 (335/179) | 55% (54%/59%) | 8% (9%/4%) |
| 6 | Wheaton College | 2,040 (955/1,085) | 1,783 (806/977) | 533 (244/289) | 87% (84%/90%) | 30% (30%/27%) |
| 7 | Loyola University Chicago | 39,315 (13,086/26,209) | 32,081 (10,143/21,927) | 2,763 (810/1,951) | 82% (78%/84%) | 9% (8%/7%) |
| 8 | Illinois Wesleyan University | 9,558 (4,671/4,857) | 3,757 (1,496/2,241) | 461 (209/248) | 39% (32%/46%) | 12% (14%/5%) |
| 9 | Lewis University | 6,302 (3,273/2,980) | 4,493 (2,239/2,220) | 686 (337/344) | 71% (68%/74%) | 15% (15%/12%) |
| 10 | Bradley University | 9,458 (3,984/5,474) | 7,260 (2,956/4,304) | 811 (390/421) | 77% (74%/79%) | 11% (13%/8%) |
| Average | 27,302 (13,082/13,082) | 10,344 (4,383/5,930) | 2,068 (977/1,089) | 37.89% (33.5%/45.3%) | 19.99% (22.3%/18.4%) | |
SAT Scores Comparison
The average SAT score of best schools in Illinois is 1349. By subject, the average score of the SAT EBRW(Evidence-based Reading and Writing) is 669 and the average SAT Math score is 680.
University of Chicago has the highest SAT scores of 1,550 and Lewis University has the lowest SAT scores of 1,080 among best schools in Illinois. The following table compares SAT Scores between best schools in Illinois for the academic year 2024-2025.
| Rank | Name | Submit%* (Submit#**) | SAT Total | Evidence-Based Reading and Writing | Math |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Chicago | 49% (850) | 1550 | 760 | 790 |
| 2 | Northwestern University | 46% (963) | 1540 | 760 | 780 |
| 3 | Principia College | No data is available. | |||
| 4 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | 48% (4,310) | 1440 | 700 | 740 |
| 5 | Illinois Institute of Technology | 30% (158) | 1300 | 640 | 660 |
| 6 | Wheaton College | 38% (202) | 1380 | 700 | 680 |
| 7 | Loyola University Chicago | 23% (623) | 1260 | 640 | 620 |
| 8 | Illinois Wesleyan University | 21% (97) | 1240 | 610 | 630 |
| 9 | Lewis University | 24% (167) | 1080 | 540 | 540 |
| 10 | Bradley University | Test Score is NOT considered for Bradley University admission. | |||
| Average | 34.88% | 1349 | 669 | 680 | |
ACT Scores Comparison
The average ACT score of best schools in Illinois is 30. By subject, the average ACT English score is 31 and the ACT math score is 29.
The following table compares ACT Scores between best schools in Illinois for academic year 2024-2025.
| Rank | Name | Submit%* (Submit#**) | Composite | English | Math |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Chicago | 27% (460) | 35 | 35 | 34 |
| 2 | Northwestern University | 23% (488) | 34 | 35 | 34 |
| 3 | Principia College | No data is available. | |||
| 4 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | 16% (1,408) | 32 | 34 | 32 |
| 5 | Illinois Institute of Technology | 8% (44) | 29 | 30 | 28 |
| 6 | Wheaton College | 20% (105) | 30 | 33 | 27 |
| 7 | Loyola University Chicago | 15% (426) | 29 | 31 | 27 |
| 8 | Illinois Wesleyan University | 10% (46) | 29 | 28 | 27 |
| 9 | Lewis University | 4% (29) | 24 | 23 | 24 |
| 10 | Bradley University | Test Score is NOT considered for Bradley University admission. | |||
| Average | 15.38% | 30 | 31 | 29 | |
*Number of first-time degree/certificate-seeking students submitting SAT scores.
**Percent of first-time degree/certificate-seeking students submitting SAT scores.
Application Requirements
The following table list and compare the requirements when applying best schools in Illinois based on academic year 2024-2025 data.
| Rank | Name | HS GPA | HS Rank | HS Record | Prep. Program | Rec. | Compe. | SAT/ACT | TOEFL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Chicago | ✓ | ✓ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| 2 | Northwestern University | ✓ | ✓ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✗ | ✓ | ✔ |
| 3 | Principia College | Information about requirements for applying to school is not available. | |||||||
| 4 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | ✗ | ✗ | ✔ | ✔ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✔ |
| 5 | Illinois Institute of Technology | ✓ | ✓ | ✔ | ✔ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✔ |
| 6 | Wheaton College | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✗ | ✓ | ✔ |
| 7 | Loyola University Chicago | ✔ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✔ | ✗ | ✓ | ✔ |
| 8 | Illinois Wesleyan University | ✓ | ✓ | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ |
| 9 | Lewis University | ✔ | ✓ | ✔ | ✔ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✔ |
| 10 | Bradley University | ✔ | ✗ | ✔ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✔ |
✔: Required △: Considered but not Required ✔: Recommended ✗: Neither Required nor Recommended
- HS GPA: High School or Secondary School GPA
- HS Rank: High School or Secondary School Rank
- HS Record: High School or Secondary School Record
- Prep. Program: Completion of College Preparatory Program
- Rec.: Recommendations
- Comp.: Formal demonstration of competencies (e.g., portfolios, certificates of mastery, assessment instruments)
The ranking data is provided by CollegeEvaluator. We compare the schools that ranked top 10 in Illinoisand in top 500 ranking for all colleges and universities in United States.
Top Colleges By Subject
- Tightest Schools To Admit (Lowest Acceptance Rate)
- Affordable Schools To Admit (Highest Acceptance Rate)
- Most Favored Schools (Highest Yield)
- Colleges with Low Yield
- Expensive Colleges (Highest Tuition & Fees)
- Inexpensive Colleges (Lowest Tuition & Fees)
- Colleges with Most Students
- Colleges with Least Students
- Colleges with Most Online Students
- Colleges with Least Online Students
- Colleges with Highest Graduation Rates
- Colleges with Lowest Graduation Rates
- Low Student to Faculty Ratio
- High Student to Faculty Ratio
*Number of first-time degree/certificate-seeking students submitting SAT scores.
**Percent of first-time degree/certificate-seeking students submitting SAT scores.