Popular Illinois Colleges Easy to Get Into
Illinois has 37 four-year colleges that accept 75% or more of applicants. If your GPA and test scores meet their typical thresholds, these are strong safety options, ordered by student interest online.
Leading examples include University of Illinois Chicago in Chicago, Illinois, accepting 77% of applicants. Also frequently researched: Loyola University Chicago, DePaul University and Illinois State University.
Use the filters below to narrow by GPA, SAT, or ACT and see your estimated admission chance. For the highest academic quality among easy-admission schools, see best-ranked colleges with high acceptance rates. For schools with the highest acceptance rates regardless of popularity, see highest acceptance rate colleges.
University of Illinois Chicago
- Public 4 Year
- Chicago, IL
-
4.5 | 2 reviews
- 77% acceptance rate
- Feb 1 application deadline
UIC is a large public university known for undergraduate nursing, architecture, and engineering. The urban campus sits on Chicago's Near West Side near the Illinois Medical District.
- SAT Range 1130-1350
- Avg GPA 3.41
- Net Price $10,852
Loyola University Chicago
- Private 4 Year
- Chicago, IL
-
4.3 | 6 reviews
- 82% acceptance rate
Loyola Chicago is a private Jesuit university known for undergraduate nursing, business, and communications. The urban campus sits along Lake Michigan on Chicago's North Side.
- SAT Range 1170-1360
- Avg GPA 3.71
- Net Price $39,147
DePaul University
- Private 4 Year
- Chicago, IL
-
3.3 | 3 reviews
- 76% acceptance rate
- Feb 1 application deadline
DePaul is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate business, film, and theater. Its urban campuses sit in Chicago's Lincoln Park and Loop neighborhoods.
- SAT Range 1140-1330
- Avg GPA 3.8
- Net Price $34,135
Illinois State University
- Public 4 Year
- Normal, IL
-
4.8 | 4 reviews
- 88% acceptance rate
- Apr 1 application deadline
Illinois State is a large public university known for undergraduate teacher education, nursing, and business. The residential campus sits in the college town of Normal, next to Bloomington.
- SAT Range 990-1210
- Avg GPA 3.41
- Net Price $21,369
Wheaton College
- Private 4 Year
- Wheaton, IL
-
4.0 | 3 reviews
- 87% acceptance rate
- Aug 1 application deadline
Wheaton is a private evangelical Christian liberal arts college known for undergraduate biblical studies, theology, and the sciences. The residential campus sits in a western suburb of Chicago.
- SAT Range 1260-1470
- Avg GPA 3.75
- Net Price $31,356
Southern Illinois University Carbondale
- Public 4 Year
- Carbondale, IL
-
4.0 | 1 reviews
- 87% acceptance rate
SIU Carbondale is a large public university known for undergraduate aviation, journalism, and forestry. The wooded campus anchors the college town of Carbondale in southern Illinois.
- SAT Range 900-1160
- Avg GPA 3.24
- Net Price $13,473
Bradley University
- Private 4 Year
- Peoria, IL
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- 77% acceptance rate
Bradley is a private university known for undergraduate engineering, business, and health sciences. Most students live on the residential campus in Peoria.
- SAT Range 1090-1300
- Avg GPA 3.83
- Net Price $23,787
Northeastern Illinois University
- Public 4 Year
- Chicago, IL
-
4.0 | 1 reviews
- 75% acceptance rate
- Jul 15 application deadline
Northeastern Illinois is a public university known for undergraduate education and business programs. The urban campus sits on Chicago's Northwest Side.
- SAT Range 810-1010
- Avg GPA 3.1
- Net Price $14,140
Columbia College Chicago
- Private 4 Year
- Chicago, IL
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- 89% acceptance rate
- Aug 1 application deadline
Columbia College Chicago is a private arts and media college known for undergraduate film, journalism, and performing arts. The urban campus sits in Chicago's South Loop.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA 3.41
- Net Price $29,473
Aurora University
- Private 4 Year
- Aurora, IL
-
| 0 reviews
- 81% acceptance rate
Aurora University is a private university known for undergraduate nursing, education, and social work. The suburban campus sits in Aurora, about 40 miles west of Chicago.
- SAT Range 900-1150
- Avg GPA 3.56
- Net Price $19,053
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
- Public 4 Year
- Edwardsville, IL
-
| 0 reviews
- 97% acceptance rate
- May 1 application deadline
SIUE is a public university known for undergraduate nursing, business, and education. The large wooded campus sits in the St. Louis metro area.
- SAT Range 950-1190
- Avg GPA 3.54
- Net Price $17,115
North Central College
- Private 4 Year
- Naperville, IL
-
| 0 reviews
- 77% acceptance rate
- Apr 15 application deadline
North Central is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate business, education, and the sciences. The residential campus sits in suburban Naperville, west of Chicago.
- SAT Range 1055-1310
- Avg GPA 3.6
- Net Price $23,276
University of Illinois Springfield
- Public 4 Year
- Springfield, IL
-
| 0 reviews
- 86% acceptance rate
UIS is a public university known for undergraduate public affairs, political science, and computer science. The campus is in Springfield, Illinois's state capital.
- SAT Range 940-1200
- Avg GPA 3.46
- Net Price $10,809
School of the Art Institute of Chicago
- Private 4 Year
- Chicago, IL
-
2.0 | 2 reviews
- 77% acceptance rate
- Nov 15 application deadline
SAIC is a private art and design college known for undergraduate fine arts, design, and contemporary art practice. The urban downtown campus is connected to the Art Institute of Chicago museum.
- SAT Range 1048-1260
- Avg GPA 3.51
- Net Price $55,631
Dominican University
- Private 4 Year
- River Forest, IL
-
| 0 reviews
- 90% acceptance rate
- Aug 31 application deadline
Dominican is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate education, nursing, and business. The suburban River Forest campus sits just west of Chicago.
- SAT Range 880-1100
- Avg GPA 3.74
- Net Price $13,402
Roosevelt University
- Private 4 Year
- Chicago, IL
-
| 0 reviews
- 97% acceptance rate
Roosevelt is a private university known for undergraduate performing arts and business. The urban campus includes the historic Auditorium Building in downtown Chicago.
- SAT Range 895-1175
- Avg GPA 3.13
- Net Price $22,366
Saint Xavier University
- Private 4 Year
- Chicago, IL
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- 84% acceptance rate
Saint Xavier is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate nursing and education. The campus is in Chicago's Mount Greenwood neighborhood on the Southwest Side.
- SAT Range 950-1120
- Avg GPA 3.4
- Net Price $11,318
Benedictine University
- Private 4 Year
- Lisle, IL
-
| 0 reviews
- 95% acceptance rate
Benedictine is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate business, nursing, and biology. The suburban campus is in Lisle in Chicago's western suburbs.
- SAT Range 1050-1280
- Avg GPA 3.26
- Net Price $23,139