Best Engineering colleges in Illinois

Best Engineering colleges in Illinois for 2025

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Freshmen get their feet wet immediately with Illinois Engineering First-Year Experience. After four weeks of Engineering 100, students spend the rest of the course on a customized project. Past participants have done everything from creating a Helix wind turbine prototype using a 3D printer to building a machine to spread condiments on bagels. Such hands-on experiences continue in courses such as Learning in Community in which teams of students work on projects proposed by nonprofit organizations. You might help design a more cost-efficient prosthetic arm or construct footbridges for underprivileged Chinese villages. A Wall Street Journal survey of employers lists University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign engineering graduates among the top five most prepared for the workforce. We’re not surprised. In fact, over Winter Break, students may choose to do a one-day job shadow. Students experience a day in the life of an engineer at places such as Caterpillar, the Federal Aviation Administration, Intel Corp, and Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. The university’s effort to maintain ties with local employers also pays off upon graduation. Students on average receive two or more job offers, and the starting salary for those with a BS in engineering from U of I is about 8 percent higher than the national average.

Illinois Institute of Technology offers 60 Engineering degree programs. It's a medium sized, private not-for-profit, four-year university in a large city. In 2023, 873 Engineering students graduated with students earning 437 Master's degrees, 403 Bachelor's degrees, and 33 Doctoral degrees.

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Northwestern University offers 58 Engineering degree programs. It's a very large, private not-for-profit, four-year university in a small city. In 2023, 1,207 Engineering students graduated with students earning 667 Master's degrees, 391 Bachelor's degrees, 143 Doctoral degrees, and 6 Certificates.

University of Illinois Chicago offers 40 Engineering degree programs. It's a very large, public, four-year university in a large city. In 2023, 1,129 Engineering students graduated with students earning 741 Bachelor's degrees, 301 Master's degrees, and 87 Doctoral degrees.

Southern Illinois University-Carbondale offers 33 Engineering degree programs. It's a large, public, four-year university in a faraway town. In 2023, 387 Engineering students graduated with students earning 281 Bachelor's degrees, 98 Master's degrees, and 8 Doctoral degrees.

College of DuPage
Glen Ellyn, IL

College of DuPage offers 25 Engineering degree programs. It's a very large, public, two-year college in a large suburb. In 2023, 128 Engineering students graduated with students earning 72 Associate's degrees, and 56 Certificates.

Lake Land College
Mattoon, IL

Lake Land College offers 22 Engineering degree programs. It's a small, public, two-year college in a outlying rural area. In 2023, 227 Engineering students graduated with students earning 194 Certificates, and 33 Associate's degrees.

Bradley University
Peoria, IL

Bradley University offers 17 Engineering degree programs. It's a medium sized, private not-for-profit, four-year university in a midsize city. In 2023, 266 Engineering students graduated with students earning 208 Bachelor's degrees, and 58 Master's degrees.

Kankakee Community College offers 15 Engineering degree programs. It's a small, public, two-year college in a small city. In 2023, 111 Engineering students graduated with students earning 91 Certificates, and 20 Associate's degrees.

Joliet Junior College offers 25 Engineering degree programs. It's a medium sized, public, two-year college in a large suburb. In 2023, 189 Engineering students graduated with students earning 149 Certificates, and 40 Associate's degrees.

Find local colleges with Engineering majors in Illinois

Top schools offering Engineering degrees in Illinois

List of all Engineering colleges in Illinois

School Average Tuition Student Teacher Ratio Enrolled Students
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Logo University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL
4/5
23 : 1 56,563
Illinois Institute of Technology Logo Illinois Institute of Technology Chicago, IL
5/5
24 : 1 8,563
Northwestern University Logo Northwestern University Evanston, IL
5/5
15 : 1 23,203
University of Illinois Chicago Logo University of Illinois Chicago Chicago, IL
4/5
18 : 1 33,522
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale Logo Southern Illinois University-Carbondale Carbondale, IL
3/5
17 : 1 11,359