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 62 Engineering degree programs. It's a medium sized, private not-for-profit, four-year university in a large city. In 2022, 742 Engineering students graduated with students earning 382 Bachelor's degrees, 322 Master's degrees, and 38 Doctoral degrees.

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Northwestern University offers 57 Engineering degree programs. It's a very large, private not-for-profit, four-year university in a small city. In 2022, 1,030 Engineering students graduated with students earning 522 Master's degrees, 366 Bachelor's degrees, 138 Doctoral degrees, and 4 Certificates.

University of Illinois Chicago offers 39 Engineering degree programs. It's a very large, public, four-year university in a large city. In 2022, 1,137 Engineering students graduated with students earning 798 Bachelor's degrees, 256 Master's degrees, and 83 Doctoral degrees.

Southern Illinois University-Carbondale offers 30 Engineering degree programs. It's a large, public, four-year university in a small city. In 2022, 468 Engineering students graduated with students earning 330 Bachelor's degrees, 124 Master's degrees, and 14 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 2022, 109 Engineering students graduated with students earning 58 Associate's degrees, and 51 Certificates.

Lake Land College
Mattoon, IL

Lake Land College offers 22 Engineering degree programs. It's a small, public, two-year college in a faraway town. In 2022, 217 Engineering students graduated with students earning 160 Certificates, and 57 Associate's degrees.

Bradley University
Peoria, IL

Bradley University offers 16 Engineering degree programs. It's a medium sized, private not-for-profit, four-year university in a midsize city. In 2022, 203 Engineering students graduated with students earning 179 Bachelor's degrees, and 24 Master's degrees.

Kankakee Community College offers 15 Engineering degree programs. It's a small, public, two-year college in a small city. In 2022, 118 Engineering students graduated with students earning 98 Certificates, and 20 Associate's degrees.

Joliet Junior College offers 25 Engineering degree programs. It's a large, public, two-year college in a large suburb. In 2022, 226 Engineering students graduated with students earning 171 Certificates, and 55 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
24 : 1 56,916
Illinois Institute of Technology Logo Illinois Institute of Technology Chicago, IL
5/5
19 : 1 6,943
Northwestern University Logo Northwestern University Evanston, IL
5/5
15 : 1 23,161
University of Illinois Chicago Logo University of Illinois Chicago Chicago, IL
4/5
19 : 1 33,747
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale Logo Southern Illinois University-Carbondale Carbondale, IL
4/5
17 : 1 11,107