Best Business Programs in Illinois for 2027

We rank business programs in Illinois in five lists, covering five fields and 62 programs analyzed, with 28 schools making at least one list. Accounting is the deepest field, with 19 ranked programs, all at the bachelor's level. The price gap is the widest story here: in-state tuition among the ranked undergraduate programs runs from $8,232 at Governors State University to $57,500 at Illinois Wesleyan University, $49,268 a year apart. Three of the 28 schools charge in-state students under $10,000 a year.

Loyola University Chicago and DePaul University appear in more of Illinois's rankings than any other school, five each. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign holds the top spot in accounting, finance, marketing, and entrepreneurship. Pay runs below the national figure: 171,300 general and operations managers in Illinois earn a median of $103,570 (BLS, May 2025), $2,200 less than the national median; the operations manager salary guide compares every state. Related pay guides: accountant salary, financial analyst salary, and marketing manager salary.

Among the business programs in Illinois, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign enrolls the most students: 59,238. Bradley University graduates the highest share of its students, 76%. Illinois Wesleyan University admits 39% of applicants, the lowest rate among these schools. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Northern Illinois University and five more offer the degree online.