- Universities in Chicago
- Ranked in at least one ranking
- Different Rankings list
- Universities in Chicago
- (31 institution and 10 subject rankings)
- Global Rankings rank
- Universities in Chicago
- Among TOP 200
Chicago is a city made up of many distinct neighbourhoods, each with its own charms and attractions that will draw in different kinds of people.
All of these neighbourhoods are connected by Chicago’s considerable topside railway and bus services, which university students are entitled to ride for free.
Chicago is a large city that offers its inhabitants all manner of activities to enjoy in their free time, from symphony orchestras, to all manner of dining options, and even street festivals when the weather is good.
PROS
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Chicago is home to a total of 28 universities, and the majority of them are well-ranked by university ranking organisations, and some are even among the highest rated in the world.
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Residents prefer to make use of the city’s very developed public transport system, because it’s cheaper and less stressful than trying to take a car through Chicago’s congested streets. Students use trains and buses mainly, but also the bike rental system.
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Of course, the prices vary dramatically from neighbourhood to neighbourhood, but one can expect to find a comfortable apartment for around $900-$1300 around a half an hour’s commute away from the Downtown area.
CONS
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According to statistics, the cost of living in Chicago is around 20% higher than the average for the rest of the country. This figure is calculated with the daily essentials like food, transport, and so on.
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The job market is known for being slow in Chicago, but many recommend networking with as many people as possible to increase your chances of getting a part-time job you can do while studying.
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Many agree that your general quality of life suffers during the winter in Chicago, as you get much less daylight, activity, and socialising opportunities compared to the summer.
For business studies see our separate ranking of business schools in Chicago, USA
- 28 Nov, 2022: URAP World Ranking - University Ranking by Academic Performance updated with University of Chicago ranked highest among 6 listed universities in Chicago.
- 23 Nov, 2022: Latest THE Global Employability University Ranking from THE Times Higher Education, UK. in position #90.
- 16 Nov, 2022: THE World Reputation Rankings updated with University of Chicago in position 17.
- 26 Oct, 2022: THE World University Rankings by Subject (Social Sciences) updated with University of Chicago ranked highest among 24 listed universities in Chicago.
Highest subject rankings of universities in Chicago
Rankings of universities in Chicago, USA 2023
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Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education US College Rankings
[Published 14 September, 2021] |
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THE World University Rankings
[Published 12 October, 2022] |
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QS World University Rankings
[Published 08 June, 2022] |
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Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education US College Rankings
[Published 14 September, 2021] |
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THE World University Rankings
[Published 12 October, 2022] |
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QS World University Rankings
[Published 08 June, 2022] |
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Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education US College Rankings
[Published 14 September, 2021] |
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THE World University Rankings
[Published 12 October, 2022] |
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QS World University Rankings
[Published 08 June, 2022] |
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Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education US College Rankings
[Published 14 September, 2021] |
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QS World University Rankings
[Published 08 June, 2022] |
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US News: Best Global Universities
[Published 24 October, 2022] |
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Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education US College Rankings
[Published 14 September, 2021] |
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US News: Best Global Universities
[Published 24 October, 2022] |
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Scimago Institutions Rankings
[Published 04 April, 2022] |
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Northeastern Illinois University

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Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education US College Rankings
[Published 14 September, 2021] |
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Scimago Institutions Rankings
[Published 04 April, 2022] |
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Payscale College Salary Report - Best Universities (Bachelors only)
[Published 11 November, 2021] |
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THE World University Rankings
[Published 12 October, 2022] |
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US News: Best Global Universities
[Published 24 October, 2022] |
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Scimago Institutions Rankings
[Published 04 April, 2022] |
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School of the Art Institute of Chicago
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Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education US College Rankings
[Published 14 September, 2021] |
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Payscale College Salary Report - Best Universities (Bachelors only)
[Published 11 November, 2021] |
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Payscale College Salary Report - Best Universities (All Alumni)
[Published 11 November, 2021] |
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Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education US College Rankings
[Published 14 September, 2021] |
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Payscale College Salary Report - Best Universities (Bachelors only)
[Published 11 November, 2021] |
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Payscale College Salary Report - Best Universities (All Alumni)
[Published 11 November, 2021] |
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Scimago Institutions Rankings
[Published 04 April, 2022] |
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Payscale College Salary Report - Best Universities (Bachelors only)
[Published 11 November, 2021] |
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Payscale College Salary Report - Best Universities (All Alumni)
[Published 11 November, 2021] |
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Illinois, National-Louis University

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Payscale College Salary Report - Best Universities (Bachelors only)
[Published 11 November, 2021] |
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US News Best National Universities
[Published 11 September, 2022] |
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Washington Monthly - National Universities
[Published 28 August, 2022] |
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University of Illinois - System
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Reuters Most Innovative Universities
[Published 23 October, 2019] |
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Webometrics Ranking Web of Universities
[Published 01 January, 2022] |
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Payscale College Salary Report - Best Universities (Bachelors only)
[Published 11 November, 2021] |
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Payscale College Salary Report - Best Universities (All Alumni)
[Published 11 November, 2021] |
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Webometrics Ranking Web of Universities
[Published 01 January, 2022] |
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US News Best National Liberal Arts Colleges
[Published 11 September, 2022] |
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StuDocu World University Ranking - US & Canada
[Published 06 September, 2021] |
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Webometrics Ranking Web of Universities
[Published 01 January, 2022] |
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Webometrics Ranking Web of Universities
[Published 01 January, 2022] |
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Webometrics Ranking Web of Universities
[Published 01 January, 2022] |

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Webometrics Ranking Web of Universities
[Published 01 January, 2022] |

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Webometrics Ranking Web of Universities
[Published 01 January, 2022] |

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Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education US College Rankings
[Published 14 September, 2021] |
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Payscale College Salary Report - Best Universities (Bachelors only)
[Published 11 November, 2021] |
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US News Best National Universities
[Published 11 September, 2022] |
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Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education US College Rankings
[Published 14 September, 2021] |
||
|
Payscale College Salary Report - Best Universities (Bachelors only)
[Published 11 November, 2021] |
||
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Payscale College Salary Report - Best Universities (All Alumni)
[Published 11 November, 2021] |
||
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Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education US College Rankings
[Published 14 September, 2021] |
||
|
Payscale College Salary Report - Best Universities (Bachelors only)
[Published 11 November, 2021] |
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Payscale College Salary Report - Best Universities (All Alumni)
[Published 11 November, 2021] |
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Harrington College of Design

Chicago School of Professional Psychology
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Student Opinions About Studying in Chicago
“Chicago is a very ‘you love it or you hate it’ kind of city. The winters are very challenging, and there’s more people packed into the city than a lot of other comparable places in the USA. For me personally, Chicago is worth it for the people, the cuisine, and the passionate sports fans.”
“The best thing you can do in Chicago is just embrace the public transport systems, because insuring a car is very expensive here, and drivers are extremely competitive when it comes to getting a parking space. For me it’s not worth it and I prefer to just go to my classes using the train since it’s so well connected.”
“Beaches aren’t really what most people associate with Chicago, but there are actually four spread out around the city. For me they’re a great way to disconnect from the busy metropolitan noise of the city.”
Chicago Key Facts for International Students
Population: 2747000
Elevation: 179 m. above sea level
Time: GMT -6
District/province: Illinois, Cook County
* 100 = prices in London
- Living costs without accommodation 99* (1% cheaper than London)
- All costs including accommodation 96* (4% cheaper than London)
- Meals (grocery & lower cost restaurants) 103* (3% more expensive than London)
- Average Big Mac price 5.15 US$
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- Residential voltage: 120 V
- Frequency: 60 Hz
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- Residential voltage: 120 V
- Frequency: 60 Hz
Map with location of universities in Chicago



Ranking publishers
4icu
- Universities:
- 400
- Published:
- 11 August, 2022
- Universities:
- 400
- Published:
- 11 August, 2022
British Quacquarelli Symonds, UK
- Universities:
- 11087
- Published:
- 08 June, 2022
- Criteria used in ranking -QS World University Rankings:
- Academic Reputation 40%
Employer Reputation 10%
Faculty/Student Ratio 20%
Citations per faculty 20%
International Faculty Ratio 5%
International Student Ratio 5%
- Universities:
- 1001
- Published:
- 23 September, 2021
- Criteria used in ranking -QS Employability Rankings:
- Employer reputation 30%
Alumni outcomes 25%
Partnerships with Employers per Faculty 25%
Employer/Student Connections 10%
Graduate employment rate 10%
- Universities:
- 700
- Published:
- 26 October, 2022
CWUR Center for World University Rankings
- Universities:
- 6000
- Published:
- 25 April, 2022
- Criteria used in ranking -CWUR Center for World University Rankings:
- Research Performance 40%
Quality of Education 25%
Alumni Employment 25%
Quality of Faculty 10%
Centre for Science and Technology Studies, Leiden University, Netherlands
- Universities:
- 3718
- Published:
- 22 June, 2022
- Criteria used in ranking -CWTS Leiden Ranking:
- Academic research publication
Forbes
- Universities:
- 1098
- Published:
- 30 August, 2022
Kiplinger
- Universities:
- 500
- Published:
- 31 July, 2019
- Criteria used in ranking -Kiplinger's Best College Values:
- Quality Criteria 55%
Cost Criteria 45%
MONEY
- Universities:
- 48
- Published:
- 16 May, 2022
- Universities:
- 100
- Published:
- 16 May, 2022
- Criteria used in ranking -MONEY Best Public Colleges:
- Quality of education 33.33%
Affordability 33.33%
Outcomes 33.33%
- Universities:
- 50
- Published:
- 25 August, 2020
- Criteria used in ranking -MONEY Best Colleges You Can Actually Get Into:
- Quality of education 33.33%
Affordability 33.33%
Outcomes 33.33%
- Universities:
- 1362
- Published:
- 16 May, 2022
- Criteria used in ranking -MONEY Best Colleges in America, ranked by value:
- Quality of education 33.33%
Affordability 33.33%
Outcomes 33.33%
- Universities:
- 50
- Published:
- 25 August, 2020
- Criteria used in ranking -MONEY Colleges That Add the Most Value:
- Quality of education 33.33%
Affordability 33.33%
Outcomes 33.33%
NTU ranking
- Universities:
- 2059
- Published:
- 02 August, 2022
- Criteria used in ranking -NTU Performance Ranking of Scientific Papers:
- Research excellence 40%
Research impact 35%
Research productivity 25%
- Universities:
- 354
- Published:
- 20 October, 2021
- Criteria used in ranking -NTU North America:
- Research productivity 25%
Research impact 35%
Research Excellence 40%
Nature Index
- Universities:
- 9200
- Published:
- 16 June, 2022
- Criteria used in ranking -Nature Index - Academic:
- Article count (AC)
Fractional count (FC)
Weighted fractional count (WFC)
Payscale
- Universities:
- 2688
- Published:
- 11 November, 2021
- Criteria used in ranking -Payscale College Salary Report - Best Universities (Bachelors only):
- Ranking is based on ROI
- Universities:
- 3158
- Published:
- 11 November, 2021
RUR Ranking Agency (Moscow, Russia)
- Universities:
- 828
- Published:
- 16 September, 2020
- Criteria used in ranking -RUR Research Performance Ranking:
- Normalized citation impact (Citations of research publications from all university authors compared with world averages) 20%
Citation per papers 20%
Papers per academic and research staff 20%
International research reputation 20%
Share of research publications written in international co-authorship 20%
- Universities:
- 2721
- Published:
- 04 March, 2022
- Criteria used in ranking -RUR World University Rankings:
- Teaching 40%
Research 40%
International Diversity 10%
Financial Sustainability 10%
Scimago Institutions
- Universities:
- 12387
- Published:
- 04 April, 2022
- Criteria used in ranking -Scimago Institutions Rankings:
- Research 50%
Innovation 30%
Societal 20%
ShanghaiRanking Consultancy
- Universities:
- 12016
- Published:
- 15 August, 2022
- Criteria used in ranking -ARWU Academic Ranking of World Universities - ShanghaiRanking:
- Alumni winning research prizes 10%
Staff winning research prizes 20%
Research paper publications 20%
Papers published in Nature and Science 20%
Papers indexed in Science Citation Index-Expanded and Social Science Citation Index 20%
Per capita academic performance 10%
StuDocu
- Universities:
- 556
- Published:
- 06 September, 2021
THE Times Higher Education, UK
- Universities:
- 12328
- Published:
- 12 October, 2022
- Criteria used in ranking -THE World University Rankings:
- Teaching 30%
Research (volume, income and reputation) 30%
Citations 30%
International outlook (staff, students, research) 7.5%
Industry income (knowledge transfer) 2.5%
- Universities:
- 735
- Published:
- 23 November, 2022
- Criteria used in ranking -THE Global Employability University Ranking:
- Employability (survey) 100%
- Universities:
- 627
- Published:
- 16 November, 2022
- Criteria used in ranking -THE World Reputation Rankings:
- Research Reputation 66,6%
Teaching Reputation 33,3%
- Universities:
- 365
- Published:
- 19 January, 2022
- Criteria used in ranking -THE World’s Most International Universities - Times Higher Education:
- Proportion of international students 25%
Proportion of international staff 25%
Proportion of journal publications with one or more international co-authors 25%
University’s international reputation 25%
- Universities:
- 1428
- Published:
- 15 February, 2022
- Criteria used in ranking -THE Young University Rankings - Times Higher Education:
- Teaching 30%
Research (volume, income and reputation) 30%
Citations 30%
International outlook (staff, students, research) 7.5%
Industry income (knowledge transfer) 2.5%
- Universities:
- 348
- Published:
- 10 May, 2022
- Universities:
- 3144
- Published:
- 11 May, 2022
The Princeton Review
- Universities:
- 50
- Published:
- 26 October, 2021
- Universities:
- 50
- Published:
- 26 April, 2022
Thomson Reuters
- Universities:
- 100
- Published:
- 23 October, 2019
- Criteria used in ranking -Reuters Most Innovative Universities:
- Patent Volume 33%
Patent Citations 34%
Industry Article Citation Impact 11%
Percent of Industry Collaborative Articles 11%
Total Web of Science Core Collection Papers 11%
Urap
- Universities:
- 9002
- Published:
- 28 November, 2022
Us News
- Universities:
- 2820
- Published:
- 11 September, 2022
- Universities:
- 423
- Published:
- 11 September, 2022
- Universities:
- 5248
- Published:
- 24 October, 2022
Wallstreet Journal USA & THE Times Higher Education, UK
- Universities:
- 1593
- Published:
- 14 September, 2021
- Criteria used in ranking -Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education US College Rankings:
- Outcomes 40% (employability)
Resources 30%
Engagement 20% (teaching)
Environment 10% (diversity)
Washington Monthly
- Universities:
- 1222
- Published:
- 28 August, 2022
- Criteria used in ranking -Washington Monthly - National Universities:
- Social Mobility 33.33%
Research 33.33%
Community and National Service 33.33%
Webometrics
- Universities:
- 36007
- Published:
- 01 January, 2022
- Criteria used in ranking -Webometrics Ranking Web of Universities:
- Visibility 50%
Excellence 35%
Transparency 10%
Presence 5%