27 Best Art & Design schools in Chicago, IL

Updated: March 15, 2026

Ranking by academic field

Below is a list of best universities in Chicago ranked based on their research performance in Art & Design. A graph of 1.25M citations received by 41.8K academic papers made by 27 universities in Chicago was used to calculate publications' ratings, which then were adjusted for release dates and added to final scores.

We don't distinguish between undergraduate and graduate programs nor do we adjust for current majors offered. You can find information about granted degrees on a university page but always double-check with the university website.

Please note that our approach to subject rankings is based on scientific outputs and heavily biased on art-related topics towards institutions with computer science research profiles.

1. University of Chicago

For Art & Design

#2 in Illinois

#18 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 4%
Average SAT: 1545
Average ACT: 35
Net Price: $28,060

2. University of Illinois at Chicago

For Art & Design

#4 in Illinois

#52 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 77%
Average SAT: 1240
Average ACT: 28
Receiving Aid: 80%

3. Loyola University Chicago

For Art & Design

#5 in Illinois

#131 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 82%
Average SAT: 1265
Average ACT: 30
Net Price: $39,147

4. DePaul University

For Art & Design

#7 in Illinois

#149 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 76%
Average SAT: 1235
Average ACT: 28
Net Price: $34,135

5. Illinois Institute of Technology

For Art & Design

#11 in Illinois

#210 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 55%
Average SAT: 1310
Average ACT: 29
Net Price: $24,796

6. Northeastern Illinois University

For Art & Design

#19 in Illinois

#494 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 75%
Receiving Aid: 90%
Average Aid: $12,876
Enrollment: 5,734

7. Roosevelt University

For Art & Design

#21 in Illinois

#532 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 97%
Average SAT: 1035
Average ACT: 22
Net Price: $22,366

8. School of the Art Institute of Chicago

For Art & Design

#22 in Illinois

#553 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 77%
Net Price: $55,631
Receiving Aid: 99%
Average Aid: $20,050

9. Rush University

For Art & Design

#26 in Illinois

#642 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 33%
Enrollment: 2,769
Male:Female: 21:79
Founded: 1972

10. Columbia College Chicago

For Art & Design

#27 in Illinois

#659 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 89%
Net Price: $29,473
Receiving Aid: 100%
Average Aid: $22,780

11. Saint Xavier University

For Art & Design

#28 in Illinois

#668 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 84%
Net Price: $11,318
Receiving Aid: 100%
Average Aid: $31,985

12. National Louis University

For Art & Design

#33 in Illinois

#812 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 95%
Net Price: $13,150
Receiving Aid: 87%
Average Aid: $11,056

13. Toyota Technological Institute at Chicago

For Art & Design

#34 in Illinois

#834 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 10%
Enrollment: 39
Male:Female: 76:24

14. Catholic Theological Union at Chicago

For Art & Design

#38 in Illinois

#917 in the United States

Enrollment: 210
Male:Female: 64:36
Founded: 1968

15. Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago

For Art & Design

#39 in Illinois

#930 in the United States

Enrollment: 101
Male:Female: 46:54

16. Chicago State University

For Art & Design

#40 in Illinois

#935 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 43%
Receiving Aid: 99%
Average Aid: $18,194
Enrollment: 2,238

17. North Park University

For Art & Design

#41 in Illinois

#938 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 69%
Net Price: $20,372
Receiving Aid: 100%
Average Aid: $24,476

18. John Marshall Law School

For Art & Design

#44 in Illinois

#1006 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 52%
Founded: 1899

19. DeVry University - Illinois

For Art & Design

#45 in Illinois

#1028 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 98%
Average SAT: 865
Average ACT: 15
Net Price: $30,889

20. Chicago Theological Seminary

For Art & Design

#51 in Illinois

#1160 in the United States

Enrollment: 215
Male:Female: 46:54

21. Erikson Institute

For Art & Design

#52 in Illinois

#1165 in the United States

Enrollment: 297
Male:Female: 3:97

22. McCormick Theological Seminary

For Art & Design

#53 in Illinois

#1166 in the United States

Enrollment: 125
Male:Female: 55:45

23. Adler University

For Art & Design

#56 in Illinois

#1200 in the United States

Enrollment: 1,631
Male:Female: 19:81
Founded: 1952

24. Saint Augustine College

For Art & Design

#58 in Illinois

#1209 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 100%
Net Price: $8,310
Receiving Aid: 89%
Average Aid: $14,748

25. Kendall College

For Art & Design

#64 in Illinois

#1321 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 90%
Net Price: $30,324
Receiving Aid: 69%
Average Aid: $7,984

26. Moody Bible Institute

For Art & Design

#65 in Illinois

#1323 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 83%
Net Price: $21,614
Receiving Aid: 90%
Average Aid: $12,742

27. Bexley Hall Seabury Western Theological Seminary Federation, Inc.

For Art & Design

#67 in Illinois

#1342 in the United States

Enrollment: 80
Male:Female: 41:59

Universities for Art & Design near Chicago

Distance, km 📏 km	University	Country rank 🏆	City
19	Northwestern University	31	Evanston, Illinois
35	Purdue University Northwest	420	Hammond, Indiana
39	Wheaton College - Illinois	348	Wheaton, Illinois
44	Lake Forest College	627	Lake Forest, Illinois
50	Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science	557	North Chicago, Illinois
68	Valparaiso University	328	Valparaiso, Indiana
87	University of Wisconsin - Parkside	623	Kenosha, Wisconsin
94	Northern Illinois University	144	DeKalb, Illinois
106	Andrews University	373	Berrien Springs, Michigan
115	Saint Mary's College	561	Notre Dame, Indiana