21 Best colleges for Criminology and Criminal Justice in Illinois

Updated: March 15, 2026

Ranking by academic field

Below is a list of best universities in Illinois ranked based on their research performance in Criminology and Criminal Justice. A graph of 308K citations received by 11K academic papers made by 21 universities in Illinois 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.

1. University of Chicago

Chicago

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#4 in the United States

#5 in North America

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

2. University of Illinois at Chicago

Chicago

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#36 in the United States

#40 in North America

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

3. University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign

Champaign

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#41 in the United States

#46 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 42%
Average SAT: 1415
Average ACT: 32
Receiving Aid: 64%

4. Northwestern University

Evanston

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#45 in the United States

#51 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 8%
Average SAT: 1540
Average ACT: 34
Net Price: $26,830

5. Loyola University Chicago

Chicago

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#62 in the United States

#72 in North America

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

6. DePaul University

Chicago

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#93 in the United States

#105 in North America

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

7. Southern Illinois University - Carbondale

Carbondale

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#138 in the United States

#156 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 87%
Average SAT: 1030
Average ACT: 22
Receiving Aid: 98%

8. Illinois State University

Normal

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#150 in the United States

#170 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 88%
Average SAT: 1100
Average ACT: 24
Receiving Aid: 98%

9. Northern Illinois University

DeKalb

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#163 in the United States

#184 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 70%
Receiving Aid: 99%
Average Aid: $14,387
Enrollment: 15,414

10. Illinois Institute of Technology

Chicago

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#205 in the United States

#231 in North America

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

11. Illinois College

Jacksonville

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#280 in the United States

#313 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 78%
Average SAT: 1032
Average ACT: 23
Net Price: $17,375

12. Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville

Edwardsville

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#319 in the United States

#353 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 97%
Average SAT: 1070
Average ACT: 24
Receiving Aid: 95%

13. Western Illinois University

Macomb

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#334 in the United States

#369 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 71%
Receiving Aid: 55%
Average Aid: $14,994
Enrollment: 6,332

14. Eastern Illinois University

Charleston

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#355 in the United States

#392 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 65%
Average SAT: 985
Receiving Aid: 96%
Average Aid: $12,960

15. Northeastern Illinois University

Chicago

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#373 in the United States

#411 in North America

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

16. Illinois Wesleyan University

Bloomington

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#447 in the United States

#490 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 39%
Average SAT: 1230
Average ACT: 28
Net Price: $28,644

17. John Marshall Law School

Chicago

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#449 in the United States

#492 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 52%
Founded: 1899

18. Wheaton College - Illinois

Wheaton

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#483 in the United States

#529 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 87%
Average SAT: 1365
Average ACT: 30
Net Price: $31,356

19. Governors State University

University Park

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#488 in the United States

#534 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 48%
Receiving Aid: 88%
Average Aid: $11,455
Enrollment: 4,397

20. Roosevelt University

Chicago

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#513 in the United States

#561 in North America

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

21. University of Illinois at Springfield

Springfield

For Criminology and Criminal Justice

#526 in the United States

#574 in North America

Acceptance Rate: 86%
Average SAT: 1070
Average ACT: 24
Receiving Aid: 97%

Closest to Illinois states to learn Criminology and Criminal Justice

State	Universities Unis	Best university country rank Best uni rank
Indiana	11	42
Missouri	9	48
Iowa	5	54
Kentucky	7	47
Wisconsin	10	26
Tennessee	12	55
Ohio	18	16
Michigan	11	1
Arkansas	6	169
Minnesota	11	32
Mississippi	5	154
Kansas	6	91
Alabama	9	68
Virginia	14	25
Georgia	15	35
North Carolina	17	31
Oklahoma	4	101
Nebraska	5	70
South Carolina	6	58
Pennsylvania	28	7
District of Columbia	6	43
Louisiana	8	89
Maryland	11	13
New York	57	3
New Jersey	15	12
North Dakota	3	282
Connecticut	11	6
Texas	40	23
Vermont	3	193
Colorado	10	75
Massachusetts	29	5
Rhode Island	5	76
Florida	20	20
New Hampshire	3	86
Maine	5	274
Utah	4	83
Arizona	3	8
Idaho	3	185
Oregon	9	117
Washington	9	10
California	57	2