31 Best colleges for Philosophy 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 Philosophy. A graph of 4.23M citations received by 113K academic papers made by 31 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.

1. University of Chicago

For Philosophy

#2 in Illinois

#17 in the United States

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

2. University of Illinois at Chicago

For Philosophy

#4 in Illinois

#53 in the United States

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

3. Loyola University Chicago

For Philosophy

#5 in Illinois

#130 in the United States

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

4. DePaul University

For Philosophy

#7 in Illinois

#160 in the United States

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

5. Illinois Institute of Technology

For Philosophy

#10 in Illinois

#205 in the United States

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

6. Toyota Technological Institute at Chicago

For Philosophy

#16 in Illinois

#388 in the United States

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

7. Rush University

For Philosophy

#19 in Illinois

#485 in the United States

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

8. Northeastern Illinois University

For Philosophy

#21 in Illinois

#513 in the United States

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

9. Roosevelt University

For Philosophy

#25 in Illinois

#641 in the United States

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

10. School of the Art Institute of Chicago

For Philosophy

#28 in Illinois

#731 in the United States

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

11. Saint Xavier University

For Philosophy

#29 in Illinois

#742 in the United States

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

12. National Louis University

For Philosophy

#30 in Illinois

#775 in the United States

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

13. Chicago State University

For Philosophy

#33 in Illinois

#834 in the United States

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

14. John Marshall Law School

For Philosophy

#37 in Illinois

#903 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 52%
Founded: 1899

15. Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago

For Philosophy

#38 in Illinois

#940 in the United States

Enrollment: 101
Male:Female: 46:54

16. Erikson Institute

For Philosophy

#39 in Illinois

#943 in the United States

Enrollment: 297
Male:Female: 3:97

17. North Park University

For Philosophy

#42 in Illinois

#974 in the United States

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

18. DeVry University - Illinois

For Philosophy

#45 in Illinois

#1002 in the United States

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

19. Columbia College Chicago

For Philosophy

#46 in Illinois

#1023 in the United States

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

20. Catholic Theological Union at Chicago

For Philosophy

#47 in Illinois

#1054 in the United States

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

21. Saint Augustine College

For Philosophy

#55 in Illinois

#1189 in the United States

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

22. Adler University

For Philosophy

#58 in Illinois

#1212 in the United States

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

23. McCormick Theological Seminary

For Philosophy

#62 in Illinois

#1260 in the United States

Enrollment: 125
Male:Female: 55:45

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

For Philosophy

#63 in Illinois

#1273 in the United States

Enrollment: 80
Male:Female: 41:59

25. Kendall College

For Philosophy

#66 in Illinois

#1289 in the United States

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

26. Chicago Theological Seminary

For Philosophy

#67 in Illinois

#1353 in the United States

Enrollment: 215
Male:Female: 46:54

27. Spertus College

For Philosophy

#68 in Illinois

#1360 in the United States

Enrollment: 89
Male:Female: 38:62

28. Institute for Clinical Social Work

For Philosophy

#70 in Illinois

#1414 in the United States

Enrollment: 121
Male:Female: 24:76

29. Moody Bible Institute

For Philosophy

#71 in Illinois

#1430 in the United States

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

30. Illinois College of Optometry

For Philosophy

#72 in Illinois

#1445 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 70%
Enrollment: 474
Male:Female: 26:74
Founded: 1872

31. Meadville Lombard Theological School

For Philosophy

#76 in Illinois

#1515 in the United States

Enrollment: 62
Male:Female: 40:60

Distance, km 📏 km	University	Country rank 🏆	City
19	Northwestern University	30	Evanston, Illinois
21	NorthShore University HealthSystem School of Nurse Anesthesia	519	Evanston, Illinois
35	Purdue University Northwest	491	Hammond, Indiana
39	Wheaton College - Illinois	423	Wheaton, Illinois
50	Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science	490	North Chicago, Illinois
68	Valparaiso University	218	Valparaiso, Indiana
87	University of Wisconsin - Parkside	569	Kenosha, Wisconsin
94	Northern Illinois University	154	DeKalb, Illinois
106	Andrews University	318	Berrien Springs, Michigan
117	University of Notre Dame	55	Notre Dame, Indiana