Federal enrolment data · Fall 2023 · Illinois
Online colleges in Illinois
Across the 133 Illinois colleges the federal government holds distance-education figures for, 158,959 students (23%) were enrolled entirely at a distance in Fall 2023, and 51% took at least one distance course. 31 of those colleges enrol at least a quarter of their students that way; they are listed below, largest online intake first.
Colleges with federal figures
133
In Illinois
Students studying entirely online
158,959
23% of the 686,952 enrolled at those colleges
Took at least one distance course
51%
Fully online plus part-distance study
Colleges on the list below
31
At least 25% of students studying entirely online AND at least 50 of them. CampusPin thresholds, not federal categories.
Why your state still matters for online study
Distance study has no postcode, but the price and the paperwork do. Most public institutions charge residents less than non-residents, including for online courses at many of them, and states authorise which out-of-state institutions may enrol their residents at all. Starting from the colleges in Illinois is therefore usually starting from the cheaper and simpler end, which is the only sense in which an online college is “in” a state.
Illinois colleges where students actually study online
Every Illinois college where at least 25% of students were enrolled entirely at a distance and at least 50students did so, ordered by how many. Share alone would let a twenty-student campus open the list ahead of a community college teaching thousands at a distance. It is a measurement of enrolment, not a ranking, and nobody paid to be on it.
28,245 of 29,346 students enrolled entirely at a distance, and 840 more took at least one distance course · private · published tuition $17,488 in-state.
26,357 of 28,897 students enrolled entirely at a distance, and 1,668 more took at least one distance course · private · published tuition $20,604 in-state.
4,519 of 8,270 students enrolled entirely at a distance, and 958 more took at least one distance course · private · published tuition $12,345 in-state.
3,531 of 5,066 students enrolled entirely at a distance, and 924 more took at least one distance course · private · published tuition $36,258 in-state.
3,146 of 12,290 students enrolled entirely at a distance, and 3,674 more took at least one distance course · public · published tuition $4,494 in-state / $14,036 out-of-state.
2,495 of 8,011 students enrolled entirely at a distance, and 1,905 more took at least one distance course · public · published tuition $4,380 in-state / $14,430 out-of-state.
2,166 of 5,859 students enrolled entirely at a distance, and 1,523 more took at least one distance course · public · published tuition $4,380 in-state / $14,430 out-of-state.
2,161 of 4,661 students enrolled entirely at a distance, and 1,698 more took at least one distance course · public · published tuition $12,252 in-state / $22,017 out-of-state.
2,008 of 7,032 students enrolled entirely at a distance, and 2,145 more took at least one distance course · public · published tuition $3,985 in-state / $12,462 out-of-state.
1,766 of 5,935 students enrolled entirely at a distance, and 561 more took at least one distance course · private · published tuition $28,220 in-state.
1,645 of 6,185 students enrolled entirely at a distance, and 729 more took at least one distance course · public · published tuition $4,380 in-state / $14,430 out-of-state.
1,603 of 3,185 students enrolled entirely at a distance, and 909 more took at least one distance course · private · published tuition $37,000 in-state.
1,564 of 4,337 students enrolled entirely at a distance, and 1,929 more took at least one distance course · public · published tuition $11,320 in-state.
1,049 of 2,989 students enrolled entirely at a distance, and 1,106 more took at least one distance course · private · published tuition $34,290 in-state.
1,025 of 2,782 students enrolled entirely at a distance, and 1,109 more took at least one distance course · private · published tuition $18,807 in-state.
760 of 2,780 students enrolled entirely at a distance, and 572 more took at least one distance course · public · published tuition $4,380 in-state / $14,430 out-of-state.
738 of 2,216 students enrolled entirely at a distance, and 228 more took at least one distance course · private · published tuition $15,356 in-state.
570 of 2,075 students enrolled entirely at a distance, and 1,009 more took at least one distance course · private · published tuition $34,070 in-state.
563 of 1,866 students enrolled entirely at a distance, and 770 more took at least one distance course · public · published tuition $5,700 in-state / $9,000 out-of-state.
495 of 1,688 students enrolled entirely at a distance, and 595 more took at least one distance course · public · published tuition $5,300 in-state / $8,810 out-of-state.
429 of 1,674 students enrolled entirely at a distance, and 273 more took at least one distance course · private · published tuition $18,807 in-state.
410 of 1,225 students enrolled entirely at a distance, and 309 more took at least one distance course · public · published tuition $5,580 in-state / $12,540 out-of-state.
332 of 852 students enrolled entirely at a distance, and 153 more took at least one distance course · private · published tuition $12,320 in-state.
322 of 523 students enrolled entirely at a distance, and 109 more took at least one distance course · private · published tuition $18,807 in-state.
275 of 275 students enrolled entirely at a distance · private · published tuition $18,807 in-state.
274 of 317 students enrolled entirely at a distance, and 30 more took at least one distance course · private · published tuition $12,700 in-state.
207 of 340 students enrolled entirely at a distance, and 10 more took at least one distance course · private · published tuition $30,910 in-state.
159 of 202 students enrolled entirely at a distance, and 43 more took at least one distance course · private · published tuition $18,807 in-state.
141 of 187 students enrolled entirely at a distance · private · published tuition $24,800 in-state.
116 of 368 students enrolled entirely at a distance, and 133 more took at least one distance course · private · published tuition $18,807 in-state.
72 of 228 students enrolled entirely at a distance, and 52 more took at least one distance course · private · published tuition $27,811 in-state.
Tuition shown is the published institution-wide rate, not the price of an online programme. Many colleges price online study on a separate schedule, and some charge a single rate regardless of where the student lives, so treat them as headline figures for the institution and confirm the online rate with the institution.
What this list is not
- It is not the complete set of your options. It counts students, not programmes. A college below the threshold may run an excellent online degree that few students happened to take exclusively that term, and residents of Illinois can enrol with institutions anywhere.
- It is not a ranking. A high share describes how an institution enrols, not how good it is. Some of the largest shares belong to institutions worth reading carefully before applying, which is why every row links to the full profile with cost, debt and graduation figures.
- It is one term. These are Fall 2023 enrolments, on the federal reporting cycle.
Next steps in Illinois
Other states
Source & methodology
Enrolment figures are from the U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS Fall Enrollment (distance education status), Fall 2023. Published tuition and control are from CampusPin's committed institution snapshot. Federal data is public domain; credit the U.S. Department of Education.
Distance-education figures count STUDENTS enrolled in Fall 2023, not programs on offer. "Exclusively at a distance" means a student took only distance courses that term. A college with few or no such students may still run online courses or an online degree, so a low figure is not evidence that online study is unavailable, and a high one is not a judgement of quality either way.
Suggested citation
CampusPin. (2026). Online study at Illinois colleges. Retrieved from https://campuspin.com/online-colleges-in/illinois
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