Illinois College

Private · Moderately Selective · IL

Photo: Nyttend (Public domain)

School data & stats

TypePrivate

LocationIL · Midwest

SettingRural

Undergrads930

Student:faculty12:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate56.7%

6-yr grad rate63.8%

Drop-out rate29.4%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$39k

Out-of-state tuition$39k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity28.4%

Gender diversity52%

International3.2%

IdentityPresbyterian Church (USA)

Overview

Illinois College, in Jacksonville, is the oldest college in the state, founded in 1829 with early ties to the abolitionist movement — Abraham Lincoln's circle intersected its founding generation. It remains a small liberal-arts college built around close faculty mentoring.

Academics

Education and pre-professional programs are core strengths, taught in small classes where undergraduate research and direct faculty access are the norm rather than the exception. The college's historic literary societies, among the oldest student organizations west of the Alleghenies, still function today and blend academic and social life in a way few modern colleges retain.

Campus & student life

Jacksonville is a small central-Illinois town, and the literary societies — more like enduring social-academic clubs than fraternities — give campus life a distinctive, tradition-heavy character alongside standard residential college life.

Worth knowing

The literary societies are a living tradition, not a historical footnote — many students join one and it becomes a defining part of their social identity on campus, functioning somewhat like Greek life but built around nineteenth-century literary and debate traditions.

ic.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate78.2%

Enrolled mid-50%SAT 883–1180 · ACT 19–26

Test policyoptional

Rec letters0

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

Applying