Attend Top Illinois Schools in America's Heartland

Located on Lake Michigan, Illinois is the infrastructure and industry hub for America's Midwest. Illinois' central location makes it a center of transportation activity for auto, air, rail, and trucking. Its economy is based on agriculture, manufacturing, petroleum refining, and services such as health care, financial trading, publishing, and tourism. Illinois leads the nation in nuclear generation and capacity and produces 40 percent of the nation's corn-based ethanol.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the highest industry salaries in Illinois are paid in the legal profession, with 2009 mean annual industry wages of $112,140; surgeons and anesthesiologists made $213,950 and $200,540 respectively, but the overall health care practitioner industry wages also reflect careers that paid significantly less. Management positions across the board paid annual mean wages of $101,680. The figure for all occupations was $46,110, higher than the national figure.

Why Choose Colleges in Illinois?

There are a number of reasons to consider studying at colleges in Illinois. Centrally located in the middle of the U.S. with access to international travel via Chicago's busy O'Hare airport, Illinois has 34 professional sports teams including major league baseball, basketball, football, hockey, soccer, and lacrosse; and 5 schools in the first tier of national universities ranked by U.S. News & World Report. Whether you plan to study at campus or online schools in Illinois, higher education is a proven path to higher earnings and lower unemployment, reports the BLS. For information on Illinois post-secondary financial aid, go to the Illinois Student Assistance Commission, College Zone website.