Best Child Development Schools Near Urbana, IL (2026)

Updated September 5, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Urbana, Illinois has 5 accredited schools offering child development programs, with tuition ranging from $16,144 to $34,309 per year for indexed programs. Urbana has a population of about 38,447. Median household income is $45,854 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 58.4% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In Illinois, the top-earning child development-related role is Special Education Teachers, Preschool at a median $62,580 annually (BLS, May 2025).

Closest Child Development Schools to Urbana

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer child development programs near Urbana, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Urbana city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

  • Graduation rate 30%
  • Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
  • Average net price (lower is better) 20%
  • Retention rate 15%
  • Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Urbana. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

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#1

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, IL 1.7 miles from Urbana
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
90.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 86%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $81,054
Avg net price $14,355/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 95%
  • Programs offered: 177

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Illinois State University

Normal, IL 50.0 miles from Urbana
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
71.9 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 88%
Graduation rate 65%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $62,117
Avg net price $19,398/yr
Tuition
In‑state$16,144
Out‑of‑state$28,210
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 81%
  • Programs offered: 112

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

Olivet Nazarene University

Bourbonnais, IL 74.1 miles from Urbana
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
54.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 63%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $53,213
Avg net price $20,729/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 69%
  • Programs offered: 85

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Bradley University

Peoria, IL 85.0 miles from Urbana
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
74.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 77%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $66,852
Avg net price $22,719/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 84%
  • Programs offered: 97

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

University of Illinois Chicago

Chicago, IL 125.0 miles from Urbana
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
79.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 70%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $68,740
Avg net price $10,974/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 79%
  • Programs offered: 140

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Erikson Institute

Chicago, IL 126.5 miles from Urbana
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 3

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#7

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, IL 129.4 miles from Urbana
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
65.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 64%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $57,808
Avg net price $13,391/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 70%
  • Programs offered: 92

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Rockford University

Rockford, IL 155.2 miles from Urbana
  • 4 year
38.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 57%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $54,794
Avg net price $22,436/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 68%
  • Programs offered: 28

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Illinois schools on the Illinois child development page.

Child Development Wages Near Urbana

Urbana is part of the Champaign-Urbana, IL metro area (BLS area code 16580). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Illinois statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education $39,510 Champaign-Urbana, IL $42,621
Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare $58,970 Champaign-Urbana, IL $63,614
Child, Family, and School Social Workers $60,360 Champaign-Urbana, IL $65,113
Childcare Workers $34,990 Champaign-Urbana, IL $37,745
Special Education Teachers, Preschool $62,580 IL statewide $67,508
Social and Human Service Assistants $44,640 Champaign-Urbana, IL $48,155
Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education $60,970 Champaign-Urbana, IL $65,771
Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other $40,900 IL statewide $44,121

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.

Urbana at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 38,447 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $45,854 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 58.4% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 92.7 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Urbana-Area Cities With Child Development Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited child development schools are near Urbana, IL?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering child development programs near Urbana. The closest is University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in Champaign, IL (1.7 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Olivet Nazarene University (74.1 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying child development roles near Urbana?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying child development-related roles near Urbana are: Special Education Teachers, Preschool ($62,580), Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education ($60,970), Child, Family, and School Social Workers ($60,360). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Illinois statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Champaign instead of Urbana?

Champaign, IL is 4.0 miles from Urbana and has its own set of local child development programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Urbana an affordable place to study child development?

Urbana’s median household income of $45,854 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Urbana while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Illinois public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.

Learn More About Child Development Programs

Other Programs Available in Urbana

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Urbana:

Data verified: September 5, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.

Back to Best Child Development Schools in Illinois (2026)