Best Entrepreneurship Schools Near Wheeling, IL (2026)

Updated August 25, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Wheeling, Illinois has 5 accredited schools offering entrepreneurship programs, with tuition ranging from $4,788 to $14,400 per year for indexed programs. Wheeling has a population of about 38,495. Median household income is $83,251 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 40.3% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area, the top-earning entrepreneurship-related role is Marketing Manager at a median $165,340 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Entrepreneurship Schools to Wheeling

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer entrepreneurship programs near Wheeling, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Wheeling 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 Wheeling. 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

Northwestern University

Evanston, IL 13.9 miles from Wheeling
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
81.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 97%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $89,363
Avg net price $29,167/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 98%
  • Programs offered: 23

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Elmhurst University

Elmhurst, IL 16.3 miles from Wheeling
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
64.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 70%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $61,462
Avg net price $24,185/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 78%
  • Programs offered: 18

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

Loyola University Chicago

Chicago, IL 16.4 miles from Wheeling
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
66.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 71%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $71,530
Avg net price $36,079/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 83%
  • Programs offered: 26

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Dominican University

River Forest, IL 16.6 miles from Wheeling
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
68.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 59%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $60,327
Avg net price $11,745/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 79%
  • Programs offered: 9

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

Concordia University-Chicago

River Forest, IL 17.0 miles from Wheeling
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
49.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 56%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $54,089
Avg net price $18,436/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 61%
  • Programs offered: 5

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Judson University

Elgin, IL 19.5 miles from Wheeling
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
52.6 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 48%
Graduation rate 56%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $56,313
Avg net price $18,558/yr
Tuition
In‑state$31,360
Out‑of‑state$31,360
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 66%
  • Programs offered: 7

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

University of Illinois Chicago

Chicago, IL 22.6 miles from Wheeling
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
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: 15

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

National Louis University

Chicago, IL 23.0 miles from Wheeling
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
42.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 47%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $45,799
Avg net price $12,641/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 54%
  • Programs offered: 8

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Entrepreneurship Wages Near Wheeling

Wheeling is part of the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area (BLS area code 16980). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Illinois statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
General and Operations Manager$109,390Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$105,589
Management Analyst$105,090Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$101,438
Marketing Manager$165,340Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$159,595
Market Research Analyst$80,400Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$77,606

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.

Wheeling at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population38,495Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$83,251Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+40.3%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)103.6 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Wheeling-Area Cities With Entrepreneurship Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited entrepreneurship schools are near Wheeling, IL?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering entrepreneurship programs near Wheeling. The closest is William Rainey Harper College in Palatine, IL (8.2 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Elmhurst University (16.3 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying entrepreneurship roles near Wheeling?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying entrepreneurship-related roles near Wheeling are: Marketing Manager ($165,340), General and Operations Manager ($109,390), Management Analyst ($105,090). 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 Buffalo Grove instead of Wheeling?

Buffalo Grove, IL is 3.2 miles from Wheeling and has its own set of local entrepreneurship programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Wheeling an affordable place to study entrepreneurship?

Wheeling’s median household income of $83,251 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Wheeling 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 Entrepreneurship Programs

Other Programs Available in Wheeling

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

Data verified: August 25, 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.

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