Best Instructional Design Schools Near Chicago, IL (2026)

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

Chicago, Illinois has 5 accredited schools offering instructional design programs. Chicago has a population of about 2,707,648. Median household income is $75,134 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 43.3% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area, the top-earning instructional design-related role is Training and Development Managers at a median $133,800 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Instructional Design Schools to Chicago

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer instructional design programs near Chicago, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Chicago 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 Chicago. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

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

Sort:
#1

Loyola University Chicago

Chicago, IL 11.4 miles from Chicago
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
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: 168

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Instructional Design Wages Near Chicago

Chicago 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.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Instructional Coordinators $77,900 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN $75,193
Training and Development Specialists $67,050 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN $64,720
Training and Development Managers $133,800 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN $129,151
Education Teachers, Postsecondary $61,350 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN $59,218
Educational Instruction and Library Workers, All Other $46,390 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN $44,778
Education Administrators, Postsecondary $101,070 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN $97,558
Farm and Home Management Educators N/A IL statewide –
Graphic Designers $66,490 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN $64,180

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.

Chicago at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 2,707,648 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $75,134 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 43.3% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 103.6 (above U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Chicago-Area Cities With Instructional Design Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited instructional design schools are near Chicago, IL?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering instructional design programs near Chicago. The closest is Concordia University-Chicago in River Forest, IL (7.6 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Aurora University (34.6 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying instructional design roles near Chicago?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying instructional design-related roles near Chicago are: Training and Development Managers ($133,800), Education Administrators, Postsecondary ($101,070), Instructional Coordinators ($77,900). 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 Cicero instead of Chicago?

Cicero, IL is 3.8 miles from Chicago and has its own set of local instructional design programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Chicago an affordable place to study instructional design?

Chicago’s median household income of $75,134 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Chicago 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 Instructional Design Programs

Other Programs Available in Chicago

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

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 Instructional Design Schools in Illinois (2026)