Best Psychology Schools Near West Chicago, IL (2026)

Updated September 6, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

West Chicago, Illinois has 5 accredited schools offering psychology programs, with tuition ranging from $31,360 to $43,137 per year for indexed programs. West Chicago has a population of about 25,434. Median household income is $100,568 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 32.3% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area, the top-earning psychology-related role is School Psychologist at a median $90,620 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Psychology Schools to West Chicago

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

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#1

Wheaton College

Wheaton, IL 6.7 miles from West Chicago
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
75.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 88%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $63,756
Avg net price $26,975/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 93%
  • Programs offered: 49

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

North Central College

Naperville, IL 9.3 miles from West Chicago
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
67.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 69%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $60,123
Avg net price $21,044/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 79%
  • Programs offered: 70

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

Benedictine University

Lisle, IL 10.5 miles from West Chicago
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
56.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 59%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $63,446
Avg net price $22,313/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 68%
  • Programs offered: 55

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Aurora University

Aurora, IL 11.7 miles from West Chicago
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
66.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 67%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $58,709
Avg net price $18,838/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 77%
  • Programs offered: 44

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

Judson University

Elgin, IL 12.0 miles from West Chicago
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • 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: 39

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Midwestern University-Downers Grove

Downers Grove, IL 12.6 miles from West Chicago
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 10

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#7

Elmhurst University

Elmhurst, IL 14.4 miles from West Chicago
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
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: 74

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Dominican University

River Forest, IL 20.7 miles from West Chicago
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
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: 63

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Psychology Wages Near West Chicago

West 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)
Clinical and Counseling Psychologist $85,390 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN $82,423
Industrial-Organizational Psychologist N/A IL statewide –
School Psychologist $90,620 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN $87,471
Educational and Career Counselor $64,730 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN $62,481
Marriage and Family Therapist $61,360 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN $59,228
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Counselor $61,600 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN $59,459
Healthcare Social Worker $71,430 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN $68,948
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker $57,720 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN $55,714

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.

West Chicago at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 25,434 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $100,568 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 32.3% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 103.6 (above U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024
Psychology-related employment in DuPage County 24,718 workers, 1,741 establishments BLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other West Chicago-Area Cities With Psychology Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited psychology schools are near West Chicago, IL?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering psychology programs near West Chicago. The closest is Wheaton College in Wheaton, IL (6.7 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Judson University (12.0 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying psychology roles near West Chicago?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying psychology-related roles near West Chicago are: School Psychologist ($90,620), Clinical and Counseling Psychologist ($85,390), Healthcare Social Worker ($71,430). 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 Saint Charles instead of West Chicago?

Saint Charles, IL is 4.7 miles from West Chicago and has its own set of local psychology programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is West Chicago an affordable place to study psychology?

West Chicago’s median household income of $100,568 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in West 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 Psychology Programs

Other Programs Available in West Chicago

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

Data verified: September 6, 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 Psychology Schools in Illinois: Online Programs (2026)