When high school students and their parents begin searching for colleges, some of the most crucial factors in the decision-making process should include academics, affordability, location, student life, school size and athletics.
But what about the aesthetics? If you plan on attending a four-year institution, you better make sure your surrounding environment won’t become an eyesore.
Here are the most beautiful — and the ugliest — of Illinois’ college campuses, according to various websites’ rankings from thrillist.com, thebestcolleges.org, theprospect.net and complex.com.
Estimated tuition and fees for in-state, undergraduate students for the 2014-15 academic year are included, though room and board, meal plans, textbooks, etc. are not.
1. Augustana College – Rock Island, Ill.
Estimated tuition and fees for 2014-15: $37,236
(Photo credits: http://www.augustana.edu/)
About Augustana:
- Founded by Swedish settlers in 1860.
- Selective and independent liberal arts and sciences college with just 2,500 students enrolled.
- The 115-acre wooded campus is located in Rock Island, part of the Quad Cities metropolitan area.
2. University of Chicago – Chicago, Ill.
Tuition and fees for 2014-15 (per quarter): $16,084
(Photo credits: Shutterstock.com)
About UChicago:
- Founded in 1890 by John D. Rockefeller and the American Baptist Education Society, with land donated by Chicago department store owner, Marshall Field.
- Located in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago.
- The campus is renowned for its English Gothic-style architecture, ivy-covered walls, gargoyles and most notably, the Rockefeller Memorial Chapel, the university’s tallest building with stained glass windows and carillon tower consisting of 72 bells.
3. Northwestern University – Evanston, Ill.
Estimated tuition and fees for 2014-15 (per quarter): $15,735
(Photo credits: Businessweek and Chicago Tribune)
About Northwestern:
- Private institution founded in 1853 to serve, what was called at the time, the “Northwest Territory,” which includes Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin and parts of Minnesota.
- Located in Evanston just north of Chicago and along the squally shore of Lake Michigan.
- Some parts of NU’s campus mirrors late 1800′s architecture, otherwise known as the “historical side,” whereas other areas of campus exhibit the Brutalist architecture that was popular in the U.S. from the 1950s until mid-1970s.
4. Loyola University Chicago – Chicago, Ill.
Estimated tuition and fees for 2014-15 (per semester): $19,131
(Photo credits: luc.edu and U.S. News & World Report)
About Loyola University Chicago:
- Founded as a private Jesuit university by the Roman Catholic Society of Jesus in 1870, Loyola University Chicago is the largest Jesuit university in the United States.
- Situated between Evanston and Chicago. Loyola’s main campus, the Lake Shore Campus, is adjacent to Lake Michigan.
Ugliest college campuses, according to Complex:
1. Northern Illinois University – Dekalb, Ill.
Estimated tuition and fees for 2014-15: $10,692
(Photo credits: niu.edu)
About NIU:
- Originally founded in 1895, NIU is located in Dekalb and sits on 756 acres of land. The Brutalist-style architecture of NIU gives off an outdated industrialist vibe, with an abundance of concrete.
- The campus’s largest eye sore, Cole Hall, was renovated following the Feb. 14, 2008 shootings in which six people were killed, including the shooter, and 21 others wounded. But as one Reboot Illinois NIU alum describes it, driving around NIU is like cruising around a Soviet Union-era town.
2. Illinois Institute of Technology – Chicago, Ill.
Estimated tuition and fees for 2014-15 (per semester): $20,502
About Illinois Institute of Technology:
- Founded in 1890, the ultra modern look of the Illinois Institute of Technology’s new buildings makes the campus seem like one big office park, according to the Complex.
- Perhaps the high-tech, modern feel of ITT lacks college appeal.
3. University of Illinois at Chicago – Chicago, Ill.
Estimated tuition and fees for 2014-15 (per semester): $7,294
(Photo credits: studentsreview.com, poetsandquants.com and colleges.niche.com)
About University of Illinois at Chicago:
- Formed in 1982 after the consolidation of two U of I campuses.
- Located in Chicago, the campus bares the Brutalist architecture that makes the school seem more like a prison than a public university.
NEXT ARTICLE: The eight best liberal arts colleges in Illinois, according to U.S. News & World Report
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Kevin Hoffman is a Reboot Illinois staff writer who graduated from the University of Iowa with a degree in journalism, political science and international studies. He believes keeping citizens informed and politicians in check is the best way to improve Illinois and bring about common sense reform. Follow us on Facebook.