Northwestern University sports programs brought in $176,317 per athlete in revenue in 2016, meaning its athletes on average generated the second highest sports revenue of any school in Illinois that year, according to a North Cook News analysis of U.S. Department of Education data.
The university’s sports programs brought in a total of $84,279,755 in 2016.
The agency's office of postsecondary education collects athletics data annually from all institutions with intercollegiate athletics programs that receive funding through federal financial aid programs. Data for 2016 – the latest year available – includes more than 2,000 schools nationwide.
Illinois’ 97 schools with money-generating sports programs reported $531,475,054 in sports revenue in 2016.
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Illinois college sports revenue
| Rank | School | Total Undergraduates | Sports Total Participation | Total Sports Revenue | Revenue per Athlete |
| 1 | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | 32,126 | 454 | $83,307,820 | $183,497 |
| 2 | Northwestern University | 8,249 | 478 | $84,279,755 | $176,317 |
| 3 | DePaul University | 13,126 | 212 | $25,597,183 | $120,741 |
| 4 | Bradley University | 4,278 | 227 | $16,183,183 | $71,292 |
| 5 | Illinois State University | 17,420 | 419 | $26,056,566 | $62,188 |
| 6 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale | 10,509 | 365 | $22,652,421 | $62,061 |
| 7 | Loyola University Chicago | 10,261 | 223 | $13,810,655 | $61,931 |
| 8 | Northern Illinois University | 12,323 | 403 | $24,695,763 | $61,280 |
| 9 | University of Illinois at Chicago | 16,408 | 332 | $16,871,855 | $50,819 |
| 10 | Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville | 9,883 | 240 | $9,756,916 | $40,654 |
| 11 | Chicago State University | 1,464 | 130 | $5,118,291 | $39,371 |
| 12 | Western Illinois University | 7,482 | 396 | $12,751,230 | $32,200 |
| 13 | Eastern Illinois University | 5,117 | 434 | $11,546,876 | $26,606 |
| 14 | Trinity International University-Illinois | 631 | 222 | $4,567,702 | $20,575 |
| 15 | Lewis University | 3,741 | 351 | $6,990,030 | $19,915 |
| 16 | Governors State University | 1,923 | 67 | $1,202,302 | $17,945 |
| 17 | Saint Xavier University | 2,599 | 292 | $4,861,090 | $16,648 |
| 18 | Quincy University | 1,035 | 420 | $6,859,100 | $16,331 |
| 19 | University of St Francis | 1,320 | 433 | $7,025,429 | $16,225 |
| 20 | McKendree University | 1,820 | 636 | $9,967,350 | $15,672 |
| 21 | University of Illinois at Springfield | 1,896 | 242 | $3,738,252 | $15,447 |
| 22 | Southwestern Illinois College | 3,860 | 136 | $1,983,017 | $14,581 |
| 23 | Olivet Nazarene University | 3,019 | 569 | $7,587,178 | $13,334 |
| 24 | John A Logan College | 1,899 | 102 | $1,357,962 | $13,313 |
| 25 | Judson University | 786 | 302 | $3,991,896 | $13,218 |
| 26 | Robert Morris University Illinois | 2,253 | 979 | $12,824,295 | $13,099 |
| 27 | Kankakee Community College | 1,064 | 101 | $1,321,663 | $13,086 |
| 28 | Lincoln College | 727 | 232 | $2,982,761 | $12,857 |
| 29 | Trinity Christian College | 903 | 237 | $3,001,911 | $12,666 |
| 30 | Roosevelt University | 2,250 | 171 | $2,052,995 | $12,006 |
| 31 | Lake Land College | 2,261 | 89 | $1,043,339 | $11,723 |
| 32 | Wabash Valley College | 464 | 87 | $991,431 | $11,396 |
| 33 | University of Chicago | 5,956 | 474 | $5,175,971 | $10,920 |
| 34 | Rend Lake College | 1,135 | 111 | $1,192,856 | $10,746 |
| 35 | Lincoln Land Community College | 2,269 | 106 | $1,068,228 | $10,078 |
| 36 | Danville Area Community College | 973 | 77 | $768,946 | $9,986 |
| 37 | Lewis and Clark Community College | 1,731 | 146 | $1,446,164 | $9,905 |
| 38 | Illinois Central College | 3,082 | 150 | $1,474,894 | $9,833 |
| 39 | City Colleges of Chicago-Malcolm X College | 2,420 | 59 | $564,403 | $9,566 |
| 40 | Concordia University-Chicago | 1,355 | 322 | $3,073,404 | $9,545 |
| 41 | South Suburban College | 1,328 | 132 | $1,219,005 | $9,235 |
| 42 | College of Lake County | 3,808 | 125 | $1,145,863 | $9,167 |
| 43 | City Colleges of Chicago-Kennedy-King College | 1,570 | 41 | $375,551 | $9,160 |
| 44 | Lincoln Trail College | 386 | 105 | $959,353 | $9,137 |
| 45 | Benedictine University | 2,687 | 645 | $5,839,019 | $9,053 |
| 46 | Parkland College | 2,978 | 152 | $1,341,124 | $8,823 |
| 47 | Frontier Community College | 257 | 53 | $461,619 | $8,710 |
| 48 | City Colleges of Chicago-Wilbur Wright College | 3,149 | 24 | $208,075 | $8,670 |
| 49 | City Colleges of Chicago-Olive-Harvey College | 781 | 36 | $309,621 | $8,601 |
| 50 | Lincoln Christian University | 357 | 64 | $542,251 | $8,473 |
| 51 | City Colleges of Chicago-Richard J Daley College | 1,901 | 34 | $287,928 | $8,468 |
| 52 | Wheaton College | 2,400 | 464 | $3,904,109 | $8,414 |
| 53 | Illinois Institute of Technology | 2,709 | 195 | $1,638,363 | $8,402 |
| 54 | Greenville College | 913 | 362 | $3,014,026 | $8,326 |
| 55 | Olney Central College | 479 | 90 | $745,186 | $8,280 |
| 56 | Heartland Community College | 2,107 | 99 | $802,669 | $8,108 |
| 57 | Kaskaskia College | 1,233 | 132 | $1,051,434 | $7,965 |
| 58 | Dominican University | 2,101 | 224 | $1,768,589 | $7,895 |
| 59 | Oakton Community College | 2,596 | 140 | $1,052,472 | $7,518 |
| 60 | Lake Forest College | 1,502 | 354 | $2,644,007 | $7,469 |
| 61 | Waubonsee Community College | 3,101 | 147 | $1,097,503 | $7,466 |
| 62 | Rock Valley College | 2,999 | 126 | $932,204 | $7,398 |
| 63 | North Park University | 1,884 | 386 | $2,832,950 | $7,339 |
| 64 | Moody Bible Institute | 2,275 | 63 | $452,197 | $7,178 |
| 65 | John Wood Community College | 965 | 66 | $468,265 | $7,095 |
| 66 | Black Hawk College | 1,909 | 90 | $633,686 | $7,041 |
| 67 | Millikin University | 1,796 | 465 | $3,261,911 | $7,015 |
| 68 | North Central College | 2,534 | 629 | $4,371,633 | $6,950 |
| 69 | Carl Sandburg College | 929 | 125 | $846,412 | $6,771 |
| 70 | Knox College | 1,325 | 312 | $2,085,586 | $6,685 |
| 71 | Sauk Valley Community College | 792 | 92 | $614,663 | $6,681 |
| 72 | Rockford University | 909 | 243 | $1,620,517 | $6,669 |
| 73 | Aurora University | 3,302 | 593 | $3,878,870 | $6,541 |
| 74 | Illinois College | 949 | 371 | $2,347,691 | $6,328 |
| 75 | Prairie State College | 1,400 | 105 | $658,577 | $6,272 |
| 76 | Augustana College | 2,514 | 662 | $4,099,589 | $6,193 |
| 77 | Blackburn College | 569 | 156 | $950,998 | $6,096 |
| 78 | Morton College | 1,253 | 124 | $752,809 | $6,071 |
| 79 | Southeastern Illinois College | 457 | 70 | $423,850 | $6,055 |
| 80 | Moraine Valley Community College | 6,186 | 170 | $1,013,761 | $5,963 |
| 81 | McHenry County College | 1,944 | 115 | $665,289 | $5,785 |
| 82 | Shawnee Community College | 739 | 70 | $404,280 | $5,775 |
| 83 | City Colleges of Chicago-Harry S Truman College | 1,599 | 52 | $293,894 | $5,652 |
| 84 | Illinois Wesleyan University | 1,760 | 539 | $3,013,550 | $5,591 |
| 85 | Elmhurst College | 2,682 | 470 | $2,594,354 | $5,520 |
| 86 | Joliet Junior College | 4,988 | 137 | $745,411 | $5,441 |
| 87 | MacMurray College | 531 | 266 | $1,397,072 | $5,252 |
| 88 | Kishwaukee College | 1,570 | 50 | $260,261 | $5,205 |
| 89 | College of DuPage | 6,335 | 269 | $1,357,376 | $5,046 |
| 90 | Illinois Valley Community College | 1,256 | 126 | $626,549 | $4,973 |
| 91 | Eureka College | 644 | 215 | $1,042,413 | $4,848 |
| 92 | Elgin Community College | 3,008 | 106 | $469,084 | $4,425 |
| 93 | Monmouth College | 1,124 | 467 | $2,064,964 | $4,422 |
| 94 | Spoon River College | 727 | 43 | $173,690 | $4,039 |
| 95 | Triton College | 3,107 | 194 | $752,495 | $3,879 |
| 96 | William Rainey Harper College | 4,331 | 185 | $529,605 | $2,863 |
| 97 | Highland Community College | 823 | 276 | $687,748 | $2,492 |
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