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Best Women's Cheerleading colleges in Illinois

Explore colleges in Illinois recruiting Women's Cheerleading athletes, most popular programs first. Open any school to see its division, costs and coaches, or let our cheerleading recruiting platform email every coach for you.

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65 coaches recruiting in Illinois
Overview

Women's Cheerleading colleges in Illinois

How the programs break down by division, conference, cost and size. Coaches verified November 2026.

Programs
34
Coaches recruiting
38
  • 9Division I
  • 6Division II
  • 10Division III
  • 5NAIA
  • 4Junior college

Illinois has 34 colleges with Women's Cheerleading programs. Of those, 9 compete in NCAA Division I, 6 in NCAA Division II, 10 in NCAA Division III, 5 in the NAIA and 4 at the junior college level. The most popular programs are Northwestern University, DePaul University and Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. Their head coaches are Valerie Ruiz at Northwestern University, Francine Dilay at DePaul University and Casey Driemeyer at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. 5 schools compete in the Great Lakes Valley Conference, the most common conference.

Lowest net priceJoliet Junior College · $3,090Average yearly cost after aidMost selectiveNorthwestern University · 8%Acceptance rateLargest campusUniversity of Illinois, Chicago · 33,906Undergraduate students
All programs

Every Women's Cheerleading program in Illinois

Open any school to see its coaches, costs and admissions.

Division I · 9

Northwestern University logoNorthwestern UniversityEvanston · Big Ten · Coach Valerie RuizDePaul University logoDePaul UniversityChicago · Big East · Coach Francine DilaySouthern Illinois University, Carbondale logoSouthern Illinois University, CarbondaleCarbondale · Missouri Valley · Coach Casey DriemeyerIllinois State University logoIllinois State UniversityNormal · Missouri Valley

Division II · 6

McKendree University logoMcKendree UniversityLebanon · Great Lakes Valley · Coach Zach MittmanUniversity of Illinois Springfield logoUniversity of Illinois SpringfieldSpringfield · Great Lakes Valley · Coach Shaina FordLewis University logoLewis UniversityRomeoville · Great Lakes Valley · Coach Kaitlyn VanHekkenQuincy University logoQuincy UniversityQuincy · Great Lakes Valley · Coach Diane Shoemaker

Division III · 10

Aurora University logoAurora UniversityAurora · Northern Athletics CollegiateMillikin University logoMillikin UniversityDecatur · College Conference of Illinois and WisconsinIllinois Wesleyan University logoIllinois Wesleyan UniversityBloomington · College Conference of Illinois and WisconsinDominican University logoDominican UniversityRiver Forest · Northern Athletics Collegiate · Coach Johanna Cousin

NAIA · 5

Olivet Nazarene University logoOlivet Nazarene UniversityBourbonnais · Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic · Coach Felicia St. JohnUniversity of Saint Francis logoUniversity of Saint FrancisJoliet · Coach Brianna HoffmanUniversity of St Francis logoUniversity of St FrancisJoliet · Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic · Coach Brianna HoffmanJudson University logoJudson UniversityElgin · Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic · Coach Christie Follett

Junior college · 4

Illinois Eastern Community Colleges logoIllinois Eastern Community CollegesOlney · Region 24 · Coach Ashley KanipeJoliet Junior College logoJoliet Junior CollegeJoliet · Region 4 · Coach Tiffany ScholleLincoln Trail College logoLincoln Trail CollegeRobinson · Region 24Waubonsee Community College logoWaubonsee Community CollegeSugar Grove · Region 4 · Coach Gina Damato
Questions

Questions about Women's Cheerleading colleges in Illinois

Quick answers about the programs and how to reach their coaches.

How many colleges in Illinois have Women's Cheerleading?

34 colleges in Illinois have Women's Cheerleading programs: 9 Division I, 6 Division II, 10 Division III, 5 NAIA and 4 Junior college.

Which colleges in Illinois have D1 Women's Cheerleading?

9 colleges in Illinois compete in NCAA Division I Women's Cheerleading: DePaul University, Eastern Illinois University, Illinois State University, Loyola University Chicago, Northwestern University, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville, University of Illinois, Chicago and 1 more.

Which colleges in Illinois have D2 Women's Cheerleading?

6 colleges in Illinois compete in NCAA Division II Women's Cheerleading: Lewis University, McKendree University, Quincy University, Roosevelt University, University of Illinois Springfield and University of Illinois, Springfield.

Which colleges in Illinois have D3 Women's Cheerleading?

10 colleges in Illinois compete in NCAA Division III Women's Cheerleading: Aurora University, Blackburn College, Concordia University, Chicago, Dominican University, Eureka College, Greenville University, Illinois College, Illinois Wesleyan University and 2 more.

Which colleges in Illinois have NAIA Women's Cheerleading?

5 colleges in Illinois compete in NAIA Women's Cheerleading: Judson University, Olivet Nazarene University, University of Saint Francis, University of St Francis and Xavier University.

Which colleges in Illinois have JUCO Women's Cheerleading?

4 colleges in Illinois compete in NJCAA junior college Women's Cheerleading: Illinois Eastern Community Colleges, Joliet Junior College, Lincoln Trail College and Waubonsee Community College.

What is the most affordable college in Illinois with Women's Cheerleading?

Joliet Junior College has the lowest average net price at $3,090 a year after grants and scholarships.

What conference do most Women's Cheerleading programs in Illinois compete in?

The Great Lakes Valley Conference has the most Women's Cheerleading programs in Illinois.

Who are the Women's Cheerleading head coaches in Illinois?

Valerie Ruiz (Northwestern University), Francine Dilay (DePaul University), Casey Driemeyer (Southern Illinois University, Carbondale), Monika Wojciechowicz (Loyola University Chicago), Casey Driemeyer (Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville), Chelsea Lemon (University of Illinois, Chicago), Zach Mittman (McKendree University) and Shaina Ford (University of Illinois Springfield).

How do I contact Women's Cheerleading coaches in Illinois?

There are 38 coaches recruiting Women's Cheerleading in Illinois. Start a free 7-day AthleticScholar trial to see who recruits your position and send personal messages from your own Gmail, with follow-ups until they reply.

By division

Women's Cheerleading colleges by division in Illinois

The most popular programs at each level, with links to the full lists.

D1 Women's Cheerleading colleges in Illinois

9 schools in Illinois compete in NCAA Division I.

D2 Women's Cheerleading colleges in Illinois

6 schools in Illinois compete in NCAA Division II.

D3 Women's Cheerleading colleges in Illinois

10 schools in Illinois compete in NCAA Division III.

NAIA Women's Cheerleading colleges in Illinois

5 schools in Illinois compete in NAIA.

JUCO Women's Cheerleading colleges in Illinois

4 schools in Illinois compete in NJCAA junior college.