
DeVry University traces its origins to the DeForest Training School, founded in Chicago in 1931 by Herman A. DeVry to provide technical education. The institution later operated as DeVry Technical Institute and DeVry Institute of Technology before adopting the DeVry University name.
Its early emphasis on electronics helps explain its continuing focus on technology and applied, career-oriented programs. Today, DeVry offers business, health, and other fields alongside technology programs. Applicants considering the Lisle, Illinois, location should distinguish the university's history and university-wide offerings from the courses and services available in person at that location.
DeVry University organizes its programs around career-focused fields rather than a traditional residential college model. Its academic offerings include business and management, engineering and information sciences, health-related studies, and liberal arts coursework. The Keller Graduate School of Management offers graduate business programs within DeVry University.
Representative areas include accounting, business administration, computer information systems, cybersecurity, engineering technology, and health administration. Credentials may include undergraduate certificates, associate and bachelor's degrees, and graduate degrees, depending on the program. A program's presence in the university-wide catalog does not establish that every required class, laboratory, or service is offered face to face in Lisle. Prospective students should check the current catalog and the delivery format for their intended program.
DeVry University-Illinois is associated with Lisle, a suburb in the Chicago metropolitan area. For students attending in person, the suburban setting makes commuting and the location of specific classes more consequential than they would be at a residential campus.
Lisle is served by regional roads and Metra's BNSF commuter-rail line, although a rail trip may still require another connection to reach a particular classroom location. DeVry also teaches students online and operates beyond Illinois. Before planning a commute, applicants should confirm the address, meeting schedule, and whether their selected courses actually meet in Lisle.
DeVry University describes its educational purpose in terms of career-relevant learning, access, and preparation for changing workplace demands. Its emphasis on technology and applied business education is consistent with its institutional history and program mix.
Those are statements of institutional purpose, not evidence that a particular degree will produce a job or salary outcome. Students can evaluate how that purpose translates into practice by examining a program's required courses, opportunities for hands-on work, academic support, and published outcomes. DeVry is a private, for-profit university; applicants should account for that institutional status when comparing its costs and educational model with public and nonprofit alternatives.
Name of the institution
DeVry University-IllinoisLevel of institution
Four or more yearsControl of institution
PrivateSetting type
Suburb: LargeInstitutional Category
Degree - granting, not primarily baccalaureate or aboveInstitution size category
20,000 and aboveSchool type
Comprehensive higher education institutionMain student body
CoeducationalCalendar system
SemestersFoundation year
1931DeVry University-Illinois is institutionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, an accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Accreditation confirms that the school meets quality standards and is required for students to receive federal financial aid.
Certificate of less than 1 year
Certificate of at least 1 year, but less than 2 years
Associate's degree
Bachelor's degree
Postbaccalaureate certificate
Master's degreeData last updated on November 2, 2026
Data sources: IPEDS 2024-25, Peterson 2026, College Scorecard 10/2026, Clery 2024 (2023-24), OpenAlex 2026
Figures on this profile come from federal and third-party datasets in the editions listed above and are refreshed periodically, so they may differ from what the institution currently reports. Confirm costs, deadlines and requirements with the school before making decisions.