College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2023 Best History Colleges for Veterans in Illinois

13 Ranked Colleges
974 Degrees Awarded
$27,400 Avg Cost*
Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for History

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for veterans. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for History” ranking.

In 2020-2021, 32,731 people earned their degree in history, making the major the 30th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, history graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $30,467 and had an average of $23,587 in loans still to pay off.

Across Illinois, there were 974 history graduates with average earnings and debt of $32,707 and $22,415 respectively.

For this year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for History” ranking, we looked at 13 colleges that offer a degree in history. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent history programs, but they also offer a lot of support to veterans and active service members.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the history program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran satisfaction. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank History Schools

Rankings by Degree Other Award Levels
Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More History Rankings Other Ranking Categories

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for History” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for History

The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for History”.

Top 13 Best History Colleges for Veterans in Illinois

1

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for History list. UIUC is a public institution located in Champaign, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 117 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIUC, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 52,679 students enrolled at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 10 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $0. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Read More…

2
UChicago crest
University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

Out of the 13 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for History that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Chicago landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 103 diplomas to qualified ’s history students in 2020-2021.

UChicago also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Among the 17,834 students enrolled at University of Chicago, 241 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 113 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $18,948. On top of their other funding sources, 58 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 100%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of Chicago Veteran Student Life Report

3

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Illinois State University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for History list. This large school is located in Normal, Illinois, and it awarded 107 ’s history degrees in 2020-2021.

Illinois State also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 530 of the 20,720 students enrolled at Illinois State University were GI Bill® students, of which 163 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,997. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read More…

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for History list. This fairly large school is located in Edwardsville, Illinois, and it awarded 30 ’s history degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SIUE, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 12,860 students enrolled at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, 3 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 2 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $23,082. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

Full Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Veteran Student Life Report

5

Out of the 13 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for History that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #5 spot on the list. Carbondale, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s history degrees to 22 students in 2020-2021.

SIUC also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Our most recent data shows that 1 of the 11,366 students enrolled at Southern Illinois University Carbondale were GI Bill® students, of which 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $0. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

Full Southern Illinois University Carbondale Veteran Student Life Report

6

University of Illinois at Chicago ranked #6 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for History list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this large public school awarded 47 degrees to qualified ’s history students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIC, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, UIC supports 33,518 students, and 1 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 1 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $23,878. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. UIC offers credit for military training for eligible students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read More…

7
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, Illinois

DePaul University landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for History ranking. DePaul is a large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 36 ’s history degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at DePaul, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 528 of the 21,922 students enrolled at DePaul were GI Bill® students, of which 367 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $14,957. In addition to receiving other benefits, 101 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at DePaul]](/colleges/depaul-university/student-life/veterans/)

8

With a ranking of #8, Northern Illinois University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for History list. Located in Dekalb, Illinois, this fairly large public school awarded 51 diplomas to qualified ’s history students in 2020-2021.

NIU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.According to our most recent data, Northern Illinois University supports 16,769 students, and 480 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 207 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,822. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program.

Read More…

9
Aurora crest
Aurora University
Aurora, Illinois

With a ranking of #9, Aurora University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for History list. Aurora is located in Aurora, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 16 ’s history degrees to qualified students.

Aurora also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Of the 6,265 students enrolled at Aurora University, 3 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,999. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Aurora University offers credit for military training for eligible students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full Aurora University Veteran Student Life Report

10

With a ranking of #10, Western Illinois University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for History list. WIU is a public institution located in Macomb, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 25 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

WIU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Our most recent data shows that 330 of the 7,490 students enrolled at Western Illinois University were GI Bill® students, of which 62 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,652. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Western Illinois University does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

Full Western Illinois University Veteran Student Life Report

11
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

With a ranking of #11, Northwestern University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for History list. Northwestern is a private not-for-profit institution located in Evanston, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 82 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Northwestern also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 1 of the 22,603 students enrolled at Northwestern University were GI Bill® students, of which 1 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $399. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Northwestern Veteran Student Life Report

12

Northeastern Illinois University landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for History ranking. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this medium-sized public school awarded 30 diplomas to qualified ’s history students in 2020-2021.

Northeastern Illinois University also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Of the 7,119 students enrolled at Northeastern Illinois University, 147 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 83 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,460. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

Read More…

13
EIU crest
Eastern Illinois University
Charleston, Illinois

Eastern Illinois University ranked #13 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for History list. EIU is a public institution located in Charleston, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 32 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

EIU also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 8,626 students enrolled at Eastern Illinois University, 184 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 46 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,730. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eastern Illinois University does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

[Read full report on veteran student life at EIU]](/colleges/eastern-illinois-university/student-life/veterans/)

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options