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2024 Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools in Illinois

52 Colleges in Illinois
24,928 Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Degrees Awarded
$27,909 Avg Early-Career Salary
Ranked #3 in popularity, liberal arts / sciences & humanities is one of the most sought-after degree programs in the nation. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.

College Factual looked at 52 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools in Illinois ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 24,928 degrees in liberal arts / sciences & humanities during the 2021-2022 academic year.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities School

Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools in Illinois The liberal arts / sciences & humanities program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities rankings. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for liberal arts / sciences & humanities schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Pick Your Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities
Bachelor's Degrees in Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities
Master's Degrees in Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools in Illinois ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.

Best Schools for Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities in Illinois

Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the liberal arts / sciences & humanities degree levels they offer.

10 Top Illinois Schools in Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities

1
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
175 Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Degrees Awarded
10.3% Growth in Graduates

Any student who is interested in liberal arts / sciences & humanities has to take a look at University of Chicago. UChicago is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Chicago. A Best Colleges rank of #2 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UChicago is a great university overall.

There were about 175 liberal arts / sciences & humanities students who graduated with this degree at UChicago in the most recent data year. Those liberal arts / sciences & humanities students who get their degree from University of Chicago receive $10,159 more than the average liberal arts / sciences & humanities grad.

More information about a degree in liberal arts / sciences & humanities from University of Chicago

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
90 Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Degrees Awarded
$56,709 Median Starting Salary

DePaul University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in liberal arts / sciences & humanities. DePaul is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Chicago. A Best Colleges rank of #203 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means DePaul is a great university overall.

There were approximately 90 liberal arts / sciences & humanities students who graduated with this degree at DePaul in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the liberal arts / sciences & humanities degree program at DePaul University earn $28,799 more than the average college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in liberal arts / sciences & humanities from DePaul University

3
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
1,893 Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Degrees Awarded
22.1% Growth in Graduates

College of Lake County is a good option for students pursuing a degree in liberal arts / sciences & humanities. Located in the large suburb of Grayslake, College of Lake County is a public college with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #247 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means College of Lake County is a great college overall.

There were roughly 1893 liberal arts / sciences & humanities students who graduated with this degree at College of Lake County in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, liberal arts / sciences & humanities degree recipients generally earn an average of $27,907 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in liberal arts / sciences & humanities from College of Lake County

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
133 Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Degrees Awarded
$36,956 Median Starting Salary

Western Illinois University is a good decision for students interested in a degree in liberal arts / sciences & humanities. Located in the remote town of Macomb, WIU is a public university with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #880 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means WIU is a great university overall.

There were about 133 liberal arts / sciences & humanities students who graduated with this degree at WIU in the most recent data year. Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities degree recipients from Western Illinois University receive an earnings boost of around $9,047 over the typical income of liberal arts / sciences & humanities graduates.

More information about a degree in liberal arts / sciences & humanities from Western Illinois University

5
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
1,837 Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Degrees Awarded
$26,090 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large suburb of Palatine, Harper College is a public college with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #512 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Harper College is a great college overall.

There were roughly 1837 liberal arts / sciences & humanities students who graduated with this degree at Harper College in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the liberal arts / sciences & humanities program make around $26,090 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a degree in liberal arts / sciences & humanities from William Rainey Harper College

6
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
1,381 Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Degrees Awarded
$26,255 Median Starting Salary

Harold Washington College is a moderately-sized public college located in the large city of Chicago. A Best Colleges rank of #761 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Harold Washington College is a great college overall.

There were about 1381 liberal arts / sciences & humanities students who graduated with this degree at Harold Washington College in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, liberal arts / sciences & humanities degree recipients typically earn an average of $26,255 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in liberal arts / sciences & humanities from City Colleges of Chicago - Harold Washington College

7
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
91 Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Degrees Awarded
$32,380 Median Starting Salary

Illinois State is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of Normal. A Best Colleges rank of #231 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Illinois State is a great university overall.

There were roughly 91 liberal arts / sciences & humanities students who graduated with this degree at Illinois State in the most recent data year. Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities degree recipients from Illinois State University earn a boost of about $4,471 above the typical income of liberal arts / sciences & humanities majors.

More information about a degree in liberal arts / sciences & humanities from Illinois State University

8
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
1,019 Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Degrees Awarded
8.6% Growth in Graduates

ECC is a medium-sized public college located in the medium-sized city of Elgin. A Best Colleges rank of #666 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means ECC is a great college overall.

There were approximately 1019 liberal arts / sciences & humanities students who graduated with this degree at ECC in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the liberal arts / sciences & humanities program state that they receive average early career income of $26,806.

More information about a degree in liberal arts / sciences & humanities from Elgin Community College

9
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
510 Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Degrees Awarded
1.0% Growth in Graduates

Waubonsee is a medium-sized public college located in the rural area of Sugar Grove. This college ranks 45th out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were roughly 510 liberal arts / sciences & humanities students who graduated with this degree at Waubonsee in the most recent data year. After graduation, liberal arts / sciences & humanities degree recipients generally make an average of $22,597 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in liberal arts / sciences & humanities from Waubonsee Community College

10
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
144 Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Degrees Awarded
$24,892 Median Starting Salary

Olive-Harvey College is a small public college located in the city of Chicago. A Best Colleges rank of #679 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Olive-Harvey College is a great college overall.

There were roughly 144 liberal arts / sciences & humanities students who graduated with this degree at Olive-Harvey College in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, liberal arts / sciences & humanities degree recipients typically earn an average of $24,892 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in liberal arts / sciences & humanities from City Colleges of Chicago - Olive-Harvey College

Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

StateCollegesDegrees Awarded
Indiana383,773
Michigan389,705
Ohio3811,432
Wisconsin372,375

View All Rankings >

Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Majors to Study

MajorAnnual Graduates
Liberal Arts General Studies24,928

View All Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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