by our College Data Analytics Team
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on General Education Major in Illinois” ranking - to help you make that decision.
In 2020-2021, 29,810 people earned their degree in general education, making the major the 31st most popular in the United States.
Across Illinois, there were 466 general education graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 320 general education graduates with average earnings and debt of $59,317 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on General Education Major in Illinois” ranking looked at 14 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in general education. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in general education.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
The general education school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on General Education Major in Illinois”.
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. 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.
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on General Education Major in Illinois”.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Quincy University. The school came in at #1 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on General Education Major in Illinois. Located in Quincy, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 20 degrees to qualified masters’s general education students in 2020-2021.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend McKendree University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on General Education Major in Illinois list. McKendree is a private not-for-profit institution located in Lebanon, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 28 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.5% 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%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Greenville University. The school came in at #3 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on General Education Major in Illinois. Located in Greenville, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 8 degrees to qualified masters’s general education students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.9% 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%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read full report on General Education at Greenville University
Out of the 14 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on General Education Major in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #4 spot on the list. UIUC is a public institution located in Champaign, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 170 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on General Education at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Elmhurst University. The school came in at #5 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on General Education Major in Illinois. Elmhurst, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s general education degrees to 9 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.2% 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%.
With a ranking of #6, North Park University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on General Education Major in Illinois list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s general education degrees to 6 students in 2020-2021.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on General Education at North Park University
Rockford University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on General Education Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #7. Rockford is a small school located in Rockford, Illinois that handed out 2 masters’s general education degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Western Illinois University ranked #8 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on General Education Major in Illinois list. WIU is a public institution located in Macomb, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 10 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on General Education at Western Illinois University
Northern Illinois University landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on General Education Major in Illinois ranking. Northern Illinois University is located in Dekalb, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 14 masters’s general education degrees to qualified students.
With a ranking of #10, Concordia University, Chicago did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on General Education Major in Illinois list. Concordia University, Chicago is located in River Forest, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 2 masters’s general education degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about General Education at Concordia University, Chicago
Northwestern University ranked #11 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on General Education Major in Illinois list. Northwestern is a large school located in Evanston, Illinois that handed out 1 masters’s general education degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.
Illinois College did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on General Education Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #12. Illinois College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Jacksonville, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 9 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Saint Xavier University ranked #12 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on General Education Major in Illinois list. SXU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 0 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about General Education at Saint Xavier University
Benedictine University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on General Education Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #12. This small school is located in Lisle, Illinois, and it awarded 0 masters’s general education degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.9% 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 about our data sources and methodologies
