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2023 Most Popular Master’s Degree Colleges for General Education in Illinois

14 Ranked Colleges
320 Degrees Awarded
$27,700 Avg Cost*
Most Well Attended General Education Major in Illinois for a Master's

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Most Well Attended General Education Major in Illinois for a Master’s” ranking is part of that endeavor.

General Education is the 31st most popular major in the country with 29,810 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.

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.

For this year’s “Most Well Attended General Education Major in Illinois for a Master’s” ranking, we looked at 14 colleges that offer a degree in general education. To top this list, a school must have a successful general education program that graduates more students in the field than other colleges that offer the same major.

Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank General Education Schools

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Most Well Attended General Education Major in Illinois for a Master’s” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Most Well Attended General Education Major in Illinois for a Master’s

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois master’s degree general education students.

1

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The school came in at #1 for the Most Well Attended General Education Major in Illinois for a Master’s. UIUC is a large school located in Champaign, Illinois that handed out 170 masters’s general education degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% 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 full report on General Education at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

2
McKendree crest
McKendree University
Lebanon, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend McKendree University. The school came in at #2 for the Most Well Attended General Education Major in Illinois for a Master’s. McKendree University is a small school located in Lebanon, Illinois that handed out 28 masters’s general education 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%.

Read more about General Education at McKendree University

3
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Quincy University
Quincy, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Quincy University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Well Attended General Education Major in Illinois for a Master’s list. Quincy University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Quincy, Illinois. It awarded 20 masters’s general education degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Quincy U General Education Report

4

Out of the 14 schools in the Most Well Attended General Education Major in Illinois for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Northern Illinois University landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Dekalb, Illinois, this fairly large public school awarded 14 diplomas to qualified masters’s general education students in 2020-2021.

Read full report on General Education at NIU

5

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Western Illinois University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Well Attended General Education Major in Illinois for a Master’s list. Western Illinois University is a medium-sized school located in Macomb, Illinois that handed out 10 masters’s general education degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Western Illinois University General Education Report

6
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Elmhurst University
Elmhurst, Illinois

Elmhurst University ranked #6 on this year’s Most Well Attended General Education Major in Illinois for a Master’s list. 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%.

Read more about General Education at Elmhurst University

7
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Greenville University
Greenville, Illinois

Greenville University ranked #7 on this year’s Most Well Attended General Education Major in Illinois for a Master’s list. Greenville, 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 8 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%. 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.

Read more about General Education at Greenville

8
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North Park University
Chicago, Illinois

North Park University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended General Education Major in Illinois for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #8. North Park University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 6 masters’s general education degrees in 2020-2021.

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%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read more about General Education at North Park

9
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Rockford University
Rockford, Illinois

Rockford University landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended General Education Major in Illinois for a Master’s ranking. This small school is located in Rockford, Illinois, and it awarded 2 masters’s general education degrees in 2020-2021.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read full report on General Education at Rockford

9
Concordia University, Chicago crest
Concordia University, Chicago
River Forest, Illinois

Concordia University, Chicago ranked #9 on this year’s Most Well Attended General Education Major in Illinois for a Master’s list. River Forest, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s general education degrees to 2 students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.1% 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 full report on General Education at Concordia University, Chicago

11
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

Northwestern University ranked #11 on this year’s Most Well Attended General Education Major in Illinois for a Master’s list. Northwestern University is a large school located in Evanston, Illinois that handed out 1 masters’s general education degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read more about General Education at Northwestern

12
Illinois College crest
Illinois College
Jacksonville, Illinois

Illinois College ranked #12 on this year’s Most Well Attended General Education Major in Illinois for a Master’s list. Illinois College is located in Jacksonville, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 9 masters’s general education degrees to qualified students.

Read more about General Education at Illinois College

12
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Saint Xavier University
Chicago, Illinois

Saint Xavier University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended General Education Major in Illinois for a Master’s ranking. SXU is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 0 masters’s general education degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on General Education at Saint Xavier University

12
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Benedictine University
Lisle, Illinois

Benedictine University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended General Education Major in Illinois for a Master’s ranking. Benedictine University is located in Lisle, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 0 masters’s general education degrees to qualified students.

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 General Education at Benedictine University

Notes and References

References

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