by our College Data Analytics Team
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its “Schools Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
In 2020-2021, 29,810 people earned their degree in general education, making the major the 41st most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, general education graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $48,719 and had an average of $23,394 in loans still to pay off.
Across Illinois, there were 466 general education graduates with average earnings and debt of $46,021 and $20,500 respectively.
This year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois” ranking analyzed 24 colleges that offered a degree 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.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Schools Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. 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 Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois”.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Principia College. The school came in at #1 for the Schools Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois. Located in Elsah, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 11 degrees to qualified ’s education students in 2020-2021.
Out of the 24 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Quincy University landed the #2 spot on the list. Quincy U is a private not-for-profit institution located in Quincy, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 20 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Out of the 24 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, McKendree University landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Lebanon, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 39 degrees to qualified ’s education students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on General Education at McKendree University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Illinois College. The school came in at #4 for the Schools Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois. Jacksonville, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s education degrees to 9 students in 2020-2021.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Greenville University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois list. Greenville is a small school located in Greenville, Illinois that handed out 9 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 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.
With a ranking of #6, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois list. Champaign, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s education degrees to 233 students in 2020-2021.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Lake Forest College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois ranking. Lake Forest College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Lake Forest, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 7 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Hebrew Theological College landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois ranking. Hebrew Theological College is a small school located in Skokie, Illinois that handed out 1 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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.
Read more about General Education at Hebrew Theological College
With a ranking of #9, Elmhurst University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois list. This small school is located in Elmhurst, Illinois, and it awarded 13 ’s education degrees 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%.
Trinity Christian College ranked #10 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois list. Located in Palos Heights, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 4 diplomas to qualified ’s education students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 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.
North Park University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois ranking. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 6 diplomas to qualified ’s education students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.4% 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.
Monmouth College came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois ranking. Monmouth College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Monmouth, Illinois. It awarded 2 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. 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%.
Illinois Wesleyan University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #13. Bloomington, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s education degrees to 3 students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.4% 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%.
Knox College landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois ranking. Galesburg, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s education degrees to 2 students in 2020-2021.
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%. 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.
Rockford University landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois ranking. This small school is located in Rockford, Illinois, and it awarded 2 ’s 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.
Concordia University, Chicago ranked #16 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on 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 11 ’s education degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Lincoln Christian University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #17. Lincoln Christian College and Seminary is located in Lincoln, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1 ’s education degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 5.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about General Education at Lincoln Christian University
Western Illinois University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois ranking. WIU is located in Macomb, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 10 ’s education degrees to qualified students.
Northern Illinois University ranked #19 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois list. NIU is a public institution located in Dekalb, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 14 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Roosevelt University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #20. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s education degrees to 4 students in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #21, Dominican University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois list. Dominican U is a small private not-for-profit school situated in River Forest, Illinois. It awarded 1 ’s 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. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.4% 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 #22, Northwestern University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois list. Northwestern is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Evanston, Illinois. It awarded 1 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. 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%.
Read more about General Education at Northwestern University
Saint Xavier University ranked #23 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois list. SXU is a small school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 0 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #23, Benedictine University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois list. This small school is located in Lisle, Illinois, and it awarded 0 ’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
