2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Education for a Master’s
8
Ranked Colleges
320
Degrees Awarded
$49,882
Avg Salary
Veterans have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Education for a Master’s” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
General Education is the 41st most popular major in the country with 29,810 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. 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 “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Education for a Master’s” ranking looked at 8 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in general education. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent general education programs, but they also offer a lot of support to veterans and active service members.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the general education program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran population. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
One Size Does Not Fit All
The 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 “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Education for a Master’s”.
In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Education for a Master’s
The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois master’s degree vets studying education.
Top 8 Best General Education Master’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in Illinois
Out of the 8 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Education for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #1 spot on the list. UIUC is a large school located in Champaign, Illinois that handed out 170 masters’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
UIUC also made our “Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #1.Of the 52,679 students enrolled at UIUC, 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 Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $0. During this same period, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. UIUC does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
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%.
Full UIUC Veteran Student Life Report
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 Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Education for a Master’s. McKendree University 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.
McKendree did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list.Our most recent data shows that 69 of the 2,200 students enrolled at McKendree were GI Bill® students, of which 41 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $5,814. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. McKendree does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
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…
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Elmhurst University. The school came in at #3 for the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Education for a Master’s. Elmhurst University is located in Elmhurst, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 9 masters’s education degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree vets studying education list, Elmhurst has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.According to our most recent data, Elmhurst supports 3,421 students, and 77 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 57 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $12,985. In addition to receiving other benefits, 7 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Elmhurst 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 full report on veteran student life at Elmhurst University]](/colleges/elmhurst-college/student-life/veterans/)
Out of the 8 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Education for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Western Illinois University landed the #4 spot on the list. Western Illinois University is a medium-sized public school situated in Macomb, Illinois. It awarded 10 masters’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at WIU, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.Of the 7,490 students enrolled at WIU, 330 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 62 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,652. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Western Illinois University]](/colleges/western-illinois-university/student-life/veterans/)
Out of the 8 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Education for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Northern Illinois University landed the #5 spot on the list. Northern Illinois University is located in Dekalb, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 14 masters’s education degrees to qualified students.
NIU also made our “Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #6.Our most recent data shows that 480 of the 16,769 students enrolled at NIU were GI Bill® students, of which 207 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $7,822. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
Read More…
North Park University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Education for a Master’s ranking. North Park is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 6 masters’s education degrees to qualified students.
North Park did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list.According to our most recent data, North Park supports 2,831 students, and 30 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 23 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $11,080. To help with additional expenses, 2 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. North Park offers credit for military training for eligible students.
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%. 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 veteran student life at North Park University]](/colleges/north-park-university/student-life/veterans/)
With a ranking of #7, Rockford University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Education for a Master’s list. Rockford is a small school located in Rockford, Illinois that handed out 2 masters’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Rockford, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.According to our most recent data, Rockford supports 1,272 students, and 27 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 19 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $12,705. During this same period, 8 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Rockford does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
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.
Full Rockford University Veteran Student Life Report
Concordia University, Chicago landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Education for a Master’s ranking. Concordia University, Chicago is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in River Forest, Illinois. It awarded 2 masters’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
Concordia University, Chicago also made our “Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #3.Of the 6,491 students enrolled at Concordia University, Chicago, 134 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 96 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $7,085. During this same period, 4 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 More…
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Notes and References
References
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Veteran-specific data can be found at the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
- *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top schools only.
- **GI Bill® student total includes all chapters of the GI Bill® program (e.g., Post-9/11, Montgomery GI Bill, Reserve Education Assistance Program, and Veteran Readiness and Employment)
- Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.
Credits
- Credit for the banner image above goes to KOKUYO.
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