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2024 Best General Education Schools in Illinois

15 Colleges in Illinois
466 Education Degrees Awarded
$46,021 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you plan on majoring in general education, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #41 in the country in terms of popularity. This means you won't have too much trouble finding schools that offer the degree.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 15 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best General Education Schools in Illinois ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 466 degrees in general education to qualified students.

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

Choosing a Great General Education School

Best General Education Schools in Illinois The education program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for General Education rankings. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for general education 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.

General Education Rankings by Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in Education
Master's Degrees in Education
Doctor's Degrees in Education

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best General Education Schools in Illinois ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.

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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.


 

Best Schools for General Education in Illinois

The schools below may not offer all types of education degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

10 Top Illinois Schools in Education

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
233 Education Degrees Awarded
15.5% Growth in Graduates

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a wonderful option for students pursuing a degree in general education. UIUC is a very large public university located in the small city of Champaign. A Best Colleges rank of #34 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UIUC is a great university overall.

There were about 233 general education students who graduated with this degree at UIUC in the most recent data year. General Education degree recipients from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign get an earnings boost of around $10,078 above the average income of general education graduates.

More information about a degree in general education from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
20th Most Popular In IL

Northwestern University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in general education. Located in the city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #5 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Northwestern is a great university overall.

There were approximately 1 general education students who graduated with this degree at Northwestern in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in general education from Northwestern University

3
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
$48,808 Median Starting Salary

It's hard to beat Concordia University, Chicago if you want to pursue a degree in general education. Located in the large suburb of River Forest, Concordia University, Chicago is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #170 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Concordia University, Chicago is a great university overall.

There were approximately 11 general education students who graduated with this degree at Concordia University, Chicago in the most recent year we have data available. Those general education students who get their degree from Concordia University, Chicago earn $2,788 more than the typical education student.

More information about a degree in general education from Concordia University, Chicago

4
Elmhurst crest
Elmhurst University
Elmhurst, IL
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
6th Most Popular In IL
15.4% Growth in Graduates

Every student pursuing a degree in general education needs to check out Elmhurst University. Located in the suburb of Elmhurst, Elmhurst is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #403 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Elmhurst is a great university overall.

There were about 13 general education students who graduated with this degree at Elmhurst in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in general education from Elmhurst University

5
Dominican U crest
Dominican University
River Forest, IL
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
20th Most Popular In IL

Located in the suburb of River Forest, Dominican U is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #691 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Dominican U is a great university overall.

There were roughly 1 general education students who graduated with this degree at Dominican U in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in general education from Dominican University

6

North Park is a small private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Chicago. This university ranks 43rd out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were roughly 6 general education students who graduated with this degree at North Park in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the general education major at North Park University make $6,000 above the typical college grad in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in general education from North Park University

7
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
16th Most Popular In IL
33.3% Growth in Graduates

Illinois Wesleyan is a small private not-for-profit university located in the city of Bloomington. A Best Colleges rank of #463 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Illinois Wesleyan is a great university overall.

There were about 3 general education students who graduated with this degree at Illinois Wesleyan in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in general education from Illinois Wesleyan University

8
Trinity Christian crest
Trinity Christian College
Palos Heights, IL
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
14th Most Popular In IL
25.0% Growth in Graduates

Trinity Christian is a small private not-for-profit college located in the large suburb of Palos Heights. This college ranks 40th out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were roughly 4 general education students who graduated with this degree at Trinity Christian in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in general education from Trinity Christian College

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
9th Most Popular In IL

Located in the town of Macomb, WIU is a public university with a medium-sized student population. This university ranks 39th out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were approximately 10 general education students who graduated with this degree at WIU in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in general education from Western Illinois University

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
$48,308 Median Starting Salary

Located in the small suburb of Dekalb, NIU is a public university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #550 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means NIU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 14 general education students who graduated with this degree at NIU in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the general education program at Northern Illinois University get $2,288 above the standard college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in general education from Northern Illinois University


 

Best General Education Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best General Education Colleges in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Michigan 322 699
Ohio 314 704
Indiana 294 477
Wisconsin 273 490

View All Rankings >

One of 14 majors within the Education area of study, General Education has other similar majors worth exploring.

Education Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
General Education 466

View All Education Concentrations >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Teacher Education Grade Specific 3,579
Educational Administration 1,825
Teacher Education Subject Specific 1,676
Special Education 1,153
Curriculum & Instruction 1,019
Student Counseling 336
Instructional Media Design 181
Teaching English or French 181
Multilingual Education 86
Educational Assessment 69

View All Education Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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