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. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Schools Highly Focused on English Major in Illinois” ranking is part of that endeavor.
General English Literature is the 24th most popular major in the country with 40,481 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, general English literature graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $29,881 and had an average of $23,769 in loans still to pay off.
Across Illinois, there were 1,251 general English literature graduates with average earnings and debt of $28,955 and $23,481 respectively.
This year’s “Schools Highly Focused on English Major in Illinois” ranking looked at 49 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in general English literature. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their general English literature program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Schools Highly Focused on English Major in Illinois” list to help you make the college 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. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools Highly Focused on English Major in Illinois”.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend East-West University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on English Major in Illinois list. East - West University is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 3 ’s English degrees to qualified students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Lake Forest College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on English Major in Illinois list. Lake Forest is a private not-for-profit institution located in Lake Forest, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 20 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% 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%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Eureka College. The school came in at #3 for the Schools Highly Focused on English Major in Illinois. Eureka College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Eureka, Illinois. It awarded 6 ’s English degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about General English Literature at Eureka College
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Wheaton College Illinois. The school came in at #4 for the Schools Highly Focused on English Major in Illinois. Wheaton College Illinois is located in Wheaton, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 32 ’s English degrees to qualified students.
With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% 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%. 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 more about General English Literature at Wheaton College Illinois
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Illinois Wesleyan University. The school came in at #5 for the Schools Highly Focused on English Major in Illinois. Illinois Wesleyan University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Bloomington, Illinois. It awarded 12 ’s English degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Knox College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on English Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #6. Knox College is a small school located in Galesburg, Illinois that handed out 9 ’s English degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Trinity Christian College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on English Major in Illinois ranking. Trinity Christian is a private not-for-profit institution located in Palos Heights, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 10 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default 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.
Read full report on General English Literature at Trinity Christian
Northeastern Illinois University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on English Major in Illinois ranking. Northeastern Illinois University is a public institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 49 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Full Northeastern Illinois University General English Literature Report
With a ranking of #9, Eastern Illinois University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on English Major in Illinois list. Charleston, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s English degrees to 46 students in 2020-2021.
Illinois College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on English Major in Illinois ranking. Illinois College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Jacksonville, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 7 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Illinois State University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on English Major in Illinois ranking. Illinois State is a public institution located in Normal, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 137 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% 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 full report on General English Literature at Illinois State
Elmhurst University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on English Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #12. Elmhurst is a small school located in Elmhurst, Illinois that handed out 22 ’s English 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%.
With a ranking of #13, Monmouth College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on English Major in Illinois list. Monmouth College is a small school located in Monmouth, Illinois that handed out 5 ’s English degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Augustana College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on English Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #14. This small school is located in Rock Island, Illinois, and it awarded 17 ’s English degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about General English Literature at Augustana College
University of Illinois at Springfield ranked #15 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on English Major in Illinois list. UIS is a small school located in Springfield, Illinois that handed out 20 ’s English degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on General English Literature at University of Illinois at Springfield
With a ranking of #16, Greenville University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on English Major in Illinois list. Greenville University is a small school located in Greenville, Illinois that handed out 6 ’s English degrees in 2020-2021.
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. 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%.
Full Greenville University General English Literature Report
North Park University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on English Major in Illinois ranking. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 13 diplomas to qualified ’s English 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%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Full North Park University General English Literature Report
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on English Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #18. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is located in Edwardsville, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 51 ’s English degrees to qualified students.
Rockford University landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on English Major in Illinois ranking. Rockford University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Rockford, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 5 ’s 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.
Read more about General English Literature at Rockford University
Hebrew Theological College landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on English Major in Illinois ranking. This small school is located in Skokie, Illinois, and it awarded 1 ’s English degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. 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.
Bradley University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on English Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #20. This medium-sized school is located in Peoria, Illinois, and it awarded 25 ’s English degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Dominican University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on English Major in Illinois ranking. Dominican University is located in River Forest, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 12 ’s English degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default 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.
Western Illinois University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on English Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #23. Western Illinois University is a public institution located in Macomb, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 29 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about General English Literature at Western Illinois University
Northern Illinois University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on English Major in Illinois ranking. NIU is a public institution located in Dekalb, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 58 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Full Northern Illinois University General English Literature Report
University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on English Major in Illinois ranking. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 110 ’s English degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.5% 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%.
Full University of Illinois at Chicago General English Literature Report
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
