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2023 Most Focused Colleges for Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies in Illinois

27 Ranked Colleges
405 Degrees Awarded
$30,100 Avg Cost*
Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in Illinois

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in Illinois” ranking - to help you make that decision.

Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies is the 30th most popular major in the country with 16,243 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $31,881 and had an average of $22,102 in loans still to pay off.

Across Illinois, there were 405 area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $30,363 and $25,844 respectively.

For this year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in Illinois” ranking, we looked at 27 colleges that offer a degree in area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies. That schools that top this list have a program in area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.

Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in Illinois” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our 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.

Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in Illinois

The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in Illinois”.

Top 27 Most Focused Colleges for Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies in Illinois

1
Lake Forest crest
Lake Forest College
Lake Forest, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Lake Forest College. The school came in at #1 for the Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in Illinois. Lake Forest College is a small school located in Lake Forest, Illinois that handed out 11 ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies 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%.

Full Lake Forest Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Report

2
Knox crest
Knox College
Galesburg, Illinois

Out of the 27 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Knox College landed the #2 spot on the list. Knox College is a small school located in Galesburg, Illinois that handed out 7 ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees 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.

Full Knox Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Report

3

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northeastern Illinois University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in Illinois list. Northeastern Illinois University is a public institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 22 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at Northeastern Illinois University

4
UChicago crest
University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Chicago. The school came in at #4 for the Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in Illinois. University of Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 69 ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.0% 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 100%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read more about Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at University of Chicago

5

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Chicago. The school came in at #5 for the Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in Illinois. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 66 ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies 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%.

Read full report on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at University of Illinois at Chicago

6
Dominican U crest
Dominican University
River Forest, Illinois

Dominican University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #6. Located in River Forest, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 6 degrees to qualified ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies students 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.

Full Dominican University Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Report

7
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, Illinois

DePaul University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #7. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees to 37 students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at DePaul

8
Augustana crest
Augustana College
Rock Island, Illinois

With a ranking of #8, Augustana College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in Illinois list. Augustana College is located in Rock Island, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 5 ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees to qualified students.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at Augustana

9
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

Northwestern University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #9. This large school is located in Evanston, Illinois, and it awarded 56 ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees in 2020-2021.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read more about Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at Northwestern

10
Aurora crest
Aurora University
Aurora, Illinois

Aurora University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #10. Aurora University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Aurora, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 9 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at Aurora

11
CSU crest
Chicago State University
Chicago, Illinois

Chicago State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #11. CSU is a public institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 2 ’s 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.

Read full report on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at Chicago State University

12

With a ranking of #12, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in Illinois list. Located in Champaign, Illinois, this large public school awarded 55 degrees to qualified ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies students in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.

Read more about Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

13
Loyola Chicago crest
Loyola University Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

Loyola University Chicago landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in Illinois ranking. Loyola Chicago is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 19 ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees to qualified students.

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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Loyola University Chicago Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Report

14
Bradley crest
Bradley University
Peoria, Illinois

Bradley University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #14. This medium-sized school is located in Peoria, Illinois, and it awarded 5 ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Read more about Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at Bradley University

15
Columbia crest
Columbia College Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

Columbia College Chicago landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in Illinois ranking. Columbia is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 4 ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at Columbia

16
Roosevelt crest
Roosevelt University
Chicago, Illinois

Roosevelt University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #16. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 4 degrees to qualified ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies students in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at Roosevelt

17
North Park crest
North Park University
Chicago, Illinois

With a ranking of #17, North Park University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in Illinois list. North Park is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 1 ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees in 2020-2021.

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%. 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.

Full North Park Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Report

18
North Central crest
North Central College
Naperville, Illinois

North Central College ranked #18 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in Illinois list. Naperville, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees to 1 students 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%.

Full North Central Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Report

19
NLU crest
National Louis University
Chicago, Illinois

National Louis University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #19. NLU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 1 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Full NLU Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Report

20

With a ranking of #20, Southern Illinois University Carbondale did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in Illinois list. SIUC is a fairly large public school situated in Carbondale, Illinois. It awarded 5 ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Southern Illinois University Carbondale Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Report

21
Illinois Wesleyan crest
Illinois Wesleyan University
Bloomington, Illinois

Illinois Wesleyan University landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in Illinois ranking. This small school is located in Bloomington, Illinois, and it awarded 0 ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 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.

Full Illinois Wesleyan University Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Report

21
Concordia University, Chicago crest
Concordia University, Chicago
River Forest, Illinois

Concordia University, Chicago landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in Illinois ranking. River Forest, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees to 0 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 more about Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at Concordia University, Chicago

21
Principia crest
Principia College
Elsah, Illinois

With a ranking of #21, Principia College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in Illinois list. Principia College is a small school located in Elsah, Illinois that handed out 0 ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at Principia

21
Illinois State crest
Illinois State University
Normal, Illinois

Illinois State University landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in Illinois ranking. Illinois State University is a public institution located in Normal, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 20 ’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 Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at Illinois State University

21
Illinois College crest
Illinois College
Jacksonville, Illinois

With a ranking of #21, Illinois College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in Illinois list. Jacksonville, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees to 0 students in 2020-2021.

Read more about Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at Illinois College

21
Elmhurst crest
Elmhurst University
Elmhurst, Illinois

With a ranking of #21, Elmhurst University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in Illinois list. This small school is located in Elmhurst, Illinois, and it awarded 0 ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies 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%.

Full Elmhurst University Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Report

21
GSU crest
Governors State University
University Park, Illinois

With a ranking of #21, Governors State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Major in Illinois list. Located in University Park, Illinois, this small public school handed out 0 diplomas to qualified ’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies students in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at GSU

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