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2022 Best Value Colleges for History in Illinois (With Aid)

22 Ranked Colleges
942 Degrees Awarded
$20,200 Avg Net Price*
Best Value History Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value History Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” ranking is part of that endeavor.

History is the 30th most popular major in the country with 32,905 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, history graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $29,593 and had an average of $23,490 in loans still to pay off.

Across Illinois, there were 942 history graduates with average earnings and debt of $28,667 and $22,107 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value History Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” ranking looked at 22 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in history. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great history programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the history program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value History Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important 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.

Best Value History Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value History Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid.

Top 22 Best Value Colleges for History in Illinois (With Aid)

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value History Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a large school located in Champaign, Illinois that handed out 105 ’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

UIUC also took the #3 spot in our “Best History Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UIUC is $15,880 for Illinois History students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 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.

Read full report on History at UIUC

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Springfield. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value History Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid. Springfield, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s history degrees to 25 students in 2019-2020.

UIS not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best History Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Illinois at Springfield is $12,477 for illinois history students with aid.

Full University of Illinois at Springfield History Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Chicago. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value History Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid. University of Illinois at Chicago is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 36 ’s history degrees to qualified students.

UIC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best History Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for UIC is $13,312 for Illinois History students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UIC History Report

#4

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Eastern Illinois University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value History Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. This medium-sized school is located in Charleston, Illinois, and it awarded 22 ’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

EIU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #16 on our “Best History Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Eastern Illinois University is $14,607 for illinois history students with aid.

Full EIU History Report

#5

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northern Illinois University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value History Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. NIU is a fairly large school located in Dekalb, Illinois that handed out 47 ’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

NIU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best History Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for NIU is $18,259 for Illinois History students with aid.

Full NIU History Report

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville did quite well in the 2022 Best Value History Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #6. Located in Edwardsville, Illinois, this fairly large public school awarded 52 degrees to qualified ’s history students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SIUE, the school also landed the #14 spot in our “Best History Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is $14,423 for Illinois History students with aid.

Read full report on History at SIUE

#7

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois

With a ranking of #7, Illinois State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value History Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Normal, Illinois, and it awarded 108 ’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

Illinois State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best History Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Illinois State is $20,895 for illinois history students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on History at Illinois State University

Southern Illinois University Carbondale did quite well in the 2022 Best Value History Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #8. SIUC is located in Carbondale, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 26 ’s history degrees to qualified students.

SIUC also made our “Best History Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #17. It costs about $16,945 for illinois history students with aid per year to attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

Full SIUC History Report

#9

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois

Western Illinois University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value History Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Western Illinois University is located in Macomb, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 15 ’s history degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at WIU, the school also landed the #19 spot in our “Best History Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $16,210 for illinois history students with aid per year to attend WIU.

Read full report on History at WIU

#10

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois

Northwestern University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value History Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Evanston, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 57 degrees to qualified ’s history students in 2019-2020.

Northwestern did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best History Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Northwestern University is $24,664 for illinois history students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Northwestern University History Report

#11

Aurora University

Aurora, Illinois

With a ranking of #11, Aurora University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value History Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Aurora is a private not-for-profit institution located in Aurora, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 17 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Aurora also took the #11 spot in our “Best History Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Aurora is $17,215 for Illinois History students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on History at Aurora

With a ranking of #12, Northeastern Illinois University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value History Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. This medium-sized school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 36 ’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois history students with aid list, Northeastern Illinois University has also earned the #21 rank in our “Best History Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $15,843 for illinois history students with aid per year to attend Northeastern Illinois University.

Full Northeastern Illinois University History Report

#13

Monmouth College

Monmouth, Illinois

Monmouth College came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value History Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. Monmouth College is a small school located in Monmouth, Illinois that handed out 10 ’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

Monmouth also made our “Best History Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #15. The yearly cost to attend Monmouth is $17,061 for Illinois History students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read full report on History at Monmouth

#14

Illinois College

Jacksonville, Illinois

Illinois College ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value History Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Illinois College is located in Jacksonville, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 9 ’s history degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our illinois history students with aid list, Illinois College has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best History Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Illinois College is $16,562 for illinois history students with aid.

Read full report on History at Illinois College

#15

Knox College

Galesburg, Illinois

Knox College ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value History Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Knox is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Galesburg, Illinois. It awarded 16 ’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

Knox also took the #10 spot in our “Best History Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Knox is $22,292 for illinois history students with aid.

The 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. The student loan default rate at the school is 4.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Knox History Report

#16

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

University of Chicago came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value History Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 98 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UChicago also took the #1 spot in our “Best History Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $27,315 for Illinois History students with aid per year to attend UChicago.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 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.

Read more about History at UChicago

#17

Elmhurst University

Elmhurst, Illinois

Elmhurst University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value History Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. This small school is located in Elmhurst, Illinois, and it awarded 14 ’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

Elmhurst did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best History Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Elmhurst University is $21,485 for illinois history students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on History at Elmhurst University

#18

Wheaton College Illinois

Wheaton, Illinois

Wheaton College Illinois did quite well in the 2022 Best Value History Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #18. This small school is located in Wheaton, Illinois, and it awarded 14 ’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

Wheaton College Illinois did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best History Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Wheaton College Illinois is $25,358 for illinois history students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The impressive 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 Wheaton College Illinois History Report

#19

North Central College

Naperville, Illinois

North Central College came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value History Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. North Central is a private not-for-profit institution located in Naperville, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 18 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

North Central not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best History Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend North Central is $24,786 for illinois history students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on History at North Central College

#20

Roosevelt University

Chicago, Illinois

With a ranking of #20, Roosevelt University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value History Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Roosevelt is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 8 ’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois history students with aid list, Roosevelt has also earned the #22 rank in our “Best History Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $22,749 for Illinois History students with aid per year to attend Roosevelt.

Full Roosevelt History Report

#21

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois

DePaul University ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value History Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 25 degrees to qualified ’s history students in 2019-2020.

DePaul not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best History Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $30,090 for Illinois History students with aid per year to attend DePaul University.

The 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 more about History at DePaul University

#22

Loyola University Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

Loyola University Chicago ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value History Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Loyola University Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 73 ’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

Loyola Chicago also took the #6 spot in our “Best History Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Loyola University Chicago is $35,407 for illinois history students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, 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 85%.

Read full report on History at Loyola University Chicago

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).
  • 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

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • 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.

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