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2023 Most Focused Colleges for History in Illinois

45 Ranked Colleges
974 Degrees Awarded
$27,900 Avg Cost*
Schools Highly Focused on History 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 History Major in Illinois” ranking - to help you make that decision.

History is the 30th most popular major in the country with 32,731 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, history graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $30,467 and had an average of $23,587 in loans still to pay off.

Across Illinois, there were 974 history graduates with average earnings and debt of $32,707 and $22,415 respectively.

This year’s “Schools Highly Focused on History Major in Illinois” ranking looked at 45 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in history. That schools that top this list have a program in history in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.

See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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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 History Major in Illinois” list to help you make the college decision.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Schools Highly Focused on History Major in Illinois

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois history students.

Top 25 Most Focused Colleges for History in Illinois

1
Blackburn crest
Blackburn College
Carlinville, Illinois

Out of the 45 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on History Major in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Blackburn College landed the #1 spot on the list. This small school is located in Carlinville, Illinois, and it awarded 5 ’s history degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Blackburn History Report

2
Knox crest
Knox College
Galesburg, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Knox College. The school came in at #2 for the Schools Highly Focused on History Major in Illinois. Located in Galesburg, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 13 diplomas to qualified ’s history students in 2020-2021.

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%. 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 Knox College History Report

3

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Springfield. The school came in at #3 for the Schools Highly Focused on History Major in Illinois. University of Illinois at Springfield is a public institution located in Springfield, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 29 ’s 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 History at University of Illinois at Springfield

4
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Monmouth College
Monmouth, Illinois

Out of the 45 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on History Major in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Monmouth College landed the #4 spot on the list. Monmouth is a private not-for-profit institution located in Monmouth, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 6 ’s 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 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read more about History at Monmouth College

5
Illinois College crest
Illinois College
Jacksonville, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Illinois College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on History Major in Illinois list. Illinois College is located in Jacksonville, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 7 ’s history degrees to qualified students.

Full Illinois College History Report

6
Wheaton College Illinois crest
Wheaton College Illinois
Wheaton, Illinois

Wheaton College Illinois ranked #6 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on History Major in Illinois list. Wheaton College Illinois is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Wheaton, Illinois. It awarded 20 ’s history degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national 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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%.

Read full report on History at Wheaton College Illinois

7
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Illinois Wesleyan University
Bloomington, Illinois

Illinois Wesleyan University landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on History Major in Illinois ranking. Illinois Wesleyan is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Bloomington, Illinois. It awarded 9 ’s history 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.

Read full report on History at Illinois Wesleyan

8
Illinois State crest
Illinois State University
Normal, Illinois

Illinois State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on History Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #8. Illinois State is a large public school situated in Normal, Illinois. It awarded 107 ’s history degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on History at Illinois State University

9
EIU crest
Eastern Illinois University
Charleston, Illinois

Eastern Illinois University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on History Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #9. This medium-sized school is located in Charleston, Illinois, and it awarded 32 ’s history degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Eastern Illinois University History Report

10
Augustana crest
Augustana College
Rock Island, Illinois

Augustana College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on History Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #10. Augustana College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Rock Island, Illinois. It awarded 15 ’s history 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 freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about History at Augustana

11

Northeastern Illinois University ranked #11 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on History Major in Illinois list. Northeastern Illinois University is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 30 ’s history degrees to qualified students.

Read full report on History at Northeastern Illinois University

12
Greenville crest
Greenville University
Greenville, Illinois

Greenville University ranked #12 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on History Major in Illinois list. Greenville is a small school located in Greenville, Illinois that handed out 5 ’s history 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. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.9% 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 Greenville University History Report

13
Lake Forest crest
Lake Forest College
Lake Forest, Illinois

Lake Forest College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on History Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #13. Lake Forest College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Lake Forest, Illinois. It awarded 7 ’s history degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on History at Lake Forest

14
UChicago crest
University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

University of Chicago did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on History Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #14. UChicago is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 103 ’s history degrees to qualified students.

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%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%.

Full University of Chicago History Report

15
Quincy U crest
Quincy University
Quincy, Illinois

Quincy University ranked #15 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on History Major in Illinois list. Quincy U is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Quincy, Illinois. It awarded 4 ’s history degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Quincy University History Report

16
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Trinity Christian College
Palos Heights, Illinois

Trinity Christian College landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on History Major in Illinois ranking. This small school is located in Palos Heights, Illinois, and it awarded 5 ’s history degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.5% 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 full report on History at Trinity Christian

17
CSU crest
Chicago State University
Chicago, Illinois

Chicago State University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on History Major in Illinois ranking. CSU is a public institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 7 ’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 more about History at CSU

18

Western Illinois University landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on History Major in Illinois ranking. Western Illinois University is a medium-sized public school situated in Macomb, Illinois. It awarded 25 ’s history degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on History at WIU

19

With a ranking of #19, Northern Illinois University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on History Major in Illinois list. This fairly large school is located in Dekalb, Illinois, and it awarded 51 ’s history degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on History at NIU

20
North Park crest
North Park University
Chicago, Illinois

With a ranking of #20, North Park University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on History Major in Illinois list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 8 diplomas to qualified ’s history students in 2020-2021.

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. 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%.

Full North Park University History Report

21
North Central crest
North Central College
Naperville, Illinois

North Central College ranked #21 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on History Major in Illinois list. North Central is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Naperville, Illinois. It awarded 9 ’s history 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%.

Full North Central History Report

22

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on History Major in Illinois ranking. SIUE is a fairly large school located in Edwardsville, Illinois that handed out 30 ’s history degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on History at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

23
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

Northwestern University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on History Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #23. Northwestern is a private not-for-profit institution located in Evanston, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 82 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

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. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on History at Northwestern University

24
University of Saint Francis crest
University of St Francis
Joliet, Illinois

University of St Francis came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on History Major in Illinois ranking. Located in Joliet, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 9 diplomas to qualified ’s history students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about History at University of St Francis

25
Loyola Chicago crest
Loyola University Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

Loyola University Chicago ranked #25 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on History Major in Illinois list. This fairly large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 44 ’s history degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.7% 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 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full Loyola Chicago History Report

Notes and References

References

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