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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for History (Income $48-$75k) in Illinois

22 Ranked Colleges
820 Degrees Awarded
$28,667 Avg Salary
Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor's in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual has developed its “Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2019-2020, 32,905 people earned their degree in history, making the major the 22nd most popular in the United States. 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. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 820 history graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,319 and $24,183 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k” 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.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the history program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 “Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k” list to help you make the college decision.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k.

Top 22 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for History (Income $48-$75k) in Illinois

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois
#2 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. Northwestern University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Evanston, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 48 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Northwestern also made our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #2. It costs about $6,452 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree History students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Northwestern University.

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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 0.8% 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 History at Northwestern

#2

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Chicago. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. UChicago is a fairly large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 72 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

UChicago also took the #1 spot in our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Chicago is $7,934 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree History students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%.

Read full report on History at University of Chicago

#3 in overall quality

Out of the 22 schools in the Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #3 spot on the list. UIUC is a large school located in Champaign, Illinois that handed out 87 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

UIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $13,351 for illinois bachelor’s degree history students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, 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 94%.

Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign History Report

#8 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Springfield. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. This small school is located in Springfield, Illinois, and it awarded 21 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

UIS also took the #8 spot in our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UIS is $11,857 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree History students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read full report on History at UIS

#7 in overall quality

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 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s history degrees to 32 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree history students whose families make $48-$75k list, UIC has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UIC is $13,683 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree History students whose families make $48-$75k.

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

#14 in overall quality

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. This fairly large school is located in Edwardsville, Illinois, and it awarded 49 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

SIUE not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for SIUE is $13,705 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree History students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read more about History at SIUE

#7

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, Illinois
#15 in overall quality

Eastern Illinois University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Charleston, Illinois, and it awarded 20 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

EIU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $13,560 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree History students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Eastern Illinois University.

Read more about History at Eastern Illinois University

#8

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois
#11 in overall quality

Northern Illinois University landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Dekalb, Illinois, this fairly large public school awarded 39 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s history students in 2019-2020.

NIU also took the #11 spot in our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $18,346 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree History students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Northern Illinois University.

Full NIU History Report

#9

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois
#4 in overall quality

Illinois State University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Illinois State is a large public school situated in Normal, Illinois. It awarded 97 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

Illinois State also made our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #4. It costs about $19,080 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree History students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Illinois State University.

The low 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 Illinois State University History Report

#10

Aurora University

Aurora, Illinois
#12 in overall quality

Aurora University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Aurora University is a medium-sized school located in Aurora, Illinois that handed out 17 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

Aurora did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Aurora is $15,881 for illinois bachelor’s degree history students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low 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%.

Read full report on History at Aurora University

#17 in overall quality

Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. SIUC is a public institution located in Carbondale, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 21 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

SIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend SIUC is $14,985 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree History students whose families make $48-$75k.

Full SIUC History Report

#12

Wheaton College Illinois

Wheaton, Illinois
#6 in overall quality

Wheaton College Illinois landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Wheaton College Illinois is located in Wheaton, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 14 bachelors’s history degrees to qualified students.

Wheaton College Illinois not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Wheaton College Illinois is $19,691 for illinois bachelor’s degree history students whose families make $48-$75k.

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. The low student loan default rate of 0.7% 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 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on History at Wheaton College Illinois

#13

Monmouth College

Monmouth, Illinois
#16 in overall quality

Monmouth College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #13. Monmouth is located in Monmouth, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 10 bachelors’s history degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree history students whose families make $48-$75k list, Monmouth has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Monmouth is $15,960 for illinois bachelor’s degree history students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 College

#14

Knox College

Galesburg, Illinois
#10 in overall quality

Knox College came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Galesburg, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 16 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s history students in 2019-2020.

Knox did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Knox is $19,653 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree History students whose families make $48-$75k.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. 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%.

Read full report on History at Knox

#15

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois
#18 in overall quality

Western Illinois University landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Western Illinois University is a medium-sized school located in Macomb, Illinois that handed out 13 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

WIU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Western Illinois University is $15,912 for illinois bachelor’s degree history students whose families make $48-$75k.

Full Western Illinois University History Report

#21 in overall quality

Northeastern Illinois University ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. Northeastern Illinois University is a medium-sized public school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 30 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Northeastern Illinois University, the school also landed the #21 spot in our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Northeastern Illinois University is $18,180 for illinois bachelor’s degree history students whose families make $48-$75k.

Full Northeastern Illinois University History Report

#17

Illinois College

Jacksonville, Illinois
#20 in overall quality

Illinois College landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Illinois College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Jacksonville, Illinois. It awarded 9 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Illinois College, the school also landed the #20 spot in our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Illinois College is $14,942 for illinois bachelor’s degree history students whose families make $48-$75k.

Full Illinois College History Report

#18

Elmhurst University

Elmhurst, Illinois
#19 in overall quality

Elmhurst University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #18. This small school is located in Elmhurst, Illinois, and it awarded 14 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

Elmhurst did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #19 on our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Elmhurst University is $19,703 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree History students whose families make $48-$75k.

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%.

Full Elmhurst University History Report

#19

North Central College

Naperville, Illinois
#9 in overall quality

North Central College ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. North Central College is located in Naperville, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 18 bachelors’s history degrees to qualified students.

North Central did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend North Central College is $23,353 for illinois bachelor’s degree history students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low student loan default rate of 3.9% 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%.

Read more about History at North Central

#20

Roosevelt University

Chicago, Illinois
#22 in overall quality

Roosevelt University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 5 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s history students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Roosevelt, the school also landed the #22 spot in our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Roosevelt is $21,870 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree History students whose families make $48-$75k.

Full Roosevelt University History Report

#21

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois
#13 in overall quality

DePaul University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #21. DePaul is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 20 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at DePaul, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for DePaul is $28,075 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree History students whose families make $48-$75k.

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%.

Full DePaul University History Report

#22

Loyola University Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
#5 in overall quality

Loyola University Chicago landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s history degrees to 58 students in 2019-2020.

Loyola Chicago also took the #5 spot in our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Loyola University Chicago is $32,259 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree History students whose families make $48-$75k.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full Loyola University Chicago History Report

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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