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2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois

22 Ranked Colleges
820 Degrees Awarded
$20,200 Avg Net Price*
Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor's in Illinois

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

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” 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.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the history program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank History Schools

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that 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.

Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois bachelor’s degree history students.

Top 22 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for History in Illinois

#1

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois
#4 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Illinois State University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Illinois State is a large school located in Normal, Illinois that handed out 97 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Illinois State, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $20,895 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree History students per year to attend Illinois State University.

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%.

Full Illinois State History Report

#3 in overall quality

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 #2 for the Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois. This large school is located in Champaign, Illinois, and it awarded 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 $15,880 for illinois bachelor’s degree history students per year to attend UIUC.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. 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%.

Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign History Report

#8 in overall quality

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 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois. Springfield, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s history degrees to 21 students in 2019-2020.

UIS also made our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #8. It costs about $12,477 for illinois bachelor’s degree history students per year to attend University of Illinois at Springfield.

Read full report on History at University of Illinois at Springfield

#14 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois. Edwardsville, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s history degrees to 49 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree history students list, SIUE has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for SIUE is $14,423 for illinois bachelor’s degree history students.

Full Southern Illinois University Edwardsville History Report

#5

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, Illinois
#15 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Eastern Illinois University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Eastern Illinois University is a public institution located in Charleston, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 20 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

EIU also made our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #15. It costs about $14,607 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree History students per year to attend EIU.

Full Eastern Illinois University History Report

#6

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois
#11 in overall quality

Northern Illinois University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking, coming in at #6. This fairly large school is located in Dekalb, Illinois, and it awarded 39 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

NIU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Northern Illinois University is $18,259 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree History students.

Read full report on History at NIU

#7 in overall quality

University of Illinois at Chicago ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. University of Illinois at Chicago is a large public school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 32 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

UIC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend UIC is $13,312 for illinois bachelor’s degree history students.

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%.

Read full report on History at University of Illinois at Chicago

#8

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois
#18 in overall quality

Western Illinois University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking, coming in at #8. WIU is a medium-sized school located in Macomb, Illinois that handed out 13 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

WIU also took the #18 spot in our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for WIU is $16,210 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree History students.

Read full report on History at Western Illinois University

#17 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, Southern Illinois University Carbondale did quite well on the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. This fairly large school is located in Carbondale, Illinois, and it awarded 21 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SIUC, the school also landed the #17 spot in our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Southern Illinois University Carbondale is $16,945 for illinois bachelor’s degree history students.

Read full report on History at SIUC

#21 in overall quality

Northeastern Illinois University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 30 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

Northeastern Illinois University also took the #21 spot in our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $15,843 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree History students per year to attend Northeastern Illinois University.

Full Northeastern Illinois University History Report

#11

Aurora University

Aurora, Illinois
#12 in overall quality

Aurora University landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. Aurora is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Aurora, Illinois. It awarded 17 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Aurora, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $17,215 for illinois bachelor’s degree history students per year to attend Aurora.

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%.

Full Aurora University History Report

#12

Illinois College

Jacksonville, Illinois
#20 in overall quality

Illinois College came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. Jacksonville, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s history degrees to 9 students 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 $16,562 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree History students.

Full Illinois College History Report

#13

Wheaton College Illinois

Wheaton, Illinois
#6 in overall quality

With a ranking of #13, Wheaton College Illinois did quite well on the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. 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 did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Wheaton College Illinois is $25,358 for illinois bachelor’s degree history 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. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Wheaton College Illinois History Report

#14

Elmhurst University

Elmhurst, Illinois
#19 in overall quality

Elmhurst University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Located in Elmhurst, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 14 degrees to qualified bachelors’s history students in 2019-2020.

Elmhurst also took the #19 spot in our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Elmhurst University is $21,485 for illinois bachelor’s degree history students.

The low student loan default rate of 3.0% 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%.

Read more about History at Elmhurst

#15

Monmouth College

Monmouth, Illinois
#16 in overall quality

Monmouth College landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. Monmouth, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s history degrees to 10 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Monmouth, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Monmouth is $17,061 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree History students.

The 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. The low student loan default rate of 4.5% 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 more about History at Monmouth

#16

North Central College

Naperville, Illinois
#9 in overall quality

North Central College ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. North Central 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 not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $24,786 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree History students per year to attend North Central College.

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%.

Full North Central History Report

#17

Roosevelt University

Chicago, Illinois
#22 in overall quality

Roosevelt University landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. Roosevelt University is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 5 bachelors’s history degrees to qualified students.

Roosevelt also made our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #22. It costs about $22,749 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree History students per year to attend Roosevelt.

Read full report on History at Roosevelt

#18

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois
#13 in overall quality

DePaul University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s history degrees to 20 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree history students list, DePaul has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend DePaul is $30,090 for illinois bachelor’s degree history students.

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%.

Read more about History at DePaul University

#19

Loyola University Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
#5 in overall quality

Loyola University Chicago came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. Loyola Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 58 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Loyola Chicago also took the #5 spot in our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $35,407 for illinois bachelor’s degree history students per year to attend Loyola University Chicago.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on History at Loyola University Chicago

#20

Knox College

Galesburg, Illinois
#10 in overall quality

With a ranking of #20, Knox College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. This small school is located in Galesburg, Illinois, and it awarded 16 bachelors’s history degrees 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. It costs about $22,292 for illinois bachelor’s degree history students per year to attend Knox College.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. 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.

Read more about History at Knox College

#21

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
#1 in overall quality

University of Chicago landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois 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 72 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UChicago not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Chicago is $27,315 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree History students.

With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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. 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%.

Read more about History at UChicago

#21

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois
#2 in overall quality

Northwestern University ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Located in Evanston, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 48 degrees to qualified bachelors’s history students in 2019-2020.

Northwestern also took the #2 spot in our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Northwestern University is $24,664 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree History students.

With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read more about History at Northwestern University

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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