by our College Data Analytics Team
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Studies Major in Illinois” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
In 2020-2021, 129,869 general studies students received their degree, making the major the 5th most popular in the country.
Across Illinois, there were 2,929 general studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 260 general studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $40,117 and $25,584 respectively.
For this year’s “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Studies Major in Illinois” ranking, we looked at 18 colleges that offer a degree in general studies. That schools that top this list have a program in general studies in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
The general studies school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Studies Major in Illinois”.
In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Studies Major in Illinois”.
Out of the 18 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Studies Major in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Chicago State University landed the #1 spot on the list. CSU is a small public school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 11 bachelors’s general studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergraduate 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.
Out of the 18 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Studies Major in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Illinois State University landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Normal, Illinois, this large public school handed out 111 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s general studies students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 18 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Studies Major in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, DePaul University landed the #3 spot on the list. DePaul is a large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 93 bachelors’s general studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.7% 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%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Aurora University. The school came in at #4 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Studies Major in Illinois. Aurora, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s general studies degrees to 21 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northeastern Illinois University. The school came in at #5 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Studies Major in Illinois. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this medium-sized public school awarded 15 degrees to qualified bachelors’s general studies students in 2020-2021.
Read full report on General Studies at Northeastern Illinois University
With a ranking of #6, Quincy University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Studies Major in Illinois list. Quincy U is located in Quincy, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 2 bachelors’s general studies degrees to qualified students.
Lincoln College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Studies Major in Illinois ranking. Lincoln, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s general studies degrees to 1 students in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #8, Columbia College Chicago did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Studies Major in Illinois list. Columbia is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on General Studies at Columbia College Chicago
Lewis University landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Studies Major in Illinois ranking. Romeoville, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s general studies degrees to 2 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.0% 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%.
Olivet Nazarene University landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Studies Major in Illinois ranking. This small school is located in Bourbonnais, Illinois, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s general studies degrees in 2020-2021.
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%.
Read full report on General Studies at Olivet Nazarene University
Concordia University, Chicago came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Studies Major in Illinois ranking. Concordia University, Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in River Forest, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 0 bachelors’s degrees 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 General Studies at Concordia University, Chicago
Northwestern University ranked #11 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Studies Major in Illinois list. Northwestern is a large school located in Evanston, Illinois that handed out 0 bachelors’s general studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, 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 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Studies Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #11. Champaign, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s general studies degrees to 0 students 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign General Studies Report
Illinois Institute of Technology did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Studies Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #11. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 0 degrees to qualified bachelors’s general studies students in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.9% 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%. 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.
Loyola University Chicago ranked #11 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Studies Major in Illinois list. Loyola Chicago is a fairly large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 0 bachelors’s general studies 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
Roosevelt University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Studies Major in Illinois ranking. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s general studies degrees to 0 students in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #11, University of Illinois at Chicago did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Studies Major in Illinois list. University of Illinois at Chicago is a large public school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 0 bachelors’s general studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
North Central College came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on General Studies Major in Illinois ranking. North Central College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Naperville, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 0 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
