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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts (Income $30-$48k) in Illinois

14 Ranked Colleges
699 Degrees Awarded
$13,300 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor's in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. 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 Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

Liberal Arts is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 2nd of all the majors we analyze. In 2019-2020, 365,980 degrees were awarded to students with this major.

Across Illinois, there were 23,860 liberal arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 699 liberal arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,319 and $24,183 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking looked at 14 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in liberal arts. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality liberal arts programs that also have a lower cost than 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 liberal arts program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Liberal Arts Schools

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 Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” list to help you make the college decision.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k.

Top 14 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts (Income $30-$48k) in Illinois

#1

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
#1 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Chicago. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k. University of Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 12 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.

UChicago also made our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #1. The yearly cost to attend UChicago is $2,800 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

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. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read more about Liberal Arts at UChicago

#7 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 #2 for the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k. Springfield, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to 15 students in 2019-2020.

UIS also took the #7 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Illinois at Springfield is $8,323 for illinois bachelor’s degree liberal studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on Liberal Arts at University of Illinois at Springfield

#3

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, Illinois
#4 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Eastern Illinois University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k. Located in Charleston, Illinois, this medium-sized public school handed out 123 degrees to qualified bachelors’s liberal studies students in 2019-2020.

EIU also made our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #4. The estimated yearly cost for EIU is $11,316 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Liberal Arts at Eastern Illinois University

#4

Governors State University

University Park, Illinois
#8 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Governors State University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k. Located in University Park, Illinois, this small public school handed out 108 degrees to qualified bachelors’s liberal studies students in 2019-2020.

GSU also took the #8 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $12,046 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend GSU.

Full Governors State University Liberal Arts Report

#5

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois
#3 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Western Illinois University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k. Macomb, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to 10 students in 2019-2020.

WIU also took the #3 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for WIU is $14,526 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on Liberal Arts at Western Illinois University

#6

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois
#5 in overall quality

Northern Illinois University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #6. NIU is a public institution located in Dekalb, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 61 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at NIU, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $15,861 for illinois bachelor’s degree liberal studies students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Northern Illinois University.

Read full report on Liberal Arts at Northern Illinois University

#7

University of St Francis

Joliet, Illinois
#6 in overall quality

University of St Francis came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. University of Saint Francis is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Joliet, Illinois. It awarded 5 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.

University of Saint Francis also made our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #6. The estimated yearly cost for University of St Francis is $11,229 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Liberal Arts at University of St Francis

#8

Saint Xavier University

Chicago, Illinois
#12 in overall quality

Saint Xavier University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #8. This small school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 24 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.

SXU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Saint Xavier University is $11,962 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Liberal Arts at SXU

#9

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois
#2 in overall quality

Illinois State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #9. Normal, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to 44 students in 2019-2020.

Illinois State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Illinois State University is $14,999 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 more about Liberal Arts at Illinois State University

#11 in overall quality

Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. SIUC is a fairly large school located in Carbondale, Illinois that handed out 54 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.

SIUC also made our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #11. The estimated yearly cost for SIUC is $14,306 for illinois bachelor’s degree liberal studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full Southern Illinois University Carbondale Liberal Arts Report

#10 in overall quality

Northeastern Illinois University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Northeastern Illinois University is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 139 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to qualified students.

Northeastern Illinois University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Northeastern Illinois University is $15,513 for illinois bachelor’s degree liberal studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Liberal Arts at Northeastern Illinois University

#12

Chicago State University

Chicago, Illinois
#14 in overall quality

Chicago State University landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to 21 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree liberal studies students whose families make $30-$48k list, CSU has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Chicago State University is $11,844 for illinois bachelor’s degree liberal studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on Liberal Arts at CSU

#13

Lincoln College

Lincoln, Illinois
#13 in overall quality

Lincoln College ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. This small school is located in Lincoln, Illinois, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Lincoln College did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $21,395 for illinois bachelor’s degree liberal studies students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Lincoln College.

Full Lincoln College Liberal Arts Report

#14

North Central College

Naperville, Illinois
#9 in overall quality

North Central College landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. North Central is a private not-for-profit institution located in Naperville, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 4 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

North Central also took the #9 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $20,128 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend North Central.

The 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 more about Liberal Arts at North Central College

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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