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2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid

14 Ranked Colleges
699 Degrees Awarded
$17,500 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor's in Illinois For Those Getting Aid

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 “Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” ranking - to help you make that decision.

With 365,980 degrees handed out in 2019-2020, liberal arts is the 2nd most popular major in the United States.

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 Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 14 colleges that offered a degree in liberal arts. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent liberal arts programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the liberal arts program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid.

Top 14 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts in Illinois (With Aid)

#1

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 #1 for the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid. GSU is a public institution located in University Park, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 108 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

GSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $12,077 for illinois bachelor’s degree liberal studies students with aid per year to attend GSU.

Read more about Liberal Arts at Governors State University

#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 Getting Aid. UIS is located in Springfield, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 15 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to qualified students.

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 $12,477 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students with aid.

Full UIS Liberal Arts Report

#3

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, Illinois
#4 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Eastern Illinois University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Charleston, Illinois, this medium-sized public school handed out 123 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s liberal studies students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree liberal studies students with aid list, EIU has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend EIU is $14,607 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students with aid.

Read more about Liberal Arts at EIU

#4

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois
#3 in overall quality

Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Western Illinois University landed the #4 spot on the list. Western Illinois University is a medium-sized public school situated in Macomb, Illinois. It awarded 10 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at WIU, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $16,210 for illinois bachelor’s degree liberal studies students with aid per year to attend WIU.

Read full report on Liberal Arts at Western Illinois University

#5

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois
#5 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northern Illinois University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Dekalb, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to 61 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree liberal studies students with aid list, NIU has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Northern Illinois University is $18,259 for illinois bachelor’s degree liberal studies students with aid.

Full Northern Illinois University Liberal Arts Report

#6

Chicago State University

Chicago, Illinois
#14 in overall quality

Chicago State University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. CSU is a public institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 21 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

CSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Chicago State University is $11,733 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students with aid.

The impressive 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.

Full CSU Liberal Arts Report

#7

Saint Xavier University

Chicago, Illinois
#12 in overall quality

Saint Xavier University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. This small school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 24 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree liberal studies students with aid list, SXU has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $14,528 for illinois bachelor’s degree liberal studies students with aid per year to attend SXU.

Read full report on Liberal Arts at SXU

#10 in overall quality

Northeastern Illinois University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to 139 students in 2019-2020.

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 yearly cost to attend Northeastern Illinois University is $15,843 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students with aid.

Read full report on Liberal Arts at Northeastern Illinois University

#9

University of St Francis

Joliet, Illinois
#6 in overall quality

University of St Francis landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of St Francis is a private not-for-profit institution located in Joliet, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 5 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

University of Saint Francis also took the #6 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of St Francis is $17,538 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Liberal Arts at University of St Francis

#11 in overall quality

Southern Illinois University Carbondale ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a fairly large school located in Carbondale, Illinois that handed out 54 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SIUC, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $16,945 for illinois bachelor’s degree liberal studies students with aid per year to attend SIUC.

Read more about Liberal Arts at Southern Illinois University Carbondale

#11

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 Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #11. Illinois State University is a public institution located in Normal, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 44 bachelors’s degrees 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 is $20,895 for illinois bachelor’s degree liberal studies students with aid.

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

#12

Lincoln College

Lincoln, Illinois
#13 in overall quality

With a ranking of #12, Lincoln College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Lincoln, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 9 degrees to qualified bachelors’s liberal studies students in 2019-2020.

Lincoln College not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Lincoln College is $21,797 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students with aid.

Read more about Liberal Arts at Lincoln College

#13

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
#1 in overall quality

University of Chicago came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Chicago is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 12 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to qualified students.

UChicago also made our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #1. It costs about $27,315 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students with aid per year to attend University of Chicago.

The low student loan default rate of 0.6% 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%. 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.

Read full report on Liberal Arts at University of Chicago

#14

North Central College

Naperville, Illinois
#9 in overall quality

North Central College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #14. North Central is located in Naperville, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 4 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to qualified students.

North Central did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for North Central College is $24,786 for illinois bachelor’s degree liberal studies students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Liberal Arts at North Central

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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