2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking.
Liberal Arts General Studies is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 1st of all the majors we analyze. In 2019-2020, 559,661 degrees were awarded to students with this major. In 2017-2018, liberal arts general studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $26,786 and had an average of $16,538 in loans still to pay off.
Across Illinois, there were 27,169 liberal arts general studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $26,138 and $14,095 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,158 liberal arts general studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,319 and $24,183 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 15 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in liberal arts general studies. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent liberal arts general studies 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 general studies 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.
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More Ways to Rank Liberal Arts General Studies Schools
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 Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
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Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k
The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
Top 15 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois
Out of the 15 schools in the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Chicago landed the #1 spot on the list. University of Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 19 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UChicago, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Chicago is $2,712 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student-to-faculty ratio of 5 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 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%.
Full University of Chicago Liberal Arts General Studies Report
Out of the 15 schools in the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Governors State University landed the #2 spot on the list. University Park, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to 108 students in 2019-2020.
GSU also made our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #9. It costs about $10,872 for illinois bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend GSU.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northern Illinois University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. Northern Illinois University is located in Dekalb, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 61 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.
NIU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $15,281 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend NIU.
Full Northern Illinois University Liberal Arts General Studies Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Eastern Illinois University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. Eastern Illinois University is a public institution located in Charleston, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 123 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k list, EIU has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for EIU is $12,350 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. Located in Macomb, Illinois, this medium-sized public school awarded 169 degrees to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts students in 2019-2020.
WIU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Western Illinois University is $13,942 for illinois bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
University of Illinois at Springfield came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Illinois at Springfield is a public institution located in Springfield, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 15 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k list, UIS has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UIS is $9,771 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
Illinois State University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Normal, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to 144 students in 2019-2020.
Illinois State also made our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #3. The yearly cost to attend Illinois State University is $14,470 for illinois bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 Liberal Arts General Studies at Illinois State
With a ranking of #8, Saint Xavier University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to 24 students in 2019-2020.
SXU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend SXU is $11,266 for illinois bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
Full Saint Xavier University Liberal Arts General Studies Report
Southern Illinois University Carbondale ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. SIUC is a fairly large public school situated in Carbondale, Illinois. It awarded 54 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
SIUC also made our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #12. It costs about $13,658 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend SIUC.
University of St Francis came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Saint Francis is a small school located in Joliet, Illinois that handed out 5 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
University of Saint Francis also made our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #7. The yearly cost to attend University of Saint Francis is $15,847 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at University of St Francis
With a ranking of #11, Northeastern Illinois University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Northeastern Illinois University is a medium-sized school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 158 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
Northeastern Illinois University also took the #11 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Northeastern Illinois University is $14,816 for illinois bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Northeastern Illinois University
With a ranking of #12, Chicago State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. This small school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 36 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
CSU also made our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #15. The estimated yearly cost for CSU is $11,507 for illinois bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
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.
With a ranking of #13, Lincoln College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Lincoln College is a small school located in Lincoln, Illinois that handed out 10 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
Lincoln College not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Lincoln College is $20,845 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Lincoln College
North Central College came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Naperville, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 8 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k list, North Central has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $18,889 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students whose families make $0-$30k 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%.
DePaul University landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. DePaul is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 141 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
DePaul also took the #2 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for DePaul University is $26,173 for illinois bachelor’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%.
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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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