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

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

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 master’s degree level specifically, there were 206 liberal arts general studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $57,267 and $46,814 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 5 colleges that offer a degree in liberal arts general studies. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality liberal arts general studies 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 general studies program at the school. 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 Arts Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to 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 Arts Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k

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

Top 5 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies (Income $30-$48k) in Illinois

#1

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

#1 in overall quality

$61,548 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$36,848 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Chicago. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. This fairly large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 147 masters’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree liberal arts students whose families make $30-$48k list, UChicago has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Chicago are $61,548.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at University of Chicago

#2

University of Illinois at Springfield

Springfield, Illinois

#4 in overall quality

$16,757 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

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 Arts Schools for a Master’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 masters’s liberal arts degrees to 3 students in 2019-2020.

UIS not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at UIS are $16,757, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

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

#3

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois

$11,996 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$34,045 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Western Illinois University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k. Located in Macomb, Illinois, this medium-sized public school handed out 1 diplomas to qualified masters’s liberal arts students in 2019-2020.

WIU also took the #0 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Western Illinois University are $11,996.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at WIU

#4

North Central College

Naperville, Illinois

#3 in overall quality

$15,822 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$40,697 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend North Central College. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. Naperville, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s liberal arts degrees to 30 students in 2019-2020.

North Central not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at North Central College are $15,822, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at North Central College

#5

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois

#2 in overall quality

$19,760 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$63,005 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend DePaul University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. DePaul University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 19 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

DePaul also made our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #2. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at DePaul are $19,760.

Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at DePaul

• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies (Income $30-$48k) in the Great Lakes Region
• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies (Income $30-$48k)

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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