2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois
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 Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
In 2019-2020, 559,661 liberal arts general studies students received their degree, making the major the 1st most popular in the country. 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.
For this year’s “Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois” ranking, we looked at 15 colleges that offer a degree in liberal arts general studies. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great liberal arts general studies programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the liberal arts general studies program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois
The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois bachelor’s degree liberal arts students.
Top 15 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies in Illinois
Out of the 15 schools in the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Illinois State University landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Normal, Illinois, this large public school handed out 144 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts students in 2019-2020.
Illinois State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Illinois State is $20,895 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Illinois State
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Western Illinois University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Western Illinois University is located in Macomb, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 169 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree liberal arts students list, WIU has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $16,210 for illinois bachelor’s degree liberal arts students per year to attend Western Illinois University.
Out of the 15 schools in the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Eastern Illinois University landed the #3 spot on the list. This medium-sized school is located in Charleston, Illinois, and it awarded 123 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
EIU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Eastern Illinois University is $14,607 for illinois bachelor’s degree liberal arts students.
Out of the 15 schools in the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Governors State University landed the #4 spot on the list. Governors State University 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 also took the #9 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Governors State University is $12,077 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Springfield. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois. Springfield, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to 15 students in 2019-2020.
UIS also took the #8 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Springfield is $12,477 for illinois bachelor’s degree liberal arts students.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at University of Illinois at Springfield
Northern Illinois University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking, coming in at #6. Dekalb, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to 61 students in 2019-2020.
NIU also took the #6 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend NIU is $18,259 for illinois bachelor’s degree liberal arts students.
Northeastern Illinois University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. Northeastern Illinois University is a medium-sized public school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 158 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
Northeastern Illinois University also made our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #11. The estimated yearly cost for Northeastern Illinois University is $15,843 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students.
Full Northeastern Illinois University Liberal Arts General Studies Report
Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. Located in Carbondale, Illinois, this fairly large public school handed out 54 degrees to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts students in 2019-2020.
SIUC also took the #12 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for SIUC is $16,945 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students.
Read more about Liberal Arts General Studies at Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Lincoln College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking, coming in at #9. Lincoln College is located in Lincoln, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 10 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.
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 $21,797 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Lincoln College
With a ranking of #10, Chicago State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. CSU is a small public school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 36 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
CSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend CSU is $11,733 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students.
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 General Studies at Chicago State University
With a ranking of #11, University of St Francis did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. University of Saint Francis is located in Joliet, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 5 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.
University of Saint Francis not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $17,538 for illinois bachelor’s degree liberal arts students per year to attend University of St Francis.
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 General Studies at University of St Francis
With a ranking of #12, Saint Xavier University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 24 degrees to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts students in 2019-2020.
SXU also took the #13 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Saint Xavier University is $14,528 for illinois bachelor’s degree liberal arts students.
Full Saint Xavier University Liberal Arts General Studies Report
DePaul University landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. DePaul is a large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 141 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2019-2020.
DePaul not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $30,090 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students per year to attend DePaul.
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%.
North Central College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking, coming in at #14. Naperville, 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 8 students in 2019-2020.
North Central also made our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #10. The estimated yearly cost for North Central College is $24,786 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts students.
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 full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at North Central
University of Chicago came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. UChicago is a fairly large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 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 UChicago is $27,315 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts 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 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.
Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at University of Chicago
- Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies in the Great Lakes Region
- Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts General Studies
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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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