2024 Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in Illinois

Liberal Arts General Studies is of the hottest associate degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #1 most popular major in the country. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

College Factual reviewed 42 schools in Illinois to determine which ones were the best for associate degree seekers in the field of liberal arts general studies. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 16,943 associate degrees in liberal arts general studies during the 2020-2021 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

• Best Associate Degree Schools List

Choosing a Great Liberal Arts General Studies School for Your Associate Degree

The liberal arts associate degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality liberal arts program can vary widely even among the top schools. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.

A Great Overall School

The overall quality of a associate degree school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.

Early-Career Earnings

Average early-career salary of those graduating with their associate degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. That is, everyone wants their associate degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.

Other Factors We Consider

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

• Major Focus - How much a school focuses on liberal arts general studies students vs. other majors.
• Major Demand - The number of liberal arts general studies students who choose to seek a associate degree at the school.
• Educational Resources - The amount of money and other resources allocated to students while they are pursuing their degree. These resources include such things as number of students per instructor and education expenditures per student.
• Student Debt - How easy is it for liberal arts general studies to pay back their student loans after receiving their associate degree.
• Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized liberal arts general studies related body.

Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for liberal arts general studies students working on their associate degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in Illinois list to help you make the college decision.

Best Schools for Associate Students to Study Liberal Arts General Studies in Illinois

Explore the top ranked colleges and universities for liberal arts general studies students seeking a an associate degree.

10 Top Illinois Schools for an Associate in Liberal Arts

1

College of Lake County
Grayslake, IL

821 Annual Graduates

$27,907 Median Starting Salary

$6,687 Median Student Debt

College of Lake County is one of the best schools in the country for getting an associate degree in liberal arts general studies. College of Lake County is a fairly large public college located in the suburb of Grayslake.

Associate recipients from the liberal arts general studies program at College of Lake County make $4,342 more than the standard graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a associate in liberal arts general studies from College of Lake County

2

William Rainey Harper College
Palatine, IL

1,047 Annual Graduates

$26,090 Median Starting Salary

$7,500 Median Student Debt

Any student pursuing a degree in an associate degree in liberal arts general studies needs to check out William Rainey Harper College. Harper College is a large public college located in the large suburb of Palatine.

Those liberal arts general studies students who get their associate degree from William Rainey Harper College earn $2,525 more than the standard liberal arts student.

More information about a associate in liberal arts general studies from William Rainey Harper College

3

City Colleges of Chicago - Harold Washington College
Chicago, IL

975 Annual Graduates

$26,255 Median Starting Salary

$8,100 Median Student Debt

City Colleges of Chicago - Harold Washington College is one of the best schools in the country for getting an associate degree in liberal arts general studies. Located in the large city of Chicago, Harold Washington College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

Liberal Arts General Studies associate degree recipients from City Colleges of Chicago - Harold Washington College earn a boost of around $2,690 over the typical earnings of liberal arts general studies majors.

More information about a associate in liberal arts general studies from City Colleges of Chicago - Harold Washington College

4

Elgin Community College
Elgin, IL

639 Annual Graduates

$26,806 Median Starting Salary

$8,380 Median Student Debt

Elgin Community College is a great decision for individuals interested in an associate degree in liberal arts general studies. Located in the city of Elgin, ECC is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

Liberal Arts General Studies associate degree recipients from Elgin Community College receive an earnings boost of approximately $3,241 above the average earnings of liberal arts general studies majors.

More information about a associate in liberal arts general studies from Elgin Community College

5

Waubonsee Community College
Sugar Grove, IL

499 Annual Graduates

$22,597 Median Starting Salary

$7,250 Median Student Debt

Located in the rural area of Sugar Grove, Waubonsee is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

Students who graduate with their associate from the liberal arts program state that they receive average early career income of $22,597.

More information about a associate in liberal arts general studies from Waubonsee Community College

6

City Colleges of Chicago - Olive-Harvey College
Chicago, IL

95 Annual Graduates

$24,892 Median Starting Salary

$9,500 Median Student Debt

Located in the large city of Chicago, Olive-Harvey College is a public college with a small student population.

After graduation, liberal arts associate recipients typically earn about $24,892 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a associate in liberal arts general studies from City Colleges of Chicago - Olive-Harvey College

7

McHenry County College
Crystal Lake, IL

423 Annual Graduates

$28,164 Median Starting Salary

$7,500 Median Student Debt

MCC is a moderately-sized public college located in the rural area of Crystal Lake.

Those liberal arts general studies students who get their associate degree from McHenry County College make $4,599 more than the typical liberal arts student.

More information about a associate in liberal arts general studies from McHenry County College

8

College of DuPage
Glen Ellyn, IL

962 Annual Graduates

$24,970 Median Starting Salary

$9,500 Median Student Debt

COD is a fairly large public college located in the large suburb of Glen Ellyn.

After graduation, liberal arts associate recipients generally make about $24,970 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a associate in liberal arts general studies from College of DuPage

9

City Colleges of Chicago - Wilbur Wright College
Chicago, IL

622 Annual Graduates

$26,216 Median Starting Salary

$6,550 Median Student Debt

Wilbur Wright College is a medium-sized public college located in the large city of Chicago.

Those liberal arts general studies students who get their associate degree from City Colleges of Chicago - Wilbur Wright College make $2,651 more than the typical liberal arts grad.

More information about a associate in liberal arts general studies from City Colleges of Chicago - Wilbur Wright College

10

Oakton Community College
Des Plaines, IL

519 Annual Graduates

$20,570 Median Starting Salary

$5,500 Median Student Debt

Oakton Community College is a moderately-sized public college located in the small city of Des Plaines.

Students who graduate with their associate from the liberal arts program report average early career earnings of $20,570.

More information about a associate in liberal arts general studies from Oakton Community College

Best Liberal Arts General Studies Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Liberal Arts General Studies Colleges in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State	Colleges	Degrees Awarded
Ohio	196	10,529
Michigan	192	9,094
Indiana	123	2,317
Wisconsin	114	2,087

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Rankings in Majors Related to Liberal Arts

One of 0 majors within the Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities area of study, Liberal Arts General Studies has other similar majors worth exploring.

Liberal Arts Focus Areas

Major	Annual Graduates
Liberal Arts	14,293
General Studies	2,650

Notes and References

• The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
• 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 the rest 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). More about our data sources and methodologies.