2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities in Illinois (With Aid)

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2019-2020, 559,661 liberal arts / sciences and humanities students received their degree, making the major the 3rd most popular in the country. In 2017-2018, liberal arts / sciences and humanities 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 / sciences and humanities 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 / sciences and humanities graduates with average earnings and debt of $57,267 and $46,814 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 5 colleges that offered a degree in liberal arts / sciences and humanities. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality liberal arts / sciences and humanities 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 / sciences and humanities program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

The liberal arts / sciences & humanities school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid”.

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 when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois master’s degree liberal arts / sciences & humanities students with aid.

Top 5 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities in Illinois (With Aid)

#1

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 #1 for the Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid. Springfield, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees to 3 students in 2019-2020.

UIS also took the #4 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities 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 UIS are $16,757.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at University of Illinois at Springfield

#2

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois

$11,996 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Western Illinois University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid. Western Illinois University is located in Macomb, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1 masters’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at WIU, the school also landed the #0 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities 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 full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Western Illinois University

#3

North Central College

Naperville, Illinois

#3 in overall quality

$15,822 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend North Central College. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Naperville, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 30 degrees to qualified masters’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities students in 2019-2020.

North Central not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at North Central College are $15,822, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full North Central College Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Report

#4

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

#1 in overall quality

$61,548 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Chicago. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees to 147 students in 2019-2020.

UChicago did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Chicago are $61,548, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at University of Chicago

#5

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois

#2 in overall quality

$19,760 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, DePaul University landed the #5 spot on the list. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 19 masters’s liberal arts / sciences and humanities degrees in 2019-2020.

DePaul also made our “Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #2. Average graduate tuition and fees at DePaul are $19,760, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at DePaul University

• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities in the Great Lakes Region (With Aid)
• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities (With Aid)

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.

Credits

• Credit for the banner image above goes to Jacques Sablet (Switzerland, Morges, 1749-1803).

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