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2024 Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools in Illinois

52 Colleges in Illinois
25,747 Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Degrees Awarded
$27,957 Avg Early-Career Salary
Ranked #3 in popularity, liberal arts / sciences & humanities is one of the most sought-after degree programs in the nation. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.

College Factual looked at 52 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools in Illinois ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 25,747 degrees in liberal arts / sciences & humanities during the 2020-2021 academic year.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities School

Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools in Illinois The liberal arts / sciences & humanities program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities rankings. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for liberal arts / sciences & humanities schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Pick Your Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities
Bachelor's Degrees in Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities
Master's Degrees in Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools in Illinois ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools 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.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.


 

Best Schools for Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities in Illinois

Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the liberal arts / sciences & humanities degree levels they offer.

10 Top Illinois Schools in Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities

1
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
157 Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Degrees Awarded
$38,069 Median Starting Salary

Any student pursuing a degree in liberal arts / sciences & humanities needs to check out University of Chicago. UChicago is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Chicago. A Best Colleges rank of #2 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UChicago is a great university overall.

There were approximately 157 liberal arts / sciences & humanities students who graduated with this degree at UChicago in the most recent year we have data available. Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities degree recipients from University of Chicago receive an earnings boost of around $10,111 above the typical income of liberal arts / sciences & humanities majors.

More information about a degree in liberal arts / sciences & humanities from University of Chicago

2
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, IL
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
126 Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Degrees Awarded
$56,709 Median Starting Salary

DePaul University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in liberal arts / sciences & humanities. DePaul is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Chicago. A Best Colleges rank of #203 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means DePaul is a great university overall.

There were approximately 126 liberal arts / sciences & humanities students who graduated with this degree at DePaul in the most recent year we have data available. Those liberal arts / sciences & humanities students who get their degree from DePaul University receive $28,751 more than the average liberal arts / sciences & humanities student.

More information about a degree in liberal arts / sciences & humanities from DePaul University

3
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
1,475 Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Degrees Awarded
$27,907 Median Starting Salary

College of Lake County is a good option for students pursuing a degree in liberal arts / sciences & humanities. Located in the suburb of Grayslake, College of Lake County is a public college with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #247 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means College of Lake County is a great college overall.

There were approximately 1475 liberal arts / sciences & humanities students who graduated with this degree at College of Lake County in the most recent data year. After graduation, liberal arts / sciences & humanities degree recipients generally earn around $27,907 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in liberal arts / sciences & humanities from College of Lake County

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
169 Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Degrees Awarded
$36,956 Median Starting Salary

Western Illinois University is a wonderful decision for students interested in a degree in liberal arts / sciences & humanities. Located in the town of Macomb, WIU is a public university with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #880 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means WIU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 169 liberal arts / sciences & humanities students who graduated with this degree at WIU in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the liberal arts / sciences & humanities major at Western Illinois University get $8,999 above the average college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in liberal arts / sciences & humanities from Western Illinois University

5
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
1,873 Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Degrees Awarded
6.7% Growth in Graduates

Located in the suburb of Palatine, Harper College is a public college with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #512 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Harper College is a great college overall.

There were about 1873 liberal arts / sciences & humanities students who graduated with this degree at Harper College in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the liberal arts / sciences & humanities program make about $26,090 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in liberal arts / sciences & humanities from William Rainey Harper College

6
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
1,599 Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Degrees Awarded
3.6% Growth in Graduates

Harold Washington College is a medium-sized public college located in the city of Chicago. A Best Colleges rank of #761 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Harold Washington College is a great college overall.

There were roughly 1599 liberal arts / sciences & humanities students who graduated with this degree at Harold Washington College in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduating, liberal arts / sciences & humanities degree recipients generally earn around $26,255 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in liberal arts / sciences & humanities from City Colleges of Chicago - Harold Washington College

7
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
126 Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Degrees Awarded
$32,380 Median Starting Salary

Illinois State is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized suburb of Normal. A Best Colleges rank of #231 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Illinois State is a great university overall.

There were approximately 126 liberal arts / sciences & humanities students who graduated with this degree at Illinois State in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the liberal arts / sciences & humanities major at Illinois State University get $4,423 above the standard college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in liberal arts / sciences & humanities from Illinois State University

8
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
931 Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Degrees Awarded
$26,806 Median Starting Salary

ECC is a medium-sized public college located in the medium-sized city of Elgin. A Best Colleges rank of #666 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means ECC is a great college overall.

There were approximately 931 liberal arts / sciences & humanities students who graduated with this degree at ECC in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the liberal arts / sciences & humanities program state that they receive average early career wages of $26,806.

More information about a degree in liberal arts / sciences & humanities from Elgin Community College

9
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
505 Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Degrees Awarded
$22,597 Median Starting Salary

Waubonsee is a medium-sized public college located in the rural area of Sugar Grove. This college ranks 45th out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were about 505 liberal arts / sciences & humanities students who graduated with this degree at Waubonsee in the most recent data year. After graduating, liberal arts / sciences & humanities degree recipients usually earn around $22,597 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in liberal arts / sciences & humanities from Waubonsee Community College

10
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
170 Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Degrees Awarded
$24,892 Median Starting Salary

Olive-Harvey College is a small public college located in the city of Chicago. A Best Colleges rank of #679 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Olive-Harvey College is a great college overall.

There were approximately 170 liberal arts / sciences & humanities students who graduated with this degree at Olive-Harvey College in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, liberal arts / sciences & humanities degree recipients usually make about $24,892 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in liberal arts / sciences & humanities from City Colleges of Chicago - Olive-Harvey College

Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Indiana 38 3,773
Michigan 38 9,705
Ohio 38 11,432
Wisconsin 37 2,375

View All Rankings >

Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Liberal Arts General Studies 25,747

View All Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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