by our College Data Analytics Team
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Schools Highly Focused on International Studies Major in Illinois” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
In 2020-2021, 7,368 people earned their degree in international studies, making the major the 100th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, international studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $34,198 and had an average of $21,594 in loans still to pay off.
Across Illinois, there were 121 international studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $21,500 respectively.
For this year’s “Schools Highly Focused on International Studies Major in Illinois” ranking, we looked at 18 colleges that offer a degree in international studies. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their international studies program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Schools Highly Focused on International Studies Major in Illinois” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important 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.
The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois international studies students.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Principia College. The school came in at #1 for the Schools Highly Focused on International Studies Major in Illinois. Elsah, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s international studies degrees to 7 students in 2020-2021.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Monmouth College. The school came in at #2 for the Schools Highly Focused on International Studies Major in Illinois. Monmouth College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Monmouth, Illinois. It awarded 5 ’s international studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on International Studies at Monmouth College
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Illinois Wesleyan University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on International Studies Major in Illinois list. This small school is located in Bloomington, Illinois, and it awarded 7 ’s international studies degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 18 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on International Studies Major in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, North Central College landed the #4 spot on the list. Naperville, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s international studies degrees to 9 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Illinois College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on International Studies Major in Illinois list. Illinois College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Jacksonville, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 2 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on International Studies Major in Illinois ranking. Located in Edwardsville, Illinois, this fairly large public school awarded 16 degrees to qualified ’s international studies students in 2020-2021.
Read more about International Studies at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Northeastern Illinois University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on International Studies Major in Illinois ranking. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s international studies degrees to 7 students in 2020-2021.
Full Northeastern Illinois University International Studies Report
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on International Studies Major in Illinois ranking. Champaign, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s international studies degrees to 54 students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read more about International Studies at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Knox College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on International Studies Major in Illinois ranking. Knox is located in Galesburg, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1 ’s international studies degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
With a ranking of #10, North Park University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on International Studies Major in Illinois list. North Park is a small school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 2 ’s international studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on International Studies at North Park University
University of Illinois at Springfield landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on International Studies Major in Illinois ranking. UIS is a public institution located in Springfield, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 2 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad 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 International Studies at University of Illinois at Springfield
McKendree University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on International Studies Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #12. McKendree is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Lebanon, Illinois. It awarded 1 ’s international studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about International Studies at McKendree University
With a ranking of #13, Benedictine University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on International Studies Major in Illinois list. Lisle, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s international studies degrees to 1 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about International Studies at Benedictine University
Illinois Institute of Technology did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on International Studies Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #14. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s international studies degrees to 1 students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Rockford University ranked #15 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on International Studies Major in Illinois list. Rockford University is a small school located in Rockford, Illinois that handed out 0 ’s international studies degrees in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read more about International Studies at Rockford University
Southern Illinois University Carbondale came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on International Studies Major in Illinois ranking. Carbondale, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s international studies degrees to 0 students in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #15, Loyola University Chicago did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on International Studies Major in Illinois list. Loyola University Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 0 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Chicago State University landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on International Studies Major in Illinois ranking. This small school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 0 ’s international studies degrees in 2020-2021.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
