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2023 Most Popular Colleges for Geography in Illinois

16 Ranked Colleges
144 Degrees Awarded
$27,700 Avg Cost*
Most Well Attended Geography Major in Illinois

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual has developed its “Most Well Attended Geography Major in Illinois” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

Geography is the 159th most popular major in the country with 4,954 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.

Across Illinois, there were 144 geography graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

For this year’s “Most Well Attended Geography Major in Illinois” ranking, we looked at 16 colleges that offer a degree in geography. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have one of the most popular geography programs in the United States.

For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Most Well Attended Geography Major in Illinois” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

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Most Well Attended Geography Major in Illinois

The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Well Attended Geography Major in Illinois”.

1

Out of the 16 schools in the Most Well Attended Geography Major in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Illinois State University landed the #1 spot on the list. Illinois State University is a large public school situated in Normal, Illinois. It awarded 32 ’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Geography at Illinois State University

2

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. The school came in at #2 for the Most Well Attended Geography Major in Illinois. Located in Edwardsville, Illinois, this fairly large public school handed out 26 diplomas to qualified ’s geography students in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Geography at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

3

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The school came in at #3 for the Most Well Attended Geography Major in Illinois. This large school is located in Champaign, Illinois, and it awarded 13 ’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Geography Report

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northern Illinois University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Geography Major in Illinois list. NIU is located in Dekalb, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 12 ’s geography degrees to qualified students.

Full Northern Illinois University Geography Report

5
UChicago crest
University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Chicago. The school came in at #5 for the Most Well Attended Geography Major in Illinois. This fairly large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 11 ’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 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 1.0%, which is much lower than the national 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.

Full UChicago Geography Report

6
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, Illinois

DePaul University landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Geography Major in Illinois ranking. DePaul University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 10 ’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.7% 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%.

Read full report on Geography at DePaul University

6
Augustana crest
Augustana College
Rock Island, Illinois

Augustana College did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Geography Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #6. Augustana College is a small school located in Rock Island, Illinois that handed out 10 ’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Geography at Augustana College

8
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

Northwestern University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Geography Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #8. Northwestern is a private not-for-profit institution located in Evanston, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 8 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Full Northwestern Geography Report

9
EIU crest
Eastern Illinois University
Charleston, Illinois

Eastern Illinois University ranked #9 on this year’s Most Well Attended Geography Major in Illinois list. EIU is a medium-sized school located in Charleston, Illinois that handed out 7 ’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Geography at Eastern Illinois University

10
CSU crest
Chicago State University
Chicago, Illinois

Chicago State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Geography Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #10. Chicago State University is a public institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 3 ’s 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.

Full Chicago State University Geography Report

11

Northeastern Illinois University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Geography Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #11. Northeastern Illinois University is a medium-sized public school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 2 ’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Northeastern Illinois University Geography Report

11
Elmhurst crest
Elmhurst University
Elmhurst, Illinois

Elmhurst University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Geography Major in Illinois ranking. This small school is located in Elmhurst, Illinois, and it awarded 2 ’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Elmhurst Geography Report

13
Olivet Nazarene crest
Olivet Nazarene University
Bourbonnais, Illinois

With a ranking of #13, Olivet Nazarene University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Geography Major in Illinois list. Olivet Nazarene University is a small school located in Bourbonnais, Illinois that handed out 1 ’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.

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%.

Read full report on Geography at Olivet Nazarene

14
Concordia University, Chicago crest
Concordia University, Chicago
River Forest, Illinois

Concordia University, Chicago did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Geography Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #14. Concordia University, Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in River Forest, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 0 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Geography at Concordia University, Chicago

14

Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Geography Major in Illinois ranking. This fairly large school is located in Carbondale, Illinois, and it awarded 0 ’s geography degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Geography at Southern Illinois University Carbondale

14

University of Illinois at Chicago ranked #14 on this year’s Most Well Attended Geography Major in Illinois list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s geography degrees to 0 students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full UIC Geography Report

Notes and References

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