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2023 Most Focused Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Social Sciences in Illinois

46 Ranked Colleges
4,755 Degrees Awarded
$37,545 Avg Salary
Schools for a Bachelor's Highly Focused on Social Sciences 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 was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in Illinois” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2020-2021, 205,984 social sciences students received their degree, making the major the 5th most popular in the country. In 2019-2020, social sciences graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $36,262 and had an average of $23,306 in loans still to pay off.

Across Illinois, there were 5,877 social sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,297 and $24,092 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 4,755 social sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $40,117 and $25,584 respectively.

For this year’s “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in Illinois” ranking, we looked at 46 colleges that offer a degree in social sciences. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their social sciences program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.

For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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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 “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in Illinois” list to help you make the college decision.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in Illinois

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois bachelor’s degree social sciences students.

Top 25 Most Focused Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Social Sciences in Illinois

1
Lake Forest crest
Lake Forest College
Lake Forest, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Lake Forest College. The school came in at #1 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in Illinois. Lake Forest College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Lake Forest, Illinois. It awarded 85 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Social Sciences at Lake Forest College

2
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Knox College
Galesburg, Illinois

Out of the 46 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Knox College landed the #2 spot on the list. This small school is located in Galesburg, Illinois, and it awarded 53 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

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%. 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 full report on Social Sciences at Knox College

2
Principia crest
Principia College
Elsah, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Principia College. The school came in at #2 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in Illinois. Principia College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Elsah, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 17 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Social Sciences at Principia College

4
Wheaton College Illinois crest
Wheaton College Illinois
Wheaton, Illinois

Out of the 46 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Wheaton College Illinois landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Wheaton, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 121 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s social sciences students in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% 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%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Full Wheaton College Illinois Social Sciences Report

5
Illinois College crest
Illinois College
Jacksonville, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Illinois College. The school came in at #5 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in Illinois. This small school is located in Jacksonville, Illinois, and it awarded 37 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Social Sciences at Illinois College

6
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Monmouth College
Monmouth, Illinois

Monmouth College landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in Illinois ranking. Monmouth is located in Monmouth, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 28 bachelors’s social sciences 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%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 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 Social Sciences at Monmouth College

7
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University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

University of Chicago came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in Illinois ranking. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 726 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s social sciences students in 2020-2021.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full University of Chicago Social Sciences Report

8
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Augustana College
Rock Island, Illinois

Augustana College did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #8. Augustana College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Rock Island, Illinois. It awarded 84 bachelors’s social sciences 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 low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.5% 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%.

Full Augustana Social Sciences Report

9
Illinois Wesleyan crest
Illinois Wesleyan University
Bloomington, Illinois

With a ranking of #9, Illinois Wesleyan University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in Illinois list. Located in Bloomington, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 35 degrees to qualified bachelors’s social sciences students 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%.

Full Illinois Wesleyan University Social Sciences Report

10
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Dominican University
River Forest, Illinois

Dominican University landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in Illinois ranking. Dominican University is a private not-for-profit institution located in River Forest, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 71 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.4% 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%. 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 Social Sciences at Dominican University

11
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

Northwestern University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #11. This large school is located in Evanston, Illinois, and it awarded 570 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. 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%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read more about Social Sciences at Northwestern

12
North Central crest
North Central College
Naperville, Illinois

North Central College did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #12. North Central College is located in Naperville, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 49 bachelors’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.

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%.

Full North Central Social Sciences Report

13
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McKendree University
Lebanon, Illinois

McKendree University landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in Illinois ranking. This small school is located in Lebanon, Illinois, and it awarded 37 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.5% 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%.

Full McKendree Social Sciences Report

14

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #14. Champaign, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social sciences degrees to 819 students in 2020-2021.

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

Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Social Sciences Report

15
Loyola Chicago crest
Loyola University Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

Loyola University Chicago came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in Illinois ranking. Loyola Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 265 bachelors’s social sciences 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%.

Read full report on Social Sciences at Loyola Chicago

16

With a ranking of #16, Southern Illinois University Carbondale did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in Illinois list. Carbondale, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social sciences degrees to 142 students in 2020-2021.

Read more about Social Sciences at SIUC

17
Rockford crest
Rockford University
Rockford, Illinois

With a ranking of #17, Rockford University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in Illinois list. Rockford is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Rockford, Illinois. It awarded 13 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on Social Sciences at Rockford

18

With a ranking of #18, Northern Illinois University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in Illinois list. Located in Dekalb, Illinois, this fairly large public school awarded 174 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s social sciences students in 2020-2021.

Read more about Social Sciences at NIU

19
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, Illinois

DePaul University landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in Illinois ranking. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 234 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Social Sciences at DePaul

20

Northeastern Illinois University landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in Illinois ranking. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this medium-sized public school handed out 66 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s social sciences students in 2020-2021.

Full Northeastern Illinois University Social Sciences Report

21

University of Illinois at Chicago ranked #21 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in Illinois list. UIC is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 314 bachelors’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.5% 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 Social Sciences at UIC

22
CSU crest
Chicago State University
Chicago, Illinois

Chicago State University landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in Illinois ranking. Chicago State University is a small school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 18 bachelors’s social sciences 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.

Full Chicago State University Social Sciences Report

23
Illinois State crest
Illinois State University
Normal, Illinois

Illinois State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #23. Illinois State is located in Normal, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 204 bachelors’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Social Sciences at Illinois State

24
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Elmhurst University
Elmhurst, Illinois

Elmhurst University landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in Illinois ranking. This small school is located in Elmhurst, Illinois, and it awarded 35 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.2% 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 Social Sciences at Elmhurst

25
Bradley crest
Bradley University
Peoria, Illinois

Bradley University ranked #25 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in Illinois list. Bradley University is a medium-sized school located in Peoria, Illinois that handed out 56 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, 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 86%.

Full Bradley University Social Sciences Report

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References

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