by our College Data Analytics Team
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Schools Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in Illinois” ranking.
Social Sciences is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 5th of all the majors we analyze. In 2020-2021, 205,984 degrees were awarded to students with this major. 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.
This year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in Illinois” ranking looked at 47 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
The social sciences 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 “Schools Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in Illinois”.
We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons 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.
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in Illinois”.
Out of the 47 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Lake Forest College landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Lake Forest, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 85 degrees to qualified ’s social sciences students 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%.
Out of the 47 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Chicago landed the #2 spot on the list. University of Chicago is a fairly large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 1,278 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 100%, 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 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Out of the 47 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Knox College landed the #3 spot on the list. Galesburg, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s social sciences degrees to 53 students in 2020-2021.
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%. 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.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Principia College. The school came in at #3 for the Schools Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in Illinois. Principia is located in Elsah, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 17 ’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.
Out of the 47 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Wheaton College Illinois landed the #5 spot on the list. This small school is located in Wheaton, Illinois, and it awarded 121 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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.
Illinois College landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in Illinois ranking. Jacksonville, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s social sciences degrees to 37 students in 2020-2021.
Monmouth College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #7. This small school is located in Monmouth, Illinois, and it awarded 28 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. 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.
Augustana College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #8. Located in Rock Island, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 84 degrees to qualified ’s social sciences students 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%.
Illinois Wesleyan University landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in Illinois ranking. Illinois Wesleyan University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Bloomington, Illinois. It awarded 35 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.
Dominican University ranked #10 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in Illinois list. Dominican U is a small school located in River Forest, Illinois that handed out 71 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. 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.
Northwestern University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #11. Located in Evanston, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 663 diplomas to qualified ’s social sciences students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% 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%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ranked #12 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in Illinois list. This large school is located in Champaign, Illinois, and it awarded 973 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Social Sciences at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
North Central College ranked #13 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in Illinois list. North Central is located in Naperville, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 49 ’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.
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%.
McKendree University ranked #14 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in Illinois list. Lebanon, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s social sciences degrees to 37 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #15, Loyola University Chicago did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in Illinois list. This fairly large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 281 ’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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Social Sciences at Loyola University Chicago
Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in Illinois ranking. Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a fairly large public school situated in Carbondale, Illinois. It awarded 160 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Social Sciences at Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Northern Illinois University ranked #17 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in Illinois list. Located in Dekalb, Illinois, this fairly large public school awarded 208 diplomas to qualified ’s social sciences students in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Social Sciences at Northern Illinois University
Eastern Illinois University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in Illinois ranking. Charleston, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s social sciences degrees to 87 students in 2020-2021.
University of Illinois at Springfield came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in Illinois ranking. Springfield, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s social sciences degrees to 48 students 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%.
Full University of Illinois at Springfield Social Sciences Report
DePaul University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #20. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s social sciences degrees to 278 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Chicago State University landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in Illinois ranking. CSU is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 21 ’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.
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.
Illinois State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #22. Illinois State University is a public institution located in Normal, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 236 ’s degrees 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%.
Northeastern Illinois University landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in Illinois ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 73 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Social Sciences at Northeastern Illinois University
University of Illinois at Chicago ranked #24 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in Illinois list. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 349 ’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%.
Read more about Social Sciences at University of Illinois at Chicago
With a ranking of #25, Rockford University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Social Sciences Major in Illinois list. This small school is located in Rockford, Illinois, and it awarded 13 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
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.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
