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2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

15 Ranked Colleges
826 Degrees Awarded
$17,700 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor's in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking.

Fine Arts is the 67th most popular major in the country with 12,032 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

Across Illinois, there were 1,068 fine arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 826 fine arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,319 and $24,183 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 15 colleges that offer a degree in fine arts. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great fine arts programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the fine arts program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Fine Arts Schools

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 “Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college 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.

Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois bachelor’s degree fine arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 15 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Fine Arts (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois

#2 in overall quality

Out of the 15 schools in the Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #1 spot on the list. Champaign, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s fine arts degrees to 1 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIUC, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Fine Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $5,477 for illinois bachelor’s degree fine arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Fine Arts at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

#5 in overall quality

Out of the 15 schools in the Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville landed the #2 spot on the list. SIUE is a fairly large public school situated in Edwardsville, Illinois. It awarded 16 bachelors’s fine arts degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SIUE, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Fine Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend SIUE is $8,055 for illinois bachelor’s degree fine arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Fine Arts at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

#3

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois
#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Illinois State University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Illinois State is a large public school situated in Normal, Illinois. It awarded 6 bachelors’s fine arts degrees in 2019-2020.

Illinois State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Fine Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Illinois State is $14,470 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low 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%.

Read more about Fine Arts at Illinois State

#4

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois
#4 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northern Illinois University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. NIU is a fairly large public school situated in Dekalb, Illinois. It awarded 48 bachelors’s fine arts degrees in 2019-2020.

NIU also made our “Best Fine Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #4. The yearly cost to attend NIU is $15,281 for illinois bachelor’s degree fine arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Northern Illinois University Fine Arts Report

#6 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Chicago. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Illinois at Chicago is a large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 25 bachelors’s fine arts degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree fine arts students whose families make $0-$30k list, UIC has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Fine Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UIC is $10,648 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full UIC Fine Arts Report

#9 in overall quality

Southern Illinois University Carbondale came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Carbondale, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s fine arts degrees to 37 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree fine arts students whose families make $0-$30k list, SIUC has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Fine Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $13,658 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

Read more about Fine Arts at SIUC

#7

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois
#10 in overall quality

Western Illinois University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Macomb, Illinois, this medium-sized public school handed out 4 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s fine arts students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree fine arts students whose families make $0-$30k list, WIU has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Fine Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for WIU is $13,942 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Fine Arts at Western Illinois University

#8

Millikin University

Decatur, Illinois
#11 in overall quality

Millikin University landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Millikin is a small school located in Decatur, Illinois that handed out 8 bachelors’s fine arts degrees in 2019-2020.

Millikin not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Fine Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Millikin is $17,656 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

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

Read more about Fine Arts at Millikin University

#9

Bradley University

Peoria, Illinois
#7 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, Bradley University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Peoria, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s fine arts degrees to 7 students in 2019-2020.

Bradley did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Fine Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Bradley University is $17,205 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Fine Arts at Bradley University

#10

Augustana College

Rock Island, Illinois
#12 in overall quality

With a ranking of #10, Augustana College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Augustana College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Rock Island, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 5 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Augustana also took the #12 spot in our “Best Fine Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Augustana is $20,355 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Fine Arts at Augustana College

#11

Knox College

Galesburg, Illinois
#15 in overall quality

Knox College came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Knox is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Galesburg, Illinois. It awarded 9 bachelors’s fine arts degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree fine arts students whose families make $0-$30k list, Knox has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Fine Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $16,828 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Knox.

The 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. The low student loan default rate of 4.8% 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 Knox Fine Arts Report

#12

Dominican University

River Forest, Illinois
#14 in overall quality

Dominican University landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Dominican University is located in River Forest, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1 bachelors’s fine arts degrees to qualified students.

Dominican U also made our “Best Fine Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #14. The estimated yearly cost for Dominican U is $17,060 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

The impressive 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 Fine Arts at Dominican U

#13

Columbia College Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
#13 in overall quality

Columbia College Chicago came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s fine arts degrees to 11 students in 2019-2020.

Columbia not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Fine Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $27,120 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Columbia College Chicago.

Read full report on Fine Arts at Columbia College Chicago

#14

Loyola University Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
#8 in overall quality

With a ranking of #14, Loyola University Chicago did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k 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 10 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Loyola Chicago did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Fine Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $29,440 for illinois bachelor’s degree fine arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Loyola Chicago.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Fine Arts at Loyola University Chicago

#3 in overall quality

School of the Art Institute of Chicago landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. School of the Art Institute of Chicago is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 617 bachelors’s fine arts degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree fine arts students whose families make $0-$30k list, School of the Art Institute of Chicago has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Fine Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend School of the Art Institute of Chicago is $38,617 for illinois bachelor’s degree fine arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full School of the Art Institute of Chicago Fine Arts Report

Notes and References

References

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

Credits

  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Jorge Royan.

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