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2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois

28 Ranked Colleges
1,321 Degrees Awarded
$21,900 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor's in Illinois

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois” ranking - to help you make that decision.

In 2019-2020, 39,860 people earned their degree in fine and studio arts, making the major the 29th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, fine and studio arts graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $23,847 and had an average of $28,316 in loans still to pay off.

Across Illinois, there were 1,685 fine and studio arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $22,071 and $29,661 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,321 fine and studio 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” ranking, we looked at 28 colleges that offer a degree in fine and studio arts. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality fine and studio arts programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the fine and studio arts program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Fine & Studio Arts Schools

The fine arts 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 “Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s 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. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois

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

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Fine & Studio Arts in Illinois

#1

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Illinois State University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois. Illinois State University is a large school located in Normal, Illinois that handed out 84 bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree fine arts students list, Illinois State has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $20,895 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students per year to attend Illinois State.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Fine & Studio Arts at Illinois State

Out of the 28 schools in the Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville landed the #2 spot on the list. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a public institution located in Edwardsville, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 35 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree fine arts students list, SIUE has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend SIUE is $14,423 for illinois bachelor’s degree fine arts students.

Read full report on Fine & Studio Arts at SIUE

#3

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Eastern Illinois University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois. Charleston, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees to 24 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree fine arts students list, EIU has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend EIU is $14,607 for illinois bachelor’s degree fine arts students.

Read more about Fine & Studio Arts at Eastern Illinois University

Out of the 28 schools in the Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Northeastern Illinois University landed the #4 spot on the list. Northeastern Illinois University is a public institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 24 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree fine arts students list, Northeastern Illinois University has also earned the #19 rank in our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Northeastern Illinois University is $15,843 for illinois bachelor’s degree fine arts students.

Read full report on Fine & Studio Arts at Northeastern Illinois University

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. This large school is located in Champaign, Illinois, and it awarded 36 bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees in 2019-2020.

UIUC also took the #5 spot in our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $15,880 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students per year to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 2.4% 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 & Studio Arts at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

#6

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

Northern Illinois University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. This fairly large school is located in Dekalb, Illinois, and it awarded 78 bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees in 2019-2020.

NIU also made our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #8. It costs about $18,259 for illinois bachelor’s degree fine arts students per year to attend Northern Illinois University.

Read full report on Fine & Studio Arts at NIU

#7

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois

Western Illinois University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking, coming in at #7. Western Illinois University is a public institution located in Macomb, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 21 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

WIU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #18 on our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $16,210 for illinois bachelor’s degree fine arts students per year to attend WIU.

Read full report on Fine & Studio Arts at Western Illinois University

Southern Illinois University Carbondale ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Located in Carbondale, Illinois, this fairly large public school awarded 37 degrees to qualified bachelors’s Fine Arts students in 2019-2020.

SIUC also took the #17 spot in our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $16,945 for illinois bachelor’s degree fine arts students per year to attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

Full SIUC Fine & Studio Arts Report

University of Illinois at Chicago came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. UIC is a large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 33 bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree fine arts students list, UIC has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UIC is $13,312 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts 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 & Studio Arts at UIC

#10

North Park University

Chicago, Illinois
#14 in overall quality

North Park University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees to 19 students in 2019-2020.

North Park not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend North Park University is $19,170 for illinois bachelor’s degree fine arts students.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full North Park University Fine & Studio Arts Report

#11

American Academy of Art

Chicago, Illinois

American Academy of Art ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. American Academy of Art is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 12 bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend The Academy is $28,106 for illinois bachelor’s degree fine arts students.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 7 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 & Studio Arts at The Academy

#12

Olivet Nazarene University

Bourbonnais, Illinois

Olivet Nazarene University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. Bourbonnais, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees to 23 students in 2019-2020.

Olivet Nazarene also took the #16 spot in our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Olivet Nazarene University is $20,195 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students.

The low student loan default rate of 3.4% 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%.

Full Olivet Nazarene University Fine & Studio Arts Report

#13

Wheaton College Illinois

Wheaton, Illinois

Wheaton College Illinois ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Wheaton College Illinois is a private not-for-profit institution located in Wheaton, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 15 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Wheaton College Illinois also took the #4 spot in our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Wheaton College Illinois is $25,358 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full Wheaton College Illinois Fine & Studio Arts Report

#14

Bradley University

Peoria, Illinois

Bradley University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking, coming in at #14. Bradley is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Peoria, Illinois. It awarded 10 bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree fine arts students list, Bradley has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Bradley University is $25,634 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Fine & Studio Arts at Bradley University

#14

Columbia College Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

Columbia College Chicago landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois 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 23 students in 2019-2020.

Columbia did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #23 on our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $31,099 for illinois bachelor’s degree fine arts students per year to attend Columbia College Chicago.

Read full report on Fine & Studio Arts at Columbia College Chicago

#16

Dominican University

River Forest, Illinois
#25 in overall quality

With a ranking of #16, Dominican University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Dominican U is a private not-for-profit institution located in River Forest, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 4 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Dominican U also made our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #25. The estimated yearly cost for Dominican University is $19,268 for illinois bachelor’s degree fine arts students.

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 full report on Fine & Studio Arts at Dominican U

#17

Elmhurst University

Elmhurst, Illinois
#24 in overall quality

Elmhurst University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking, coming in at #17. Located in Elmhurst, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 2 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s Fine Arts students in 2019-2020.

Elmhurst also took the #24 spot in our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Elmhurst University is $21,485 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students.

The low student loan default rate of 3.0% 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 & Studio Arts at Elmhurst

#18

Millikin University

Decatur, Illinois

Millikin University landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. Millikin is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Decatur, Illinois. It awarded 8 bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees in 2019-2020.

Millikin not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #20 on our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Millikin is $21,331 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read full report on Fine & Studio Arts at Millikin

#19

North Central College

Naperville, Illinois
#22 in overall quality

North Central College landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. North Central is a small school located in Naperville, Illinois that handed out 6 bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees in 2019-2020.

North Central also took the #22 spot in our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for North Central College is $24,786 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students.

The low student loan default rate of 3.9% 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 North Central College Fine & Studio Arts Report

#20

Augustana College

Rock Island, Illinois

Augustana College landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. Rock Island, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees to 8 students in 2019-2020.

Augustana also took the #21 spot in our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Augustana College is $23,874 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Fine & Studio Arts at Augustana College

#21

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois

DePaul University landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. DePaul University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 25 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend DePaul is $30,090 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students.

The low 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 DePaul University Fine & Studio Arts Report

#22

Lake Forest College

Lake Forest, Illinois

Lake Forest College landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. Lake Forest, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees to 15 students in 2019-2020.

Lake Forest not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $26,426 for illinois bachelor’s degree fine arts students per year to attend Lake Forest College.

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%.

Read more about Fine & Studio Arts at Lake Forest

#23

Loyola University Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

Loyola University Chicago came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. Loyola Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 12 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Loyola Chicago also took the #15 spot in our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Loyola Chicago is $35,407 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Fine & Studio Arts at Loyola Chicago

#24

Illinois Wesleyan University

Bloomington, Illinois

Illinois Wesleyan University landed the #24 spot on the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. Illinois Wesleyan is located in Bloomington, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 3 bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Illinois Wesleyan, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $26,039 for illinois bachelor’s degree fine arts students per year to attend Illinois Wesleyan University.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 1.4% 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 & Studio Arts at Illinois Wesleyan University

#25

Knox College

Galesburg, Illinois

Knox College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking, coming in at #25. Knox is a small school located in Galesburg, Illinois that handed out 12 bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $22,292 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students per year to attend Knox.

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. The student loan default rate at the school is 4.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Knox College Fine & Studio Arts Report

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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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