2023 Most Popular Master’s Degree Colleges for General Education in Illinois
14
Ranked Colleges
320
Degrees Awarded
$27,700
Avg Cost*
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Most Well Attended General Education Major in Illinois for a Master’s” ranking is part of that endeavor.
General Education is the 31st most popular major in the country with 29,810 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.
Across Illinois, there were 466 general education graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 320 general education graduates with average earnings and debt of $59,317 and $0 respectively.
For this year’s “Most Well Attended General Education Major in Illinois for a Master’s” ranking, we looked at 14 colleges that offer a degree in general education. To top this list, a school must have a successful general education program that graduates more students in the field than other colleges that offer the same major.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
More Ways to Rank General Education Schools
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Most Well Attended General Education Major in Illinois for a Master’s” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
Most Well Attended General Education Major in Illinois for a Master’s
The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois master’s degree general education students.
Top 14 Most Popular Master’s Degree Colleges for General Education in Illinois
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 #1 for the Most Well Attended General Education Major in Illinois for a Master’s. UIUC is a large school located in Champaign, Illinois that handed out 170 masters’s general education degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. 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%.
Read full report on General Education at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend McKendree University. The school came in at #2 for the Most Well Attended General Education Major in Illinois for a Master’s. McKendree University is a small school located in Lebanon, Illinois that handed out 28 masters’s general education 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%.
Read more about General Education at McKendree University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Quincy University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Well Attended General Education Major in Illinois for a Master’s list. Quincy University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Quincy, Illinois. It awarded 20 masters’s general education degrees in 2020-2021.
Full Quincy U General Education Report
Out of the 14 schools in the Most Well Attended General Education Major in Illinois for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Northern Illinois University landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Dekalb, Illinois, this fairly large public school awarded 14 diplomas to qualified masters’s general education students in 2020-2021.
Read full report on General Education at NIU
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Western Illinois University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Well Attended General Education Major in Illinois for a Master’s list. Western Illinois University is a medium-sized school located in Macomb, Illinois that handed out 10 masters’s general education degrees in 2020-2021.
Full Western Illinois University General Education Report
Elmhurst University ranked #6 on this year’s Most Well Attended General Education Major in Illinois for a Master’s list. Elmhurst, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s general education degrees to 9 students 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 General Education at Elmhurst University
Greenville University ranked #7 on this year’s Most Well Attended General Education Major in Illinois for a Master’s list. Greenville, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s general education degrees to 8 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.9% 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%. 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 General Education at Greenville
North Park University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended General Education Major in Illinois for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #8. North Park University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 6 masters’s general education 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.
Read more about General Education at North Park
Rockford University landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended General Education Major in Illinois for a Master’s ranking. This small school is located in Rockford, Illinois, and it awarded 2 masters’s general education degrees in 2020-2021.
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.
Read full report on General Education at Rockford
Concordia University, Chicago ranked #9 on this year’s Most Well Attended General Education Major in Illinois for a Master’s list. River Forest, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s general education degrees to 2 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.1% 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 General Education at Concordia University, Chicago
Northwestern University ranked #11 on this year’s Most Well Attended General Education Major in Illinois for a Master’s list. Northwestern University is a large school located in Evanston, Illinois that handed out 1 masters’s general education degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national 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.
Read more about General Education at Northwestern
Illinois College ranked #12 on this year’s Most Well Attended General Education Major in Illinois for a Master’s list. Illinois College is located in Jacksonville, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 9 masters’s general education degrees to qualified students.
Read more about General Education at Illinois College
Saint Xavier University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended General Education Major in Illinois for a Master’s ranking. SXU is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 0 masters’s general education degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on General Education at Saint Xavier University
Benedictine University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended General Education Major in Illinois for a Master’s ranking. Benedictine University is located in Lisle, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 0 masters’s general education degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.9% 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%.
Read more about General Education at Benedictine University
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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
- *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate 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
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