by our College Data Analytics Team
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Schools Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois” ranking is part of that endeavor.
In 2021-2022, 29,389 people earned their degree in general education, making the major the 41st most popular in the United States. In , general education graduates who were awarded their degree in , earned an average of $48,787 and had an average of $30,979 in loans still to pay off.
Across Illinois, there were 600 general education graduates with average earnings and debt of $46,021 and $23,832 respectively.
For this year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois” ranking, we looked at 24 colleges that offer a degree in general education. That schools that top this list have a program in general education in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
The education 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 Education Major in Illinois”.
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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois education students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Principia College. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois list. Principia is a small school located in Elsah, Illinois that handed out 9 ’s education degrees in 2021-2022.
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.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Quincy University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois list. Located in Quincy, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 20 diplomas to qualified ’s education students in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.2% 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%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend McKendree University. The school came in at #3 for the Schools Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois. McKendree University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Lebanon, Illinois. It awarded 24 ’s education degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 24 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Illinois College landed the #4 spot on the list. Illinois College is a small school located in Jacksonville, Illinois that handed out 9 ’s education degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Greenville University. The school came in at #5 for the Schools Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois. Greenville is located in Greenville, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 42 ’s education degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ranked #6 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois list. UIUC is a large public school situated in Champaign, Illinois. It awarded 282 ’s education degrees in 2021-2022.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.
Lake Forest College landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois ranking. Lake Forest is located in Lake Forest, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 7 ’s education degrees to qualified students.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.0% 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%.
Hebrew Theological College ranked #8 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois list. Located in Skokie, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 1 diplomas to qualified ’s education students in 2021-2022.
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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. 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%.
Elmhurst University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #9. Elmhurst, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s education degrees to 12 students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on General Education at Elmhurst University
Trinity Christian College ranked #10 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois list. This small school is located in Palos Heights, Illinois, and it awarded 3 ’s education degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 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.
North Park University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois ranking. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 73 degrees to qualified ’s education students in 2021-2022.
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. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on General Education at North Park University
With a ranking of #12, Monmouth College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois list. Monmouth College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Monmouth, Illinois. It awarded 0 ’s education degrees in 2021-2022.
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. 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%.
Illinois Wesleyan University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois ranking. Illinois Wesleyan University is a small school located in Bloomington, Illinois that handed out 1 ’s education degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Knox College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #14. This small school is located in Galesburg, Illinois, and it awarded 1 ’s education degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Rockford University ranked #15 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois list. This small school is located in Rockford, Illinois, and it awarded 1 ’s education degrees in 2021-2022.
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. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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%.
Concordia University, Chicago came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois ranking. This medium-sized school is located in River Forest, Illinois, and it awarded 6 ’s education degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on General Education at Concordia University, Chicago
Lincoln Christian University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #17. Lincoln Christian College and Seminary is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Lincoln, Illinois. It awarded 0 ’s education degrees in 2021-2022.
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%.
With a ranking of #18, Western Illinois University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois list. Western Illinois University is a public institution located in Macomb, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 16 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Northern Illinois University landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois ranking. Dekalb, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s education degrees to 23 students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Roosevelt University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #20. Roosevelt University is a small school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 2 ’s education degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Dominican University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #21. Dominican University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in River Forest, Illinois. It awarded 1 ’s education degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 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.
Northwestern University ranked #22 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois list. Located in Evanston, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 6 diplomas to qualified ’s education students in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 99%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.1% 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 more about General Education at Northwestern University
Saint Xavier University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #23. SXU is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 1 ’s education degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #23, Benedictine University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois list. Benedictine U is a private not-for-profit institution located in Lisle, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 0 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
