by our College Data Analytics Team
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 “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois” ranking is part of that endeavor.
General Education is the 41st most popular major in the country with 29,389 degrees awarded in 2021-2022. 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. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 423 general education graduates with average earnings and debt of $59,827 and $47,424 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois” ranking analyzed 14 colleges that offered a degree in general education. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their general education program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois”.
Out of the 14 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Quincy University landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Quincy, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 20 degrees to qualified masters’s education students 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%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend McKendree University. The school came in at #2 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois. McKendree is a small school located in Lebanon, Illinois that handed out 20 masters’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 be in good company if you decide to attend Greenville University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois list. Greenville, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s education degrees to 40 students in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.6% 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%.
Read full report on General Education at Greenville University
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 #4 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois. Located in Champaign, Illinois, this large public school awarded 211 diplomas to qualified masters’s education students in 2021-2022.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign General Education Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Elmhurst University. The school came in at #5 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois. Located in Elmhurst, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 12 degrees to qualified masters’s education 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
With a ranking of #6, North Park University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s education degrees to 73 students in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.2% 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%. 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.
Rockford University landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois ranking. Rockford University is located in Rockford, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 1 masters’s education degrees to qualified students.
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%. 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 University
Western Illinois University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois ranking. WIU is a public institution located in Macomb, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 16 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about General Education at Western Illinois University
Northern Illinois University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #9. NIU is a public institution located in Dekalb, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 23 masters’s 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%.
Concordia University, Chicago did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #10. Concordia University, Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in River Forest, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 1 masters’s 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
Northwestern University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois ranking. Northwestern University is a large school located in Evanston, Illinois that handed out 5 masters’s education degrees in 2021-2022.
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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 99%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Benedictine University landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois ranking. This small school is located in Lisle, Illinois, and it awarded 0 masters’s education 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%.
Saint Xavier University ranked #12 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois list. SXU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 1 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Illinois College ranked #12 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Education Major in Illinois list. Illinois College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Jacksonville, Illinois. It awarded 9 masters’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%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
