2023 Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in Illinois
9
Ranked Colleges
89
Degrees Awarded
$26,714
Avg Salary
With all of the options veterans have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Education for a Bachelor’s” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
General Education is the 41st most popular major in the country with 29,810 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, general education graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $48,719 and had an average of $23,394 in loans still to pay off.
Across Illinois, there were 466 general education graduates with average earnings and debt of $46,021 and $20,500 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 89 general education graduates with average earnings and debt of $40,117 and $25,584 respectively.
This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Education for a Bachelor’s” ranking analyzed 9 colleges that offered a degree in general education. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent general education programs, but they also offer a lot of support to veterans and active service members.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the general education program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran satisfaction. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Education for a Bachelor’s” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that 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. 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.
Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Education for a Bachelor’s
The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois bachelor’s degree vets studying education.
Top 9 Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in Illinois
Out of the 9 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Education for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #1 spot on the list. UIUC is a public institution located in Champaign, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 20 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list.Of the 52,679 students enrolled at UIUC, 10 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $0. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at UIUC]](/colleges/university-of-illinois-at-urbana-champaign/student-life/veterans/)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Elmhurst University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Education for a Bachelor’s list. This small school is located in Elmhurst, Illinois, and it awarded 4 bachelors’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
Elmhurst not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list.Of the 3,421 students enrolled at Elmhurst, 77 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 57 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $12,985. In addition to receiving other benefits, 7 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Elmhurst does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Elmhurst Veteran Student Life Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend McKendree University. The school came in at #3 for the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Education for a Bachelor’s. This small school is located in Lebanon, Illinois, and it awarded 11 bachelors’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
McKendree did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list.Our most recent data shows that 69 of the 2,200 students enrolled at McKendree were GI Bill® students, of which 41 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $5,814. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full McKendree Veteran Student Life Report
Out of the 9 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Education for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Monmouth College landed the #4 spot on the list. Monmouth is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Monmouth, Illinois. It awarded 2 bachelors’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
Monmouth also took the #8 spot in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.Among the 860 students enrolled at Monmouth College, 10 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 3 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $24,477. In addition to receiving other benefits, 3 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 veteran student life at Monmouth]](/colleges/monmouth-college/student-life/veterans/)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Roosevelt University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Education for a Bachelor’s list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s education degrees to 4 students in 2020-2021.
Roosevelt not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list.Our most recent data shows that 95 of the 4,680 students enrolled at Roosevelt were GI Bill® students, of which 43 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $12,071. To help with additional expenses, 20 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Roosevelt does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
Read More…
Illinois Wesleyan University landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Education for a Bachelor’s ranking. Illinois Wesleyan is a private not-for-profit institution located in Bloomington, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Illinois Wesleyan did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list.Among the 1,636 students enrolled at Illinois Wesleyan, 5 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 4 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $19,755. During this same period, 1 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read More…
Trinity Christian College did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Education for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #7. Trinity Christian is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Palos Heights, Illinois. It awarded 4 bachelors’s education degrees in 2020-2021.
Trinity Christian also made our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #7.According to our most recent data, Trinity Christian College supports 1,086 students, and 14 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 5 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $10,438. To help with additional expenses, 1 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
The impressive undergraduate 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. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Trinity Christian Veteran Student Life Report
Knox College did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Education for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #8. Located in Galesburg, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 2 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s education students in 2020-2021.
Knox not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list.According to our most recent data, Knox College supports 1,154 students, and 15 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 6 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $13,371. On top of their other funding sources, 1 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate 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.
Full Knox Veteran Student Life Report
Concordia University, Chicago landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Education for a Bachelor’s ranking. 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 9 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree vets studying education list, Concordia University, Chicago has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 134 of the 6,491 students enrolled at Concordia University, Chicago were GI Bill® students, of which 96 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $7,085. During this same period, 4 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Concordia University, Chicago Veteran Student Life 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).
- Veteran-specific data can be found at the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
- 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.
- **GI Bill® student total includes all chapters of the GI Bill® program (e.g., Post-9/11, Montgomery GI Bill, Reserve Education Assistance Program, and Veteran Readiness and Employment)
- 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.
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