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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies in Illinois (With Aid)

8 Ranked Colleges
245 Degrees Awarded
$21,900 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools for a Bachelor's in Illinois For Those Getting Aid

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

In 2019-2020, 16,240 people earned their degree in area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies, making the major the 30th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $30,827 and had an average of $22,562 in loans still to pay off.

Across Illinois, there were 363 area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $33,050 and $25,673 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 245 area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,319 and $24,183 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 8 colleges that offer a degree in area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. 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 Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois bachelor’s degree area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies students with aid.

Top 8 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies in Illinois (With Aid)

#3 in overall quality

Out of the 8 schools in the Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #1 spot on the list. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a large school located in Champaign, Illinois that handed out 47 bachelors’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees in 2019-2020.

UIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $15,880 for illinois bachelor’s degree area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies students with aid per year to attend UIUC.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Read more about Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

#4 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Chicago. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. UIC is a public institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 54 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies students with aid list, UIC has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UIC is $13,312 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies students with aid.

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 University of Illinois at Chicago Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Report

#3

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois
#1 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northwestern University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid. Northwestern University is located in Evanston, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 26 bachelors’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees to qualified students.

Northwestern did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Northwestern is $24,664 for illinois bachelor’s degree area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full Northwestern Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Report

#4

Aurora University

Aurora, Illinois
#5 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Aurora University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid. Aurora University is a medium-sized school located in Aurora, Illinois that handed out 3 bachelors’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies students with aid list, Aurora has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $17,215 for illinois bachelor’s degree area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies students with aid per year to attend Aurora University.

The low student loan default rate of 4.4% 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 Aurora University Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Report

#8 in overall quality

Out of the 8 schools in the Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Northeastern Illinois University landed the #5 spot on the list. Northeastern Illinois University is a medium-sized public school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 9 bachelors’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Northeastern Illinois University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $15,843 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies students with aid per year to attend Northeastern Illinois University.

Read full report on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at Northeastern Illinois University

#6

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
#2 in overall quality

With a ranking of #6, University of Chicago did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. University of Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 21 bachelors’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees in 2019-2020.

UChicago not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for UChicago is $27,315 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies students with aid.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 100%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The 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.

Read full report on Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at UChicago

#7

Columbia College Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
#7 in overall quality

Columbia College Chicago did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #7. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees to 8 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Columbia, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $31,099 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies students with aid per year to attend Columbia College Chicago.

Full Columbia College Chicago Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Report

#8

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois
#6 in overall quality

DePaul University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. DePaul University is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 22 bachelors’s area, ethnic, culture, and gender studies degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at DePaul, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend DePaul University is $30,090 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies at DePaul

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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 G. Mützel.

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