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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for History (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois

22 Ranked Colleges
820 Degrees Awarded
$14,000 Avg Net Price*
Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor's in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

History is the 22nd most popular major in the country with 32,905 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, history graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $29,593 and had an average of $23,490 in loans still to pay off.

Across Illinois, there were 942 history graduates with average earnings and debt of $28,667 and $22,107 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 820 history graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,319 and $24,183 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 22 colleges that offer a degree in history. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great history programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the history program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank History Schools

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college 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. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois bachelor’s degree history students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 22 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for History (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois
#2 in overall quality

Out of the 22 schools in the Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern University landed the #1 spot on the list. Northwestern University is a large school located in Evanston, Illinois that handed out 48 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree history students whose families make $0-$30k list, Northwestern has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $1,866 for illinois bachelor’s degree history students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Northwestern.

The low student loan default rate of 0.8% 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%. The impressive 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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.

Full Northwestern University History Report

#2

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Chicago. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Chicago is a fairly large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 72 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

UChicago did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $2,712 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree History students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Chicago.

With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on History at University of Chicago

#3 in overall quality

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 #3 for the Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a large public school situated in Champaign, Illinois. It awarded 87 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

UIUC also made our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #3. The estimated yearly cost for UIUC is $5,477 for illinois bachelor’s degree history students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about History at UIUC

#14 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. SIUE is a fairly large school located in Edwardsville, Illinois that handed out 49 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

SIUE not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is $8,055 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree History students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about History at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

#7 in overall quality

Out of the 22 schools in the Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #5 spot on the list. UIC is a large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 32 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

UIC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $10,648 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree History students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Illinois at Chicago.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about History at UIC

#6

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois
#4 in overall quality

Illinois State University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Illinois State University is a large school located in Normal, Illinois that handed out 97 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

Illinois State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Illinois State University is $14,470 for illinois bachelor’s degree history students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%.

Read full report on History at Illinois State University

#8 in overall quality

With a ranking of #7, University of Illinois at Springfield did quite well on the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Illinois at Springfield is a public institution located in Springfield, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 21 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UIS also made our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #8. The yearly cost to attend UIS is $9,771 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree History students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about History at University of Illinois at Springfield

#8

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois
#11 in overall quality

Northern Illinois University landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Northern Illinois University is a fairly large public school situated in Dekalb, Illinois. It awarded 39 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree history students whose families make $0-$30k list, NIU has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend NIU is $15,281 for illinois bachelor’s degree history students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Northern Illinois University History Report

#9

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, Illinois
#15 in overall quality

Eastern Illinois University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. This medium-sized school is located in Charleston, Illinois, and it awarded 20 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at EIU, the school also landed the #15 spot in our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend EIU is $12,350 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree History students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on History at EIU

#17 in overall quality

Southern Illinois University Carbondale ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. This fairly large school is located in Carbondale, Illinois, and it awarded 21 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SIUC, the school also landed the #17 spot in our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend SIUC is $13,658 for illinois bachelor’s degree history students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about History at SIUC

#11

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois
#18 in overall quality

Western Illinois University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. WIU is located in Macomb, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 13 bachelors’s history degrees to qualified students.

WIU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Western Illinois University is $13,942 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree History students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on History at Western Illinois University

#12

Aurora University

Aurora, Illinois
#12 in overall quality

Aurora University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Aurora University is a medium-sized school located in Aurora, Illinois that handed out 17 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

Aurora not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Aurora University is $14,103 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree History students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Aurora University History Report

#13

Wheaton College Illinois

Wheaton, Illinois
#6 in overall quality

Wheaton College Illinois did quite well in the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #13. Wheaton, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s history degrees to 14 students in 2019-2020.

Wheaton College Illinois did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $18,440 for illinois bachelor’s degree history students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Wheaton College Illinois.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The impressive 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.

Read full report on History at Wheaton College Illinois

#14

Illinois College

Jacksonville, Illinois
#20 in overall quality

Illinois College came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This small school is located in Jacksonville, Illinois, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Illinois College, the school also landed the #20 spot in our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Illinois College is $11,376 for illinois bachelor’s degree history students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on History at Illinois College

#15

Monmouth College

Monmouth, Illinois
#16 in overall quality

With a ranking of #15, Monmouth College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. This small school is located in Monmouth, Illinois, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

Monmouth also made our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #16. The yearly cost to attend Monmouth is $13,231 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree History students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The low 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%.

Full Monmouth History Report

#16

Knox College

Galesburg, Illinois
#10 in overall quality

Knox College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #16. Knox is located in Galesburg, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 16 bachelors’s history degrees to qualified students.

Knox also made our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #10. The yearly cost to attend Knox is $16,828 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree History students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a 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 student loan default rate. It’s only 4.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on History at Knox

#17

Elmhurst University

Elmhurst, Illinois
#19 in overall quality

With a ranking of #17, Elmhurst University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Elmhurst, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s history degrees to 14 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Elmhurst, the school also landed the #19 spot in our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Elmhurst is $16,903 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree History students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on History at Elmhurst

#21 in overall quality

Northeastern Illinois University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #18. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this medium-sized public school handed out 30 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s history students in 2019-2020.

Northeastern Illinois University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #21 on our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Northeastern Illinois University is $14,816 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree History students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about History at Northeastern Illinois University

#19

North Central College

Naperville, Illinois
#9 in overall quality

North Central College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #19. Naperville, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s history degrees to 18 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at North Central, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for North Central College is $18,889 for illinois bachelor’s degree history students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 3.9% 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 History at North Central College

#20

Roosevelt University

Chicago, Illinois
#22 in overall quality

Roosevelt University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Roosevelt is a small school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 5 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree history students whose families make $0-$30k list, Roosevelt has also earned the #22 rank in our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Roosevelt is $20,398 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree History students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about History at Roosevelt University

#21

Loyola University Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
#5 in overall quality

With a ranking of #21, Loyola University Chicago did quite well on the 2022 Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s history degrees to 58 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Loyola Chicago, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $29,440 for illinois bachelor’s degree history students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Loyola Chicago.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about History at Loyola University Chicago

#22

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois
#13 in overall quality

DePaul University ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value History Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 20 bachelors’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at DePaul, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best History Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $26,173 for illinois bachelor’s degree history students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend DePaul.

The low 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 full report on History at DePaul University

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.

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