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2022 Best Value History Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid

22 Ranked Colleges
942 Degrees Awarded
$20,200 Avg Net Price*
Best Value History Schools 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. College Factual has developed its “Best Value History Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2019-2020, 32,905 people earned their degree in history, making the major the 22nd most popular in the United States. 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.

This year’s “Best Value History Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” ranking looked at 22 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in history. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality history programs that also have a lower cost than 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

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value History Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. 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 in Illinois For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value History Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid.

Top 22 Best Value Colleges for History in Illinois (With Aid)

Out of the 22 schools in the Best Value History Schools 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 public institution located in Champaign, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 105 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UIUC also took the #3 spot in our “Best History Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $15,880 for illinois history students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Read full report on History at UIUC

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Springfield. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value History Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. This small school is located in Springfield, Illinois, and it awarded 25 ’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

UIS also made our “Best History Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #9. The estimated yearly cost for UIS is $12,477 for Illinois History students with aid.

Read full report on History at University of Illinois at Springfield

Out of the 22 schools in the Best Value History Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #3 spot on the list. UIC is a public institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 36 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UIC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best History Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for UIC is $13,312 for illinois history students with aid.

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

#4

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Eastern Illinois University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value History Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. This medium-sized school is located in Charleston, Illinois, and it awarded 22 ’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

EIU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #16 on our “Best History Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $14,607 for Illinois History students with aid per year to attend EIU.

Read full report on History at EIU

#5

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northern Illinois University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value History Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Northern Illinois University is located in Dekalb, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 47 ’s history degrees to qualified students.

NIU also made our “Best History Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #12. The yearly cost to attend Northern Illinois University is $18,259 for illinois history students with aid.

Read full report on History at Northern Illinois University

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value History Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. Edwardsville, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s history degrees to 52 students in 2019-2020.

SIUE did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best History Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend SIUE is $14,423 for illinois history students with aid.

Read more about History at SIUE

#7

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois

With a ranking of #7, Illinois State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value History Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Normal, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s history degrees to 108 students in 2019-2020.

Illinois State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best History Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $20,895 for Illinois History students with aid per year to attend Illinois State.

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%.

Read full report on History at Illinois State University

Southern Illinois University Carbondale ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value History Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Southern Illinois University Carbondale is located in Carbondale, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 26 ’s history degrees to qualified students.

SIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #17 on our “Best History Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend SIUC is $16,945 for Illinois History students with aid.

Full SIUC History Report

#9

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois

Western Illinois University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value History Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #9. Western Illinois University is a medium-sized public school situated in Macomb, Illinois. It awarded 15 ’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

WIU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #19 on our “Best History Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for WIU is $16,210 for Illinois History students with aid.

Full Western Illinois University History Report

#10

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois

Northwestern University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value History Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Evanston, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 57 diplomas to qualified ’s history students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois history students with aid list, Northwestern has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best History Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Northwestern is $24,664 for illinois history students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. 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. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about History at Northwestern

#11

Aurora University

Aurora, Illinois

Aurora University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value History Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Aurora University is a medium-sized school located in Aurora, Illinois that handed out 17 ’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois history students with aid list, Aurora has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best History Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $17,215 for Illinois History students with aid per year to attend Aurora.

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%.

Read more about History at Aurora University

Northeastern Illinois University landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value History Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. Northeastern Illinois University is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 36 ’s history degrees to qualified students.

Northeastern Illinois University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #21 on our “Best History Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Northeastern Illinois University is $15,843 for illinois history students with aid.

Read full report on History at Northeastern Illinois University

#13

Monmouth College

Monmouth, Illinois

Monmouth College ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value History Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. This small school is located in Monmouth, Illinois, and it awarded 10 ’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois history students with aid list, Monmouth has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best History Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Monmouth is $17,061 for illinois history students with aid.

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%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read full report on History at Monmouth

#14

Illinois College

Jacksonville, Illinois

Illinois College came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value History Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. Jacksonville, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s history degrees to 9 students in 2019-2020.

Illinois College also made our “Best History Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #20. The estimated yearly cost for Illinois College is $16,562 for illinois history students with aid.

Read full report on History at Illinois College

#15

Knox College

Galesburg, Illinois

With a ranking of #15, Knox College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value History Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Knox is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Galesburg, Illinois. It awarded 16 ’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

Knox not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best History Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $22,292 for Illinois History students with aid per year to attend Knox College.

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. The low student loan default rate of 4.8% 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%.

Full Knox History Report

#16

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

University of Chicago ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value History Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. University of Chicago is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 98 ’s history degrees to qualified students.

UChicago also took the #1 spot in our “Best History Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Chicago is $27,315 for illinois history students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. 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%.

Full UChicago History Report

#17

Elmhurst University

Elmhurst, Illinois

With a ranking of #17, Elmhurst University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value History Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Elmhurst University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Elmhurst, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 14 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Elmhurst, the school also landed the #18 spot in our “Best History Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Elmhurst is $21,485 for Illinois History students with aid.

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%.

Full Elmhurst University History Report

#18

Wheaton College Illinois

Wheaton, Illinois

Wheaton College Illinois ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value History Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Wheaton, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s history degrees to 14 students in 2019-2020.

Wheaton College Illinois also made our “Best History Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #5. It costs about $25,358 for Illinois History students with aid per year to attend Wheaton College Illinois.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full Wheaton College Illinois History Report

#19

North Central College

Naperville, Illinois

North Central College came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value History Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. This small school is located in Naperville, Illinois, and it awarded 18 ’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

North Central did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best History Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for North Central College is $24,786 for illinois history students with aid.

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 full report on History at North Central

#20

Roosevelt University

Chicago, Illinois

Roosevelt University ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value History Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Roosevelt University is a small school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 8 ’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

Roosevelt not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #22 on our “Best History Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Roosevelt is $22,749 for Illinois History students with aid.

Read more about History at Roosevelt University

#21

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois

DePaul University ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value History Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 25 ’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

DePaul also took the #13 spot in our “Best History Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend DePaul University is $30,090 for Illinois History 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 full report on History at DePaul

#22

Loyola University Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

Loyola University Chicago came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value History Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. Loyola Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 73 ’s history degrees in 2019-2020.

Loyola Chicago did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best History Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $35,407 for illinois history students with aid per year to attend Loyola Chicago.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about History at Loyola Chicago

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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