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2023 Best History Colleges for Veterans in Illinois

11 Ranked Colleges
974 Degrees Awarded
$28,200 Avg Cost*
Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for History

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for veterans. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for History” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2020-2021, 32,731 people earned their degree in history, making the major the 23rd most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, history graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $30,467 and had an average of $23,587 in loans still to pay off.

Across Illinois, there were 974 history graduates with average earnings and debt of $32,707 and $22,415 respectively.

This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for History” ranking looked at 11 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in history. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great history programs and a strong support system for veterans and active service members.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the history program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran population. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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The history school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for History”.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for History

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois vets studying history.

Top 11 Best History Colleges for Veterans in Illinois

1

Out of the 11 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for History that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #1 spot on the list. UIUC is a large public school situated in Champaign, Illinois. It awarded 117 ’s history degrees in 2020-2021.

UIUC also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 10 of the 52,679 students enrolled at UIUC were GI Bill® students, of which 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $0. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. UIUC offers credit for military training for eligible students.

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

Full UIUC Veteran Student Life Report

2
UChicago crest
University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

Out of the 11 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for History that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Chicago landed the #2 spot on the list. University of Chicago is a fairly large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 103 ’s history degrees in 2020-2021.

UChicago did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Our most recent data shows that 241 of the 17,834 students enrolled at University of Chicago were GI Bill® students, of which 113 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $18,948. During this same period, 58 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%.

Read More…

3

Out of the 11 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for History that were part of this year’s ranking, Illinois State University landed the #3 spot on the list. This large school is located in Normal, Illinois, and it awarded 107 ’s history degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Illinois State, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, Illinois State University supports 20,720 students, and 530 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 163 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,997. During this same period, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

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%.

Full Illinois State University Veteran Student Life Report

4

Out of the 11 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for History that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville landed the #4 spot on the list. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a public institution located in Edwardsville, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 30 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our illinois vets studying history list, SIUE has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 12,860 students enrolled at SIUE, 3 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 2 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $23,082. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. SIUE offers credit for military training for eligible students.

[Read full report on veteran student life at SIUE]](/colleges/southern-illinois-university-edwardsville/student-life/veterans/)

5

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Chicago. The school came in at #5 for the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for History. UIC is a large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 47 ’s history degrees in 2020-2021.

UIC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Of the 33,518 students enrolled at University of Illinois at Chicago, 1 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $23,878. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. University of Illinois at Chicago does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

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 More…

6
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, Illinois

With a ranking of #6, DePaul University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for History list. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 36 ’s history degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at DePaul, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 21,922 students enrolled at DePaul, 528 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 367 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $14,957. During this same period, 101 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. DePaul offers credit for military training for eligible students.

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%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at DePaul University]](/colleges/depaul-university/student-life/veterans/)

7

Northern Illinois University ranked #7 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for History list. Dekalb, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s history degrees to 51 students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at NIU, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 16,769 students enrolled at NIU, 480 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 207 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,822. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program.

[Read full report on veteran student life at NIU]](/colleges/northern-illinois-university/student-life/veterans/)

8

Western Illinois University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for History ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Macomb, Illinois, and it awarded 25 ’s history degrees in 2020-2021.

WIU also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 330 of the 7,490 students enrolled at Western Illinois University were GI Bill® students, of which 62 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,652. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

[Read full report on veteran student life at WIU]](/colleges/western-illinois-university/student-life/veterans/)

9
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

Northwestern University landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for History ranking. Northwestern University is located in Evanston, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 82 ’s history degrees to qualified students.

Northwestern also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].According to our most recent data, Northwestern supports 22,603 students, and 1 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 1 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $399. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 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%. 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. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read More…

10

Northeastern Illinois University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for History ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 30 ’s history degrees in 2020-2021.

Northeastern Illinois University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Our most recent data shows that 147 of the 7,119 students enrolled at Northeastern Illinois University were GI Bill® students, of which 83 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,460. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Northeastern Illinois University does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

Full Northeastern Illinois University Veteran Student Life Report

11
EIU crest
Eastern Illinois University
Charleston, Illinois

Eastern Illinois University ranked #11 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for History list. EIU is a medium-sized school located in Charleston, Illinois that handed out 32 ’s history degrees in 2020-2021.

EIU also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Our most recent data shows that 184 of the 8,626 students enrolled at EIU were GI Bill® students, of which 46 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,730. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

Read More…

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

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