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2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

14 Ranked Colleges
699 Degrees Awarded
$13,300 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor's in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

With 365,980 degrees handed out in 2019-2020, liberal arts is the 2nd most popular major in the United States.

Across Illinois, there were 23,860 liberal arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 699 liberal arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,319 and $24,183 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 14 colleges that offered a degree in liberal arts. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality liberal arts programs that also have a lower cost than 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 liberal arts program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Liberal Arts Schools

The liberal studies 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 “Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k”.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Liberal Studies 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 liberal studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 14 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Liberal Arts (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois

#1

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 #1 on our 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 12 degrees to qualified bachelors’s liberal studies students in 2019-2020.

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

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 low student loan default rate of 0.6% 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 5 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read more about Liberal Arts at UChicago

#2

Governors State University

University Park, Illinois
#8 in overall quality

Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Governors State University landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in University Park, Illinois, this small public school handed out 108 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s liberal studies students in 2019-2020.

GSU also took the #8 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend GSU is $10,872 for illinois bachelor’s degree liberal studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Liberal Arts at GSU

#3

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois
#5 in overall quality

Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northern Illinois University landed the #3 spot on the list. NIU is a fairly large public school situated in Dekalb, Illinois. It awarded 61 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.

NIU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $15,281 for illinois bachelor’s degree liberal studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Northern Illinois University.

Full Northern Illinois University Liberal Arts Report

#4

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, Illinois
#4 in overall quality

Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Eastern Illinois University landed the #4 spot on the list. EIU is a medium-sized public school situated in Charleston, Illinois. It awarded 123 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at EIU, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend EIU is $12,350 for illinois bachelor’s degree liberal studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Liberal Arts at Eastern Illinois University

#5

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois
#3 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Western Illinois University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. Western Illinois University is a medium-sized public school situated in Macomb, Illinois. It awarded 10 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.

WIU also took the #3 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $13,942 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend WIU.

Read more about Liberal Arts at Western Illinois University

#7 in overall quality

University of Illinois at Springfield landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Springfield, Illinois, this small public school awarded 15 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s liberal studies students in 2019-2020.

UIS not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Illinois at Springfield is $9,771 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full UIS Liberal Arts Report

#7

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois
#2 in overall quality

Illinois State University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Normal, Illinois, and it awarded 44 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Illinois State also took the #2 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Illinois State is $14,470 for illinois bachelor’s degree liberal studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Liberal Arts at Illinois State

#8

Saint Xavier University

Chicago, Illinois
#12 in overall quality

Saint Xavier University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Saint Xavier University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 24 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree liberal studies students whose families make $0-$30k list, SXU has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $11,266 for illinois bachelor’s degree liberal studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend SXU.

Read full report on Liberal Arts at SXU

#11 in overall quality

Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. SIUC is located in Carbondale, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 54 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to qualified students.

SIUC also made our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #11. The yearly cost to attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale is $13,658 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Southern Illinois University Carbondale Liberal Arts Report

#10

University of St Francis

Joliet, Illinois
#6 in overall quality

University of St Francis landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Joliet, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 5 degrees to qualified bachelors’s liberal studies students in 2019-2020.

University of Saint Francis did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend University of St Francis is $15,847 for illinois bachelor’s degree liberal studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Liberal Arts at University of Saint Francis

#10 in overall quality

Northeastern Illinois University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to 139 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree liberal studies students whose families make $0-$30k list, Northeastern Illinois University has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $14,816 for illinois bachelor’s degree liberal studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Northeastern Illinois University.

Read more about Liberal Arts at Northeastern Illinois University

#12

Chicago State University

Chicago, Illinois
#14 in overall quality

Chicago State University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to 21 students in 2019-2020.

CSU also made our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #14. The yearly cost to attend CSU is $11,507 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

The impressive 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.

Read more about Liberal Arts at CSU

#13

Lincoln College

Lincoln, Illinois
#13 in overall quality

Lincoln College came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Lincoln College is a small school located in Lincoln, Illinois that handed out 9 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Lincoln College not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Lincoln College is $20,845 for illinois bachelor’s degree liberal studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Liberal Arts at Lincoln College

#14

North Central College

Naperville, Illinois
#9 in overall quality

North Central College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Liberal Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #14. Located in Naperville, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 4 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s liberal studies students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree liberal studies students whose families make $0-$30k list, North Central has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for North Central College is $18,889 for illinois bachelor’s degree liberal studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Liberal Arts at North Central College

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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