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2025 Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois

12 Colleges in Illinois
950 Bachelor's Degrees
$44,342 Avg Early-Career Salary
Ranked #13 in popularity, liberal arts general studies is one of the most sought-after bachelor's degree programs in the nation. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

College Factual looked at 12 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 950 bachelor's degrees in liberal arts general studies during the 2022-2023 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Liberal Arts General Studies School for Your Bachelor's Degree

Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois The liberal arts bachelor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality liberal arts program can vary widely even among the top schools. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.

A Great Overall School

A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.

Early-Career Earnings

One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of bachelor's graduates during the early years of their career. That is, everyone wants their bachelor's degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.

Other Factors We Consider

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for liberal arts general studies students working on their bachelor's degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Liberal Arts Rankings Other Ranking Categories

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 Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois 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 Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Liberal Arts General Studies in Illinois

Explore the top ranked colleges and universities for liberal arts general studies students seeking a a bachelor's degree.

10 Top Illinois Schools for a Bachelor's in Liberal Arts

1
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, IL

It's difficult to beat DePaul University if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in liberal arts general studies. Located in the city of Chicago, DePaul is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

Liberal Arts General Studies bachelor's degree recipients from DePaul University get an earnings boost of about $39,724 over the typical income of liberal arts general studies majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts general studies from DePaul University

2
123 Annual Graduates
$31,745 Median Starting Salary
$30,577 Median Student Debt

Any student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in liberal arts general studies needs to take a look at Illinois State University. Located in the midsize suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public university with a very large student population.

Soon after graduation, liberal arts bachelor's recipients usually make around $31,745 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts general studies from Illinois State University

3
120 Annual Graduates
$38,196 Median Starting Salary
$20,044 Median Student Debt

Every student who is interested in a bachelor's degree in liberal arts general studies needs to check out Western Illinois University. WIU is a moderately-sized public university located in the town of Macomb.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the liberal arts program make around $38,196 for their early career.

More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts general studies from Western Illinois University

4

Northern Illinois University is a great choice for individuals interested in a bachelor's degree in liberal arts general studies. NIU is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of Dekalb.

Soon after graduating, liberal arts bachelor's recipients typically make an average of $29,426 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts general studies from Northern Illinois University

5

EIU is a medium-sized public university located in the town of Charleston.

Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the liberal arts program make around $40,273 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts general studies from Eastern Illinois University

6
Aurora crest
Aurora University
Aurora, IL

Located in the suburb of Aurora, Aurora is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population.

Soon after graduating, liberal arts bachelor's recipients usually earn about $44,614 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts general studies from Aurora University

7

Northeastern Illinois University is a moderately-sized public university located in the city of Chicago.

Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the liberal arts program earn around $42,976 in their early career salary.

More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts general studies from Northeastern Illinois University

8

SIUC is a fairly large public university located in the distant town of Carbondale.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the liberal arts program earn an average of $37,545 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts general studies from Southern Illinois University Carbondale

9
GSU crest
Governors State University
University Park, IL

GSU is a small public university located in the suburb of University Park.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the liberal arts program report average early career income of $42,107.

More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts general studies from Governors State University

10
12 Annual Graduates

Located in the medium-sized city of Springfield, UIS is a public university with a small student population.More information about a bachelor’s in liberal arts general studies from University of Illinois at Springfield

Best Liberal Arts General Studies Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Liberal Arts General Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Michigan 261 604
Ohio 252 841
Indiana 235 1,439
Wisconsin 213 285

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Liberal Arts General Studies is one of 0 different types of Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities programs to choose from.

Liberal Arts Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Liberal Arts 627
General Studies 209
Individualized Studies 111
Humanities 3

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