2023 Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in Illinois
12
Ranked Colleges
646
Degrees Awarded
$24,400
Avg Cost*
Veterans have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Liberal Studies for a Bachelor’s” ranking - to help you make that decision.
With 366,996 degrees handed out in 2020-2021, liberal arts is the 2nd most popular major in the United States.
Across Illinois, there were 22,500 liberal arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 646 liberal arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $40,117 and $25,584 respectively.
This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Liberal Studies for a Bachelor’s” ranking analyzed 12 colleges that offered a degree in liberal arts. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent liberal arts programs, but they also offer a lot of support to veterans and active service members.
To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as veteran satisfaction, veteran affordability, 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
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Liberal Studies for a Bachelor’s” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
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. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Liberal Studies for a Bachelor’s
The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois bachelor’s degree vets studying liberal studies.
Top 12 Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in Illinois
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Chicago. The school came in at #1 for the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Liberal Studies for a Bachelor’s. This fairly large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 19 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2020-2021.
UChicago also took the #2 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.Of the 17,834 students enrolled at University of Chicago, 241 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 113 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $18,948. In addition to receiving other benefits, 58 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
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%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full UChicago Veteran Student Life Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Illinois State University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Liberal Studies for a Bachelor’s list. Illinois State is a large public school situated in Normal, Illinois. It awarded 15 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2020-2021.
Illinois State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list.Of the 20,720 students enrolled at Illinois State University, 530 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 163 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,997. 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.
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%.
Full Illinois State Veteran Student Life Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Western Illinois University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Liberal Studies for a Bachelor’s list. Located in Macomb, Illinois, this medium-sized public school awarded 19 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s liberal studies students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree vets studying liberal studies list, WIU has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” 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 Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,652. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
Full WIU Veteran Student Life Report
Out of the 12 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Liberal Studies for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #4 spot on the list. Southern Illinois University Carbondale is located in Carbondale, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 58 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to qualified students.
SIUC also took the #9 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.Among the 11,366 students enrolled at SIUC, 1 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 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. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. SIUC does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
[Read full report on veteran student life at SIUC]](/colleges/southern-illinois-university-carbondale/student-life/veterans/)
Out of the 12 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Liberal Studies for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Northeastern Illinois University landed the #5 spot on the list. Northeastern Illinois University is a medium-sized school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 95 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2020-2021.
Northeastern Illinois University also took the #5 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.According to our most recent data, Northeastern Illinois University supports 7,119 students, and 147 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 83 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,460. During this same period, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
Read More…
With a ranking of #6, Northwestern University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Liberal Studies for a Bachelor’s list. Northwestern is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Evanston, Illinois. It awarded 3 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2020-2021.
Northwestern also made our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #1.Our most recent data shows that 1 of the 22,603 students enrolled at Northwestern were GI Bill® students, of which 1 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $399. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate 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%. 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.
Full Northwestern University Veteran Student Life Report
With a ranking of #7, Eastern Illinois University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Liberal Studies for a Bachelor’s list. This medium-sized school is located in Charleston, Illinois, and it awarded 100 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2020-2021.
EIU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list.According to our most recent data, Eastern Illinois University supports 8,626 students, and 184 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 46 are 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 received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Full Eastern Illinois University Veteran Student Life Report
Governors State University landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Liberal Studies for a Bachelor’s ranking. Governors State University is located in University Park, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 120 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to qualified students.
GSU also took the #10 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.According to our most recent data, Governors State University supports 4,650 students, and 146 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 80 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,291. During this same period, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
Read More…
University of Illinois at Springfield ranked #9 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Liberal Studies for a Bachelor’s list. University of Illinois at Springfield is a small public school situated in Springfield, Illinois. It awarded 10 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees in 2020-2021.
UIS did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list.According to our most recent data, UIS supports 4,146 students, and 214 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 106 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,253. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
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%.
Full University of Illinois at Springfield Veteran Student Life Report
Northern Illinois University landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Liberal Studies for a Bachelor’s ranking. Dekalb, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to 88 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at NIU, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.Of the 16,769 students enrolled at Northern Illinois University, 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. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
Read More…
Chicago State University ranked #11 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Liberal Studies for a Bachelor’s list. Chicago State University is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 26 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to qualified students.
CSU also took the #11 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.According to our most recent data, CSU supports 2,644 students, and 94 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 48 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $8,489. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
Since the school has a undergrad 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 veteran student life at CSU]](/colleges/chicago-state-university/student-life/veterans/)
Saint Xavier University landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Liberal Studies for a Bachelor’s ranking. SXU is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 17 bachelors’s liberal studies degrees to qualified students.
SXU also took the #12 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 65 of the 3,764 students enrolled at Saint Xavier University were GI Bill® students, of which 49 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $11,740. In addition to receiving other benefits, 3 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
Read More…
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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).
- Veteran-specific data can be found at the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
- 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
- *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top schools only.
- **GI Bill® student total includes all chapters of the GI Bill® program (e.g., Post-9/11, Montgomery GI Bill, Reserve Education Assistance Program, and Veteran Readiness and Employment)
- 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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