2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Liberal Arts for a Bachelor’s
15
Ranked Colleges
1,059
Degrees Awarded
$35,199
Avg Salary
With all of the options veterans have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Liberal Arts for a Bachelor’s” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
In 2020-2021, 556,813 liberal arts general studies students received their degree, making the major the 1st most popular in the country. In 2019-2020, liberal arts general studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $28,337 and had an average of $17,430 in loans still to pay off.
Across Illinois, there were 25,747 liberal arts general studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $27,957 and $14,623 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,059 liberal arts general studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $40,117 and $25,584 respectively.
This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Liberal Arts for a Bachelor’s” ranking looked at 15 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in liberal arts general studies. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent liberal arts general studies 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 general studies program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
One Size Does Not Fit All
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 “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Liberal Arts for a Bachelor’s” list to help you make the college decision.
We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to 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 Liberal Arts for a Bachelor’s
The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Liberal Arts for a Bachelor’s”.
Top 15 Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in Illinois
Out of the 15 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Liberal Arts for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Chicago landed the #1 spot on the list. UChicago is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 20 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.
UChicago not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list.According to our most recent data, UChicago supports 17,834 students, and 241 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 113 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $18,948. In addition to receiving other benefits, 58 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%. 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%. 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.
[Read full report on veteran student life at UChicago]](/colleges/university-of-chicago/student-life/veterans/)
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend DePaul University. The school came in at #2 for the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Liberal Arts for a Bachelor’s. DePaul is a large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 93 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.
DePaul also took the #3 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.According to our most recent data, DePaul University supports 21,922 students, and 528 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 367 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $14,957. On top of their other funding sources, 101 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
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/)
Out of the 15 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Liberal Arts for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Illinois State University landed the #3 spot on the list. Illinois State is a large public school situated in Normal, Illinois. It awarded 126 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.
Illinois State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies 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. Illinois State University does offer 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 Illinois State]](/colleges/illinois-state-university/student-life/veterans/)
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Western Illinois University. The school came in at #4 for the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Liberal Arts for a Bachelor’s. WIU is a public institution located in Macomb, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 167 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
WIU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list.Of the 7,490 students enrolled at WIU, 330 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 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. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received funds through 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/)
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend North Central College. The school came in at #5 for the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Liberal Arts for a Bachelor’s. North Central is located in Naperville, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 2 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees to qualified students.
North Central not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list.Among the 2,832 students enrolled at North Central College, 46 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 32 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $19,214. In addition to receiving other benefits, 15 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
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 North Central Veteran Student Life Report
Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Liberal Arts for a Bachelor’s ranking. This fairly large school is located in Carbondale, Illinois, and it awarded 58 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.
SIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list.According to our most recent data, Southern Illinois University Carbondale supports 11,366 students, and 1 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 0 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $0. 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 full report on veteran student life at SIUC]](/colleges/southern-illinois-university-carbondale/student-life/veterans/)
Northeastern Illinois University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Liberal Arts for a Bachelor’s ranking. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this medium-sized public school awarded 110 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s liberal arts students in 2020-2021.
Northeastern Illinois University also made our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #8.Of the 7,119 students enrolled at Northeastern Illinois University, 147 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 83 were 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 qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Northeastern Illinois University]](/colleges/northeastern-illinois-university/student-life/veterans/)
Northwestern University landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Liberal Arts for a Bachelor’s ranking. Northwestern is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Evanston, Illinois. It awarded 4 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Northwestern, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.Among the 22,603 students enrolled at Northwestern University, 1 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $399. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read More…
With a ranking of #9, Eastern Illinois University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Liberal Arts for a Bachelor’s list. Eastern Illinois University is a medium-sized public school situated in Charleston, Illinois. It awarded 100 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.
EIU also made our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #10.Our most recent data shows that 184 of the 8,626 students enrolled at Eastern Illinois University were GI Bill® students, of which 46 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,730. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eastern Illinois University does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
Read More…
Governors State University landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Liberal Arts for a Bachelor’s ranking. This small school is located in University Park, Illinois, and it awarded 120 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.
GSU also took the #13 spot in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 146 of the 4,650 students enrolled at Governors State University were GI Bill® students, of which 80 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,291. 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.
Full Governors State University Veteran Student Life Report
University of Illinois at Springfield ranked #11 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Liberal Arts for a Bachelor’s list. This small school is located in Springfield, Illinois, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.
UIS did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list.Our most recent data shows that 214 of the 4,146 students enrolled at University of Illinois at Springfield were GI Bill® students, of which 106 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,253. During this same period, 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 University of Illinois at Springfield Veteran Student Life Report
Northern Illinois University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Liberal Arts for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #12. This fairly large school is located in Dekalb, Illinois, and it awarded 88 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.
NIU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list.According to our most recent data, NIU supports 16,769 students, and 480 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 207 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,822. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
Full NIU Veteran Student Life Report
Chicago State University landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Liberal Arts for a Bachelor’s ranking. CSU is a public institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 37 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
CSU also made our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #14.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. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read More…
With a ranking of #14, Quincy University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Liberal Arts for a Bachelor’s list. Quincy University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Quincy, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 2 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree vets studying liberal arts list, Quincy U has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 13 of the 1,273 students enrolled at Quincy University were GI Bill® students, of which 6 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $12,744. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Quincy U]](/colleges/quincy-university/student-life/veterans/)
Saint Xavier University ranked #15 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Liberal Arts for a Bachelor’s list. Saint Xavier University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 17 bachelors’s liberal arts degrees in 2020-2021.
SXU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best Liberal Arts General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list.Of the 3,764 students enrolled at Saint Xavier University, 65 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 49 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $11,740. In addition to receiving other benefits, 3 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Saint Xavier University does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Saint Xavier University]](/colleges/saint-xavier-university/student-life/veterans/)
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