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2025 Best Anthropology Schools in Illinois

11 Colleges in Illinois
300 Anthropology Degrees Awarded
$28,899 Avg Early-Career Salary
Anthropology is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #77 most popular degree program in the country. As a result, there are many college that offer the degree, making your choice of school a hard one.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 11 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Anthropology Schools in Illinois ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 300 degrees in anthropology annually.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Anthropology School

Best Anthropology Schools in Illinois Your choice of anthropology school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. We derive our Best Overall Anthropology School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Anthropology Rankings by Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in Anthropology
Master's Degrees in Anthropology
Doctor's Degrees in Anthropology

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Anthropology Schools in Illinois list, to help you choose the best school for you. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

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.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.

Best Schools for Anthropology in Illinois

Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the anthropology degree levels they offer.

10 Top Illinois Schools in Anthropology

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In IL
56 Anthropology Degrees Awarded

Every student who is interested in anthropology needs to check out University of Chicago. Located in the city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #3 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UChicago is a great university overall.

There were roughly 56 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at UChicago in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in anthropology from University of Chicago

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
6th Most Popular In IL

Northwestern University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in anthropology. Northwestern is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Evanston. A Best Colleges rank of #5 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Northwestern is a great university overall.

There were roughly 21 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at Northwestern in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in anthropology from Northwestern University

Sponsored
Bachelors Degree Type
BA in Anthropology Program Name

Explore societal similarities and differences as seen through cultural, biological, archaeological and linguistic lenses when you earn one of your degrees in anthropology from Southern New Hampshire University.

More information about a degree in BA in Anthropology from Southern New Hampshire University
3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
41 Anthropology Degrees Awarded
19.5% Growth in Graduates

Any student pursuing a degree in anthropology needs to take a look at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Located in the city of Champaign, UIUC is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #41 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UIUC is a great university overall.

There were approximately 41 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at UIUC in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the anthropology program make an average of $16,197 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in anthropology from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
37 Anthropology Degrees Awarded
$30,648 Median Starting Salary

It's difficult to beat University of Illinois at Chicago if you wish to pursue a degree in anthropology. UIC is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Chicago. This university ranks 10th out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were about 37 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at UIC in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, anthropology degree recipients typically earn an average of $30,648 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in anthropology from University of Illinois at Chicago

5

Located in the large city of Chicago, Loyola Chicago is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #100 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Loyola Chicago is a great university overall.

There were about 30 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at Loyola Chicago in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the anthropology program make about $26,977 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in anthropology from Loyola University Chicago

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
$25,913 Median Starting Salary

Located in the midsize suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 8th out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were about 23 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at Illinois State in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, anthropology degree recipients generally make about $25,913 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in anthropology from Illinois State University

7
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
7th Most Popular In IL

Wheaton College Illinois is a small private not-for-profit college located in the suburb of Wheaton. This college ranks 13th out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were about 8 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at Wheaton College Illinois in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in anthropology from Wheaton College Illinois

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
9th Most Popular In IL

SIUC is a large public university located in the distant town of Carbondale. This university ranks 36th out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were about 8 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at SIUC in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in anthropology from Southern Illinois University Carbondale

9
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, IL

Located in the city of Chicago, DePaul is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #135 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means DePaul is a great university overall.

There were roughly 12 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at DePaul in the most recent data year. After graduation, anthropology degree recipients usually earn around $18,950 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in anthropology from DePaul University

10

Located in the suburb of Edwardsville, SIUE is a public university with a large student population. This university ranks 31st out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were roughly 19 anthropology students who graduated with this degree at SIUE in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the anthropology program state that they receive average early career earnings of $23,379.

More information about a degree in anthropology from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

Best Anthropology Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Anthropology Colleges in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Michigan 322 254
Ohio 314 295
Indiana 294 201
Wisconsin 273 141

View All Rankings >

One of 13 majors within the Social Sciences area of study, Anthropology has other similar majors worth exploring.

Anthropology Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Anthropology 299
Other Anthropology 1

View All Anthropology Concentrations >

Majors Similar to Anthropology

Related Major Annual Graduates
Economics 2,222
Political Science & Government 1,528
Sociology 798
International Relations & National Security 373
General Social Sciences 254
Geography & Cartography 159
Sociology & Anthropology 51
Other Social Sciences 45
Urban Studies 18
Archeology 1

View All Anthropology Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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