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2023 Most Popular Colleges for Social Sciences in Illinois

47 Ranked Colleges
5,877 Degrees Awarded
$28,800 Avg Cost*
Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major in Illinois

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major in Illinois” ranking is part of that endeavor.

With 205,984 degrees handed out in 2020-2021, social sciences is the 5th most popular major in the United States. In 2019-2020, social sciences graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $36,262 and had an average of $23,306 in loans still to pay off.

Across Illinois, there were 5,877 social sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,297 and $24,092 respectively.

For this year’s “Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major in Illinois” ranking, we looked at 47 colleges that offer a degree in social sciences. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have one of the most popular social sciences programs in the United States.

Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Social Sciences Schools

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major in Illinois” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to 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 Well Attended Social Sciences Major in Illinois

The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major in Illinois”.

1
UChicago crest
University of Chicago
Chicago, 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 Well Attended Social Sciences Major in Illinois. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 1,278 degrees to qualified ’s social sciences students in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%. 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. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.0% 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 University of Chicago Social Sciences Report

2

Out of the 47 schools in the Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Champaign, Illinois, this large public school awarded 973 degrees to qualified ’s social sciences students in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Social Sciences at UIUC

3
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

Out of the 47 schools in the Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern University landed the #3 spot on the list. Northwestern University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Evanston, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 663 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

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. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Northwestern Social Sciences Report

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Chicago. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major in Illinois list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this large public school handed out 349 diplomas to qualified ’s social sciences students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.5% 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%.

Read more about Social Sciences at University of Illinois at Chicago

5
Loyola Chicago crest
Loyola University Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

Out of the 47 schools in the Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Loyola University Chicago landed the #5 spot on the list. Loyola Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 281 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.7% 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%.

Read more about Social Sciences at Loyola Chicago

6
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DePaul University
Chicago, Illinois

DePaul University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #6. DePaul University is a large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 278 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.7% 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 DePaul Social Sciences Report

7

Illinois State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #7. Illinois State University is a public institution located in Normal, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 236 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% 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%.

Read full report on Social Sciences at Illinois State

8

Northern Illinois University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major in Illinois ranking. This fairly large school is located in Dekalb, Illinois, and it awarded 208 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Social Sciences at Northern Illinois University

9

Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major in Illinois ranking. SIUC is a fairly large public school situated in Carbondale, Illinois. It awarded 160 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Social Sciences at Southern Illinois University Carbondale

10
Wheaton College Illinois crest
Wheaton College Illinois
Wheaton, Illinois

Wheaton College Illinois landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major in Illinois ranking. Located in Wheaton, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 121 degrees to qualified ’s social sciences students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 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 Social Sciences at Wheaton College Illinois

11

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major in Illinois ranking. Located in Edwardsville, Illinois, this fairly large public school awarded 90 degrees to qualified ’s social sciences students in 2020-2021.

Read more about Social Sciences at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

12
EIU crest
Eastern Illinois University
Charleston, Illinois

Eastern Illinois University landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major in Illinois ranking. Charleston, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s social sciences degrees to 87 students in 2020-2021.

Full Eastern Illinois University Social Sciences Report

13
Lake Forest crest
Lake Forest College
Lake Forest, Illinois

Lake Forest College came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major in Illinois ranking. Lake Forest is located in Lake Forest, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 85 ’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% 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%.

Read more about Social Sciences at Lake Forest College

14
Augustana crest
Augustana College
Rock Island, Illinois

With a ranking of #14, Augustana College did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major in Illinois list. Augustana is located in Rock Island, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 84 ’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.5% 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%.

Read more about Social Sciences at Augustana College

15

With a ranking of #15, Northeastern Illinois University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major in Illinois list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this medium-sized public school handed out 73 diplomas to qualified ’s social sciences students in 2020-2021.

Read more about Social Sciences at Northeastern Illinois University

16

With a ranking of #16, Western Illinois University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major in Illinois list. This medium-sized school is located in Macomb, Illinois, and it awarded 74 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Social Sciences at Western Illinois University

17
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Dominican University
River Forest, Illinois

Dominican University ranked #17 on this year’s Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major in Illinois list. River Forest, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s social sciences degrees to 71 students in 2020-2021.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.4% 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%.

Read full report on Social Sciences at Dominican University

18
NLU crest
National Louis University
Chicago, Illinois

With a ranking of #18, National Louis University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major in Illinois list. National Louis University is a medium-sized school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 57 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Social Sciences at NLU

19
Roosevelt crest
Roosevelt University
Chicago, Illinois

Roosevelt University landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major in Illinois ranking. Roosevelt is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 56 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Social Sciences at Roosevelt

19
Bradley crest
Bradley University
Peoria, Illinois

Bradley University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major in Illinois ranking. Bradley University is located in Peoria, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 56 ’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Bradley University Social Sciences Report

21
Knox crest
Knox College
Galesburg, Illinois

Knox College landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major in Illinois ranking. Knox College is a small school located in Galesburg, Illinois that handed out 53 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% 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 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read more about Social Sciences at Knox College

22
North Central crest
North Central College
Naperville, Illinois

North Central College ranked #22 on this year’s Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major in Illinois list. Naperville, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s social sciences degrees to 49 students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% 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%.

Full North Central Social Sciences Report

23

With a ranking of #23, University of Illinois at Springfield did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major in Illinois list. University of Illinois at Springfield is a public institution located in Springfield, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 48 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Social Sciences at University of Illinois at Springfield

24
Olivet Nazarene crest
Olivet Nazarene University
Bourbonnais, Illinois

Olivet Nazarene University landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major in Illinois ranking. Olivet Nazarene University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Bourbonnais, Illinois. It awarded 38 ’s social sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.7% 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%.

Read more about Social Sciences at Olivet Nazarene

25
Illinois College crest
Illinois College
Jacksonville, Illinois

Illinois College landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major in Illinois ranking. Located in Jacksonville, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 37 diplomas to qualified ’s social sciences students in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Social Sciences at Illinois College

25
McKendree crest
McKendree University
Lebanon, Illinois

McKendree University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Social Sciences Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #25. Located in Lebanon, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 37 degrees to qualified ’s social sciences students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Social Sciences at McKendree

Notes and References

References

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