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2025 Best Social Sciences Schools in Illinois

25 Colleges in Illinois
5,971 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
$40,688 Avg Early-Career Salary
A degree in social sciences is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #5 out of 38 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

College Factual looked at 25 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Social Sciences Schools in Illinois ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 5,971 degrees in social sciences annually.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Social Sciences School

Best Social Sciences Schools in Illinois The social sciences program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Social Sciences rankings. For our Best Overall Social Sciences School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Pick Your Social Sciences Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in Social Sciences
Master's Degrees in Social Sciences
Doctor's Degrees in Social Sciences

The social sciences school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Social Sciences Schools in Illinois. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.

Best Schools for Social Sciences in Illinois

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the social sciences degrees they offer, see the list below.

10 Top Illinois Schools in Social Sciences

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
651 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
$72,512 Median Starting Salary

Northwestern University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in social sciences. Located in the city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #5 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Northwestern is a great university overall.

There were about 651 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at Northwestern in the most recent year we have data available. Social Sciences degree recipients from Northwestern University get an earnings boost of approximately $31,824 above the average income of social sciences graduates.

More information about a degree in social sciences from Northwestern University

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1,458 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
12.3% Growth in Graduates

Every student pursuing a degree in social sciences needs to check out University of Chicago. UChicago is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Chicago. A Best Colleges rank of #3 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UChicago is a great university overall.

There were roughly 1458 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at UChicago in the most recent data year. Social Sciences degree recipients from University of Chicago get an earnings boost of about $36,435 above the average earnings of social sciences majors.

More information about a degree in social sciences from University of Chicago

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
927 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
$47,033 Median Starting Salary

It's difficult to beat University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign if you wish to pursue a degree in social sciences. UIUC is a very large public university located in the city of Champaign. A Best Colleges rank of #41 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UIUC is a great university overall.

There were approximately 927 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at UIUC in the most recent year we have data available. Social Sciences degree recipients from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign get an earnings boost of around $6,345 above the average earnings of social sciences graduates.

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

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
316 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
11.1% Growth in Graduates

Loyola University Chicago is a wonderful choice for students pursuing a degree in social sciences. Loyola Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Chicago. A Best Colleges rank of #100 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Loyola Chicago is a great university overall.

There were roughly 316 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at Loyola Chicago in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, social sciences degree recipients typically make around $34,170 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in social sciences from Loyola University Chicago

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
360 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
3.1% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Chicago, UIC is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #254 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UIC is a great university overall.

There were roughly 360 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at UIC in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the social sciences program make around $35,792 for their early career.

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

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
158 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
$35,586 Median Starting Salary

Located in the town of Carbondale, SIUC is a public university with a large student population. This university ranks 36th out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were approximately 158 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at SIUC in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, social sciences degree recipients typically make about $35,586 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in social sciences from Southern Illinois University Carbondale

7
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, IL
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
304 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
8.6% Growth in Graduates

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

There were about 304 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at DePaul in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the social sciences program state that they receive average early career wages of $39,428.

More information about a degree in social sciences from DePaul University

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
191 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
$36,354 Median Starting Salary

Located in the suburb of Dekalb, NIU is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #529 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means NIU is a great university overall.

There were about 191 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at NIU in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the social sciences program state that they receive average early career wages of $36,354.

More information about a degree in social sciences from Northern Illinois University

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
97 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
$51,036 Median Starting Salary

Located in the suburb of Wheaton, Wheaton College Illinois is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #407 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Wheaton College Illinois is a great college overall.

There were about 97 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at Wheaton College Illinois in the most recent year we have data available. Those social sciences students who get their degree from Wheaton College Illinois earn $10,347 more than the typical social sciences graduate.

More information about a degree in social sciences from Wheaton College Illinois

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
237 Social Sciences Degrees Awarded
0.4% Growth in Graduates

Illinois State is a very large public university located in the medium-sized suburb of Normal. A Best Colleges rank of #210 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Illinois State is a great university overall.

There were roughly 236.99999999999997 social sciences students who graduated with this degree at Illinois State in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the social sciences program earn an average of $35,268 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in social sciences from Illinois State University

Best Social Sciences Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Indiana 38 2,925
Michigan 38 4,194
Ohio 38 4,882
Wisconsin 37 3,477

View All Rankings >

Social Sciences Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Economics 2,222
Political Science & Government 1,528
Sociology 798
International Relations & National Security 373
Anthropology 300
General Social Sciences 254
Geography & Cartography 159
Sociology & Anthropology 51
Other Social Sciences 45
Urban Studies 18

View All Social Sciences Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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