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2022 Best Value Colleges for Fine Arts (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois

15 Ranked Colleges
1,068 Degrees Awarded
$17,700 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Fine Arts Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Fine Arts Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2019-2020, 12,032 people earned their degree in fine arts, making the major the 67th most popular in the United States.

Across Illinois, there were 1,068 fine arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Fine Arts Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 15 colleges that offer a degree in fine arts. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent fine arts programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the fine arts program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Fine Arts Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that 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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Fine Arts Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois fine arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 15 Best Value Colleges for Fine Arts (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. UIUC is a large school located in Champaign, Illinois that handed out 16 ’s fine arts degrees in 2019-2020.

UIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Fine Arts Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $5,477 for Illinois Fine Arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, 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 94%.

Read full report on Fine Arts at UIUC

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Edwardsville, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s fine arts degrees to 21 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois fine arts students whose families make $0-$30k list, SIUE has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Fine Arts Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is $8,055 for Illinois Fine Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Fine Arts at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

#3

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northern Illinois University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. NIU is a fairly large school located in Dekalb, Illinois that handed out 55 ’s fine arts degrees in 2019-2020.

NIU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Fine Arts Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Northern Illinois University is $15,281 for Illinois Fine Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Fine Arts at NIU

Out of the 15 schools in the Best Value Fine Arts Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #4 spot on the list. University of Illinois at Chicago is a large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 28 ’s fine arts degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIC, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Fine Arts Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $10,648 for Illinois Fine Arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UIC.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Fine Arts at UIC

#5

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Illinois State University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Fine Arts Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. Illinois State University is located in Normal, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 10 ’s fine arts degrees to qualified students.

Illinois State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Fine Arts Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Illinois State is $14,470 for illinois fine arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Fine Arts at Illinois State

Southern Illinois University Carbondale did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #6. SIUC is a public institution located in Carbondale, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 42 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

SIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Fine Arts Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend SIUC is $13,658 for Illinois Fine Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Fine Arts at SIUC

#7

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois

Western Illinois University landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. WIU is a medium-sized school located in Macomb, Illinois that handed out 4 ’s fine arts degrees in 2019-2020.

WIU also made our “Best Fine Arts Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #9. The estimated yearly cost for WIU is $13,942 for illinois fine arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Fine Arts at WIU

#8

Millikin University

Decatur, Illinois

Millikin University landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Millikin is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Decatur, Illinois. It awarded 8 ’s fine arts degrees in 2019-2020.

Millikin also made our “Best Fine Arts Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #11. The estimated yearly cost for Millikin is $17,656 for illinois fine arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full Millikin University Fine Arts Report

#9

Bradley University

Peoria, Illinois

Bradley University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #9. This medium-sized school is located in Peoria, Illinois, and it awarded 9 ’s fine arts degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois fine arts students whose families make $0-$30k list, Bradley has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Fine Arts Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $17,205 for illinois fine arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Bradley University.

The low 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Full Bradley Fine Arts Report

#10

Augustana College

Rock Island, Illinois

Augustana College landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Augustana is a private not-for-profit institution located in Rock Island, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 5 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Augustana also took the #12 spot in our “Best Fine Arts Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Augustana is $20,355 for Illinois Fine Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 3.4% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full Augustana College Fine Arts Report

#11

Knox College

Galesburg, Illinois

Knox College landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Knox is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Galesburg, Illinois. It awarded 9 ’s fine arts degrees in 2019-2020.

Knox not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best Fine Arts Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Knox College is $16,828 for illinois fine arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Knox College Fine Arts Report

#12

Dominican University

River Forest, Illinois

With a ranking of #12, Dominican University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. River Forest, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s fine arts degrees to 1 students in 2019-2020.

Dominican U also took the #14 spot in our “Best Fine Arts Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Dominican U is $17,060 for illinois fine arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

The 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.

Read full report on Fine Arts at Dominican U

#13

Columbia College Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

Columbia College Chicago landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 11 degrees to qualified ’s fine arts students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois fine arts students whose families make $0-$30k list, Columbia has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Fine Arts Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Columbia is $27,120 for Illinois Fine Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Fine Arts at Columbia College Chicago

#14

Loyola University Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

Loyola University Chicago did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #14. Loyola Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 10 ’s fine arts degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois fine arts students whose families make $0-$30k list, Loyola Chicago has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Fine Arts Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Loyola University Chicago is $29,440 for illinois fine arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 3.4% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Read full report on Fine Arts at Loyola Chicago

School of the Art Institute of Chicago did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #15. School of the Art Institute of Chicago is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 779 ’s fine arts degrees to qualified students.

School of the Art Institute of Chicago did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Fine Arts Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $38,617 for illinois fine arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read full report on Fine Arts at School of the Art Institute of Chicago

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).
  • 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

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • 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.

Credits

  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Jorge Royan.

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