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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Fine & Studio Arts in Illinois (With Aid)

28 Ranked Colleges
1,321 Degrees Awarded
$21,300 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor's in Illinois For Those Getting Aid

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” ranking.

In 2019-2020, 39,860 people earned their degree in fine and studio arts, making the major the 29th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, fine and studio arts graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $23,847 and had an average of $28,316 in loans still to pay off.

Across Illinois, there were 1,685 fine and studio arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $22,071 and $29,661 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,321 fine and studio arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,319 and $24,183 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 28 colleges that offered a degree in fine and studio arts. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent fine and studio arts programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the fine and studio arts program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. 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.

Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Fine & Studio Arts in Illinois (With Aid)

Out of the 28 schools in the Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #1 spot on the list. UIUC is a public institution located in Champaign, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 36 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for UIUC is $15,880 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. 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%.

Read more about Fine & Studio Arts at UIUC

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Chicago. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. University of Illinois at Chicago is a public institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 33 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UIC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend UIC is $13,312 for illinois bachelor’s degree fine arts students with aid.

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%.

Full University of Illinois at Chicago Fine & Studio Arts Report

#3

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, Illinois

Out of the 28 schools in the Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Eastern Illinois University landed the #3 spot on the list. This medium-sized school is located in Charleston, Illinois, and it awarded 24 bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees in 2019-2020.

EIU also made our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #10. It costs about $14,607 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students with aid per year to attend EIU.

Read full report on Fine & Studio Arts at Eastern Illinois University

#4

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

Out of the 28 schools in the Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Northern Illinois University landed the #4 spot on the list. NIU is located in Dekalb, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 78 bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees to qualified students.

NIU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend NIU is $18,259 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students with aid.

Full Northern Illinois University Fine & Studio Arts Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Edwardsville, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees to 35 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SIUE, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $14,423 for illinois bachelor’s degree fine arts students with aid per year to attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.

Read full report on Fine & Studio Arts at SIUE

With a ranking of #6, Northeastern Illinois University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. This medium-sized school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 24 bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree fine arts students with aid list, Northeastern Illinois University has also earned the #19 rank in our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Northeastern Illinois University is $15,843 for illinois bachelor’s degree fine arts students with aid.

Read full report on Fine & Studio Arts at Northeastern Illinois University

#7

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois

Illinois State University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Normal, Illinois, this large public school awarded 84 degrees to qualified bachelors’s Fine Arts students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree fine arts students with aid list, Illinois State has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Illinois State University is $20,895 for illinois bachelor’s degree fine arts students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Illinois State Fine & Studio Arts Report

Southern Illinois University Carbondale ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Southern Illinois University Carbondale is located in Carbondale, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 37 bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees to qualified students.

SIUC also took the #17 spot in our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for SIUC is $16,945 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students with aid.

Full Southern Illinois University Carbondale Fine & Studio Arts Report

#9

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois

With a ranking of #9, Western Illinois University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. WIU is a medium-sized school located in Macomb, Illinois that handed out 21 bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at WIU, the school also landed the #18 spot in our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for WIU is $16,210 for illinois bachelor’s degree fine arts students with aid.

Read more about Fine & Studio Arts at Western Illinois University

#10

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois

Northwestern University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Northwestern is a large school located in Evanston, Illinois that handed out 24 bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees in 2019-2020.

Northwestern also took the #1 spot in our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $24,664 for illinois bachelor’s degree fine arts students with aid per year to attend Northwestern University.

With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive 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 about Fine & Studio Arts at Northwestern University

#11

North Park University

Chicago, Illinois
#14 in overall quality

With a ranking of #11, North Park University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. North Park is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 19 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

North Park did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for North Park is $19,170 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students with aid.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read more about Fine & Studio Arts at North Park University

#12

Olivet Nazarene University

Bourbonnais, Illinois

With a ranking of #12, Olivet Nazarene University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Olivet Nazarene is a small school located in Bourbonnais, Illinois that handed out 23 bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Olivet Nazarene, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Olivet Nazarene is $20,195 for illinois bachelor’s degree fine arts students with aid.

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%.

Full Olivet Nazarene Fine & Studio Arts Report

#13

Millikin University

Decatur, Illinois

Millikin University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. Millikin is a private not-for-profit institution located in Decatur, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Millikin also made our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #20. It costs about $21,331 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students with aid per year to attend Millikin University.

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.

Read full report on Fine & Studio Arts at Millikin University

#14

Dominican University

River Forest, Illinois
#25 in overall quality

With a ranking of #14, Dominican University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Dominican U is a private not-for-profit institution located in River Forest, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 4 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree fine arts students with aid list, Dominican U has also earned the #25 rank in our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Dominican University is $19,268 for illinois bachelor’s degree fine arts students with aid.

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.

Read more about Fine & Studio Arts at Dominican U

#15

Wheaton College Illinois

Wheaton, Illinois

Wheaton College Illinois ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Wheaton College Illinois is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Wheaton, Illinois. It awarded 15 bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree fine arts students with aid list, Wheaton College Illinois has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Wheaton College Illinois is $25,358 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students with aid.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low student loan default rate of 0.7% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%.

Read full report on Fine & Studio Arts at Wheaton College Illinois

#16

Elmhurst University

Elmhurst, Illinois
#24 in overall quality

Elmhurst University landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. Elmhurst, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees to 2 students in 2019-2020.

Elmhurst also made our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #24. The yearly cost to attend Elmhurst is $21,485 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Elmhurst University Fine & Studio Arts Report

#17

Augustana College

Rock Island, Illinois

Augustana College ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Rock Island, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees to 8 students in 2019-2020.

Augustana did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #21 on our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $23,874 for illinois bachelor’s degree fine arts students with aid per year to attend Augustana.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, 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 85%.

Read full report on Fine & Studio Arts at Augustana College

#18

Bradley University

Peoria, Illinois

With a ranking of #18, Bradley University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Bradley University is a medium-sized school located in Peoria, Illinois that handed out 10 bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree fine arts students with aid list, Bradley has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $25,634 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students with aid per year to attend Bradley University.

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

Read more about Fine & Studio Arts at Bradley University

#19

Lake Forest College

Lake Forest, Illinois

Lake Forest College came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. This small school is located in Lake Forest, Illinois, and it awarded 15 bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Lake Forest, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $26,426 for illinois bachelor’s degree fine arts students with aid per year to attend Lake Forest College.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Fine & Studio Arts at Lake Forest College

#20

Knox College

Galesburg, Illinois

Knox College ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Knox is a small school located in Galesburg, Illinois that handed out 12 bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $22,292 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students with aid per year to attend Knox.

The impressive 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. 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 & Studio Arts Report

#21

North Central College

Naperville, Illinois
#22 in overall quality

North Central College landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Naperville, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 6 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s Fine Arts students in 2019-2020.

North Central did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #22 on our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend North Central College is $24,786 for illinois bachelor’s degree fine arts students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 3.9% 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 Fine & Studio Arts at North Central

#22

Illinois Wesleyan University

Bloomington, Illinois

Illinois Wesleyan University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #22. Illinois Wesleyan University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Bloomington, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Illinois Wesleyan also made our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #6. It costs about $26,039 for illinois bachelor’s degree fine arts students with aid per year to attend Illinois Wesleyan.

The low student loan default rate of 1.4% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Fine & Studio Arts at Illinois Wesleyan

#23

Columbia College Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

Columbia College Chicago ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. This medium-sized school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 23 bachelors’s Fine Arts degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree fine arts students with aid list, Columbia has also earned the #23 rank in our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Columbia is $31,099 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students with aid.

Read more about Fine & Studio Arts at Columbia

#24

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
#3 in overall quality

University of Chicago landed the #24 spot on the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 21 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UChicago did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $27,315 for illinois bachelor’s degree fine arts students with aid per year to attend UChicago.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 100%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The impressive 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 Fine & Studio Arts at University of Chicago

#25

American Academy of Art

Chicago, Illinois

American Academy of Art came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. The Academy is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 12 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend American Academy of Art is $28,106 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students with aid.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read more about Fine & Studio Arts at The Academy

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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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