2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Fine Arts
19
Ranked Colleges
1,585
Degrees Awarded
$30,500
Avg Cost*
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, veterans have many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Fine Arts” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
Fine & Studio Arts is the 31st most popular major in the country with 37,413 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, fine and studio arts graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $25,051 and had an average of $25,492 in loans still to pay off.
Across Illinois, there were 1,585 fine and studio arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $26,018 and $26,776 respectively.
For this year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Fine Arts” ranking, we looked at 19 colleges that offer 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 offer a lot of support to veterans and active service members.
To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as veteran satisfaction, veteran affordability, and overall quality of the fine and studio arts program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
More Ways to Rank Fine & Studio Arts Schools
When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Fine Arts” list to help you make the college 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 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.
Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Fine Arts
The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois vets studying fine arts.
Top 19 Best Fine & Studio Arts Colleges for Veterans in Illinois
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The school came in at #1 for the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Fine Arts. Located in Champaign, Illinois, this large public school awarded 52 degrees to qualified ’s Fine Arts students in 2020-2021.
UIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Our most recent data shows that 10 of the 52,679 students enrolled at UIUC were GI Bill® students, of which 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $0. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at UIUC]](/colleges/university-of-illinois-at-urbana-champaign/student-life/veterans/)
Out of the 19 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Fine Arts that were part of this year’s ranking, Illinois State University landed the #2 spot on the list. Illinois State is a large public school situated in Normal, Illinois. It awarded 106 ’s Fine Arts degrees in 2020-2021.
Illinois State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.According to our most recent data, Illinois State University supports 20,720 students, and 530 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 163 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,997. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Illinois State Veteran Student Life Report
Out of the 19 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Fine Arts that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville landed the #3 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Edwardsville, Illinois, and it awarded 38 ’s Fine Arts degrees in 2020-2021.
SIUE also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 12,860 students enrolled at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, 3 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 2 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $23,082. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville offers credit for military training for eligible students.
Read More…
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Fine Arts list. This fairly large school is located in Carbondale, Illinois, and it awarded 47 ’s Fine Arts degrees in 2020-2021.
SIUC also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 11,366 students enrolled at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, 1 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $0. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Southern Illinois University Carbondale]](/colleges/southern-illinois-university-carbondale/student-life/veterans/)
Out of the 19 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Fine Arts that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #5 spot on the list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s Fine Arts degrees to 44 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIC, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, University of Illinois at Chicago supports 33,518 students, and 1 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 1 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $23,878. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
[Read full report on veteran student life at University of Illinois at Chicago]](/colleges/university-of-illinois-at-chicago/student-life/veterans/)
Columbia College Chicago landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Fine Arts ranking. Columbia College Chicago is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 32 ’s Fine Arts degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Columbia, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 140 of the 6,769 students enrolled at Columbia were GI Bill® students, of which 98 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $17,151. To help with additional expenses, 25 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Columbia College Chicago]](/colleges/columbia-college-chicago/student-life/veterans/)
Eastern Illinois University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Fine Arts ranking, coming in at #7. Eastern Illinois University is a public institution located in Charleston, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 73 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our illinois vets studying fine arts list, EIU has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, EIU supports 8,626 students, and 184 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 46 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,730. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Read More…
Northern Illinois University landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Fine Arts ranking. Northern Illinois University is a fairly large school located in Dekalb, Illinois that handed out 81 ’s Fine Arts degrees in 2020-2021.
NIU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Our most recent data shows that 480 of the 16,769 students enrolled at NIU were GI Bill® students, of which 207 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $7,822. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
Read More…
North Central College landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Fine Arts ranking. This small school is located in Naperville, Illinois, and it awarded 6 ’s Fine Arts degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our illinois vets studying fine arts list, North Central has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 2,832 students enrolled at North Central College, 46 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 32 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $19,214. During this same period, 15 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full North Central College Veteran Student Life Report
Loyola University Chicago did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Fine Arts ranking, coming in at #10. Loyola Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 20 ’s Fine Arts degrees in 2020-2021.
Loyola Chicago also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 16,893 students enrolled at Loyola Chicago, 261 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 165 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $17,263. In addition to receiving other benefits, 78 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Loyola University Chicago]](/colleges/loyola-university-chicago/student-life/veterans/)
DePaul University ranked #11 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Fine Arts list. DePaul is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 18 ’s Fine Arts degrees to qualified students.
DePaul also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 21,922 students enrolled at DePaul, 528 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 367 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $14,957. To help with additional expenses, 101 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read More…
Western Illinois University landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Fine Arts ranking. WIU is located in Macomb, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 14 ’s Fine Arts degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at WIU, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, Western Illinois University supports 7,490 students, and 330 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 62 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,652. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Western Illinois University offers credit for military training for eligible students.
Read More…
Northwestern University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Fine Arts ranking, coming in at #13. Northwestern University is located in Evanston, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 24 ’s Fine Arts degrees to qualified students.
Northwestern not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Our most recent data shows that 1 of the 22,603 students enrolled at Northwestern were GI Bill® students, of which 1 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $399. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Full Northwestern Veteran Student Life Report
Bradley University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Fine Arts ranking, coming in at #14. Located in Peoria, Illinois, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 7 degrees to qualified ’s Fine Arts students in 2020-2021.
Bradley did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.According to our most recent data, Bradley University supports 5,855 students, and 96 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 61 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $13,498. In addition to receiving other benefits, 7 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 Bradley Veteran Student Life Report
Olivet Nazarene University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Fine Arts ranking, coming in at #15. Located in Bourbonnais, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 18 diplomas to qualified ’s Fine Arts students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our illinois vets studying fine arts list, Olivet Nazarene has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 3,764 students enrolled at Olivet Nazarene University, 57 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 35 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $12,334. To help with additional expenses, 11 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read More…
School of the Art Institute of Chicago came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Fine Arts ranking. This small school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 708 ’s Fine Arts degrees in 2020-2021.
School of the Art Institute of Chicago not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Our most recent data shows that 55 of the 3,132 students enrolled at School of the Art Institute of Chicago were GI Bill® students, of which 33 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $18,359. On top of their other funding sources, 16 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Full School of the Art Institute of Chicago Veteran Student Life Report
Millikin University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Fine Arts ranking. Millikin University is located in Decatur, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 9 ’s Fine Arts degrees to qualified students.
Millikin did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.According to our most recent data, Millikin University supports 1,982 students, and 24 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 20 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $7,013. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
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 veteran student life at Millikin]](/colleges/millikin-university/student-life/veterans/)
With a ranking of #18, Wheaton College Illinois did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Fine Arts list. Wheaton College Illinois is located in Wheaton, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 14 ’s Fine Arts degrees to qualified students.
Wheaton College Illinois did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Of the 2,908 students enrolled at Wheaton College Illinois, 56 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 45 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $20,675. On top of their other funding sources, 29 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. 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.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Wheaton College Illinois]](/colleges/wheaton-college-illinois/student-life/veterans/)
American Academy of Art did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Fine Arts ranking, coming in at #19. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out ’s Fine Arts degrees to 7 students in 2020-2021.
The Academy also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Among the 169 students enrolled at The Academy, 1 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $0. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
[Read full report on veteran student life at American Academy of Art]](/colleges/american-academy-of-art/student-life/veterans/)
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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).
- Veteran-specific data can be found at the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
- 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
- *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top schools only.
- **GI Bill® student total includes all chapters of the GI Bill® program (e.g., Post-9/11, Montgomery GI Bill, Reserve Education Assistance Program, and Veteran Readiness and Employment)
- 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
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