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Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities Schools in Illinois

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2023 Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities Schools in Illinois

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

6 Colleges
$38,550 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$27,957 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities School for You

In 2020-2021, 290 degrees and certificates were awarded to liberal arts / sciences and humanities students who went to a Illinois college or university. This makes it the #22 most popular major in the state.

There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right for you. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Grad Degree Search has developed this Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities Schools in Illinois ranking. Our analysis looked at 6 schools in Illinois to see which programs offered the best value experiences for liberal arts / sciences and humanities students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.

When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.

Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

2023 Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools in Illinois

The following schools top our list of the Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Colleges.

Best Illinois Schools for Affordable Quality in Liberal Arts & Humanities

$12,053 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found University of Illinois at Springfield to be the best value school for liberal arts / sciences and humanities students who want to pursue a degree in Illinois. UIS is a small public school located in the midsize city of Springfield.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UIS are $12,053 a year.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at University of Illinois at Springfield

$13,297 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Western Illinois University is a great value for liberal arts / sciences and humanities students. Located in the remote town of Macomb, WIU is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at WIU are $13,297 a year.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Western Illinois University

#3

DePaul University

Chicago, IL
$42,012 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend DePaul University. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities Schools in Illinois list. Located in the large city of Chicago, DePaul is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

DePaul undergraduate students pay an average of $42,012 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Full Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at DePaul University Report

#4

North Central College

Naperville, IL
$42,206 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means North Central College is a great value for liberal arts / sciences and humanities students. North Central is a small private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Naperville.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at North Central are $42,206 per year.

Read More…

#5

Northwestern University

Evanston, IL
$60,768 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Northwestern University is a great value for liberal arts / sciences and humanities students. Located in the city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

Northwestern undergraduate students pay an average of $60,768 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Northwestern also made our Best Liberal Arts & Humanities Schools in Illinois list, coming in at #1.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Northwestern University

#6

University of Chicago

Chicago, IL
$60,963 Average Tuition & Fees

University of Chicago landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value liberal arts / sciences and humanities programs. UChicago is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Chicago.

UChicago undergraduate students pay an average of $60,963 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

UChicago also made our Best Liberal Arts & Humanities Schools in Illinois list, coming in at #2.

Full Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at University of Chicago Report

Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Value Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Colleges in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Indiana 19
Ohio 62
Wisconsin 4
Michigan 13

Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Liberal Arts General Studies 2,680

Related Major Annual Graduates
Visual & Performing Arts 18,379
Theology & Religious Vocations 17,287
English Language & Literature 9,566
Foreign Languages & Linguistics 4,163
Philosophy & Religious Studies 3,136

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 6 schools only.

  • 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 the rest 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).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Jacques Sablet (Switzerland, Morges, 1749-1803).

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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