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Best Value History Schools in Illinois

2023 Best Value History Schools in Illinois

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

12 Colleges
$24,173 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$32,707 Avg Salary

Finding the Best History School for You

With 974 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, history is the #23 most popular major in Illinois.

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 assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Value History Schools in Illinois ranking. Our analysis looked at 12 schools in Illinois to see which programs offered the best value experiences for history 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.

Top 10 Best History Schools

$13,968 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named Illinois State University the best value school in Illinois for history students. Illinois State is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized suburb of Normal.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Illinois State are $13,968 per year. History majors at Illinois State take out an average of $21,741 in student loans while working on their egree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $294, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Illinois State also claimed a spot on our Best History Schools in Illinois list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.

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$17,634 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best history schools in Illinois. Located in the city of Champaign, UIUC is a public college with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UIUC are $17,634 a year. While working on their degree, history majors at UIUC accumulate an average of around $20,991 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $434, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

UIUC not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #3 on our Best History Schools in Illinois list.

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$11,496 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value History Schools in Illinois list. SIUE is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Edwardsville.

SIUE undergraduate students pay an average of $11,496 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, history majors at SIUE accumulate an average of around $22,750 in student debt.

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#4

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, IL
$12,297 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Eastern Illinois University is a great value for history students. Located in the town of Charleston, EIU is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

EIU undergraduate students pay an average of $12,297 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, history graduates from EIU take out $26,000 in student loans while working on their degree.

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$14,738 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 12 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Northern Illinois University landed the # 5 spot on the list. NIU is a large public school located in the suburb of Dekalb.

NIU undergraduate students pay an average of $14,738 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, history graduates from NIU take out $22,500 in student loans while working on their degree.

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$13,297 Average Tuition & Fees

Western Illinois University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value History Schools in Illinois ranking. Located in the remote town of Macomb, WIU is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at WIU are $13,297 a year. While working on their degree, history majors at WIU accumulate an average of around $29,750 in student debt.

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$12,064 Average Tuition & Fees

Northeastern Illinois University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for history students. It came in at #7 on the list. Northeastern Illinois University is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Chicago.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Northeastern Illinois University are $12,064 per year. While working on their degree, history majors at Northeastern Illinois University accumulate an average of around $16,991 in student debt.

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$15,240 Average Tuition & Fees

Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value history programs. SIUC is a large public school located in the city of Carbondale.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at SIUC are $15,240 a year. On average, history graduates from SIUC take out $22,500 in student loans while working on their degree.

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$15,603 Average Tuition & Fees

University of Illinois at Chicago did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for history students. It came in at #9 on the list. UIC is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Chicago.

UIC undergraduate students pay an average of $15,603 in in-state tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that history majors at UIC take out is $20,081.

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#10

Northwestern University

Evanston, IL
$60,768 Average Tuition & Fees

Northwestern University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value history programs. Located in the city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

Northwestern undergraduate students pay an average of $60,768 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, history graduates from Northwestern take out $17,200 in student loans while working on their degree.

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Northwestern is ranked #1 for overall quality for history in Illinois.

Full History at Northwestern University Report

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Best Value History Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Value History Schools in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Indiana 533
Michigan 614
Ohio 986
Wisconsin 561

History Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
History 32,731

Majors Similar to History

Related Major Annual Graduates
Education 327,871
Social Sciences 205,984
Psychology 195,678
Communication & Journalism 120,571
Family, Consumer & Human Sciences 55,820

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 12 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 Abraham Ortelius.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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