2023 Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in Illinois
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree School for You
Out of the majors we analyze each year, liberal arts general studies was ranked 2nd in Illinois. In fact, 18,292 were awarded in the state in 2020-2021.
When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in Illinois to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 42 schools in Illinois to see which associate degree programs offered the best value experiences for liberal arts students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.
This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. 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.
For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
Top 10 Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Lincoln Land Community College the best value school in Illinois for liberal arts general studies students working on their associate degree. LLCC is a small public school located in the midsize city of Springfield.
LLCC undergraduate students pay an average of $6,840 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Liberal Arts majors at LLCC take out an average of $13,858 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
LLCC also took the #3 spot in our Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in Illinois rankings.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Southwestern Illinois College. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in Illinois list. Located in the large suburb of Belleville, SWIC is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
SWIC undergraduate students pay an average of $6,390 in in-state tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that liberal arts majors at SWIC take out while working on their Associate Degree is $10,772.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Elgin Community College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in Illinois list. Located in the medium-sized city of Elgin, ECC is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at ECC are $7,140 per year. On average, liberal arts graduates from ECC take out $9,354 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
ECC also took the #5 spot in our Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in Illinois rankings.
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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means William Rainey Harper College is a great value for liberal arts general studies students working on their associate degree. Located in the large suburb of Palatine, Harper College is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Harper College undergraduate students pay an average of $9,870 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their Associate Degree, liberal arts majors at Harper College accumulate an average of around $10,983 in student debt.
Harper College did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in Illinois list.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Black Hawk College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in Illinois list. Located in the small city of Moline, BHC is a public college with a small student population.
BHC undergraduate students pay an average of $7,500 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, liberal arts graduates from BHC take out $8,530 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
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Waubonsee Community College ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in Illinois list. Waubonsee is a moderately-sized public school located in the rural area of Sugar Grove.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Waubonsee are $9,271 per year. The average amount in student loans that liberal arts majors at Waubonsee take out while working on their Associate Degree is $9,193.
Waubonsee also claimed a spot on our Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in Illinois list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category.
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With a ranking of #7, Shawnee Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for liberal arts general studies students working on their associate degree. Located in the remote area of Ullin, Shawnee Community College is a public college with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Shawnee Community College are $6,090 a year. On average, liberal arts graduates from Shawnee Community College take out $6,711 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
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Rock Valley College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. Located in the city of Rockford, Rock Valley College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Rock Valley College are $8,924 a year. The average amount in student loans that liberal arts majors at Rock Valley College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $8,701.
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College of Lake County did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for liberal arts general studies students to get a associate degree. It came in at #9 on the list. College of Lake County is a large public school located in the suburb of Grayslake.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at College of Lake County are $9,632 per year. After completing their Associate Degree, liberal arts graduates from College of Lake County carry an average student debtload of $10,720.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, College of Lake County also did well on our Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in Illinois list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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College of DuPage ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in Illinois list. Located in the suburb of Glen Ellyn, COD is a public college with a fairly large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at COD are $9,750 per year. On average, liberal arts graduates from COD take out $12,979 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
Request InformationBest Value Liberal Arts General Studies Colleges in the Great Lakes Region
Explore all the Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Colleges in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Michigan | 9,711 |
| Ohio | 11,432 |
| Indiana | 3,815 |
| Wisconsin | 2,376 |
More Liberal Arts General Studies Rankings in Illinois
Liberal Arts General Studies Related Majors for Liberal Arts
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 26 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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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