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Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in Illinois

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2023 Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in Illinois

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

42 Colleges
$8,764 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$24,682 Avg Salary

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.

2023 Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in Illinois

Check out the liberal arts associate degree programs at these schools if you want to get the best value for your educational dollar.

Top 10 Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools

Our analysis found Lincoln Land Community College to be the best value school for liberal arts general studies students who want to pursue a associate degree in Illinois. LLCC is a small public school located in the medium-sized 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 made our Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in Illinois list, coming in at #3.

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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 suburb of Belleville, SWIC is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SWIC are $6,390 per year. The average amount in student loans that liberal arts majors at SWIC take out while working on their Associate Degree is $10,772.

Full Liberal Arts General Studies at Southwestern Illinois College Report

The excellent associate degree programs at Elgin Community College helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best value liberal arts general studies schools in Illinois. Located in the medium-sized city of Elgin, ECC is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at ECC are $7,140 a year. On average, liberal arts graduates from ECC take out $9,354 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

ECC not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #5 on our Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in Illinois list.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Elgin Community College

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend William Rainey Harper College. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in Illinois list. Located in the 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 also made our Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in Illinois list, coming in at #2.

Full Liberal Arts General Studies at William Rainey Harper College Report

#5

Black Hawk College

Moline, IL

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Black Hawk College is a great value for liberal arts general studies students working on their associate degree. Located in the small city of Moline, BHC is a public school with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at BHC are $7,500 a year. On average, liberal arts graduates from BHC take out $8,530 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Black Hawk College

#6

Waubonsee Community College

Sugar Grove, IL

Waubonsee Community College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree liberal arts general studies programs. 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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Shawnee Community College ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in Illinois list. 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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#8

Rock Valley College

Rockford, IL

With a ranking of #8, Rock Valley 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 city of Rockford, Rock Valley College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Rock Valley College are $8,924 per 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.

Read full report on Liberal Arts General Studies at Rock Valley College

#9

College of Lake County

Grayslake, IL

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.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, College of Lake County also is in the top 20% of our Best Liberal Arts General Studies Associate Degree Schools in Illinois ranking.

Full Liberal Arts General Studies at College of Lake County Report

#10

College of DuPage

Glen Ellyn, IL

With a ranking of #10, College of DuPage did quite well on this year’s best value schools for liberal arts general studies students working on their associate degree. Located in the large suburb of Glen Ellyn, COD is a public school with a very large student population.

COD undergraduate students pay an average of $9,750 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, liberal arts graduates from COD take out $12,979 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Schools 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

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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