2023 Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Undergraduate Certificate Schools in Illinois
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Liberal Arts General Studies Undergraduate Certificate 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.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Undergraduate Certificate Schools in Illinois ranking. Our analysis looked at 31 schools in Illinois to see which undergraduate certificate 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 Undergraduate Certificate Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Elgin Community College the best value school in Illinois for liberal arts general studies students working on their undergraduate certificate. Located in the midsize city of Elgin, ECC is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at ECC are $7,140 a year.
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The excellent undergraduate certificate programs at Black Hawk College helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best value liberal arts general studies schools in Illinois. Located in the city of Moline, BHC is a public school with a small student population.
BHC undergraduate students pay an average of $7,500 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
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The excellent undergraduate certificate programs at Shawnee 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 rural area of Ullin, Shawnee Community College is a public school with a small student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Shawnee Community College are $6,090 per year.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Carl Sandburg College. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Undergraduate Certificate Schools in Illinois list. Carl Sandburg College is a small public school located in the rural area of Galesburg.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Carl Sandburg College are $7,860 a year.
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Out of the 31 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, William Rainey Harper College landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the suburb of Palatine, Harper College is a public college with a large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Harper College are $9,870 per year.
Harper College also claimed a spot on our Best Liberal Arts General Studies Undergraduate Certificate Schools in Illinois list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category.
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With a ranking of #6, College of Lake County did quite well on this year’s best value schools for liberal arts general studies students working on their undergraduate certificate. 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.
College of Lake County excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Liberal Arts General Studies Undergraduate Certificate Schools in Illinois list.
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McHenry County College landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value undergraduate certificate liberal arts general studies programs. MCC is a moderately-sized public school located in the rural area of Crystal Lake.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at MCC are $11,608 per year.
MCC did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our Best Liberal Arts General Studies Undergraduate Certificate Schools in Illinois list.
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Lewis and Clark Community College landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value undergraduate certificate liberal arts general studies programs. Located in the suburb of Godfrey, Lewis and Clark Community College is a public school with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Lewis and Clark Community College are $9,552 a year.
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John Wood Community College ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts General Studies Undergraduate Certificate Schools in Illinois list. Located in the rural area of Quincy, John Wood Community College is a public college with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at John Wood Community College are $8,190 a year.
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With a ranking of #10, Lake Land College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for liberal arts general studies students working on their undergraduate certificate. Located in the distant town of Mattoon, Lake Land College is a public school with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Lake Land College are $8,104 a year.
Full Liberal Arts General Studies at Lake Land College Report
Request InformationBest 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 |
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 25 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.