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Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities Associate Degree Schools in Illinois

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2023 Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities Associate Degree Schools in Illinois

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

34 Colleges
$9,183 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$24,682 Avg Salary

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

In 2020-2021, liberal arts / sciences and humanities students earned 18,292 degrees and certificates from an Illinois school, making the subject the 3rd in the state.

There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one 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.

The Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities Associate Degree Schools in Illinois ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 34 schools in Illinois to see which ones offered the best value associate degree programs for liberal arts / sciences and humanities students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

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. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.

For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.

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

The colleges and universities below are the best value schools for liberal arts / sciences and humanities majors pursuing a associate degree.

Top 10 Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Associate Degree Schools

Our 2023 rankings named Lincoln Land Community College the best value school in Illinois for liberal arts / sciences and humanities students working on their associate degree. Located in the city of Springfield, LLCC is a public college with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at LLCC are $6,840 a year.

LLCC not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #3 on our Best Liberal Arts & Humanities Associate Degree Schools in Illinois list.

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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means William Rainey Harper College is a great value for liberal arts / sciences and humanities students working on their associate degree. Harper College is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Palatine.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Harper College are $9,870 per year.

Harper College also took the #2 spot in our Best Liberal Arts & Humanities Associate Degree Schools in Illinois rankings.

Full Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at William Rainey Harper College Report

#3

Black Hawk College

Moline, IL

The excellent associate degree programs at Black Hawk College helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best value liberal arts / sciences and humanities schools in Illinois. BHC is a small public school located in the city of Moline.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at BHC are $7,500 a year.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Black Hawk College

#4

Waubonsee Community College

Sugar Grove, IL

Out of the 34 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Waubonsee Community College landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the rural area of Sugar Grove, Waubonsee is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

Waubonsee undergraduate students pay an average of $9,271 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Waubonsee also is in the top 15% of our Best Liberal Arts & Humanities Associate Degree Schools in Illinois ranking.

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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Shawnee Community College is a great value for liberal arts / sciences and humanities students working on their associate degree. Shawnee Community College is a small public school located in the rural area of Ullin.

Shawnee Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $6,090 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Full Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Shawnee Community College Report

#6

College of Lake County

Grayslake, IL

College of Lake County landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree liberal arts / sciences and humanities programs. Located in the large suburb of Grayslake, College of Lake County is a public college with a fairly large student population.

College of Lake County undergraduate students pay an average of $9,632 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

In addition to its great value ranking, College of Lake County is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Liberal Arts & Humanities Associate Degree Schools in Illinois list.

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#7

College of DuPage

Glen Ellyn, IL

College of DuPage ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities Associate Degree Schools in Illinois list. COD is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Glen Ellyn.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at COD are $9,750 per year.

Full Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at College of DuPage Report

With a ranking of #8, Moraine Valley Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for liberal arts / sciences and humanities students working on their associate degree. MVCC is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Palos Hills.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at MVCC are $8,118 per year.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Moraine Valley Community College

City Colleges of Chicago - Harold Washington College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for liberal arts / sciences and humanities students to get a associate degree. It came in at #9 on the list. Harold Washington College is a moderately-sized public school located in the large city of Chicago.

Harold Washington College undergraduate students pay an average of $11,520 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at City Colleges of Chicago - Harold Washington College

#10

Prairie State College

Chicago Heights, IL

With a ranking of #10, Prairie State College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for liberal arts / sciences and humanities students working on their associate degree. Located in the large suburb of Chicago Heights, Prairie State College is a public college with a small student population.

Prairie State College undergraduate students pay an average of $9,342 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Prairie State College

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

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

State Degrees Awarded
Indiana 3,815
Michigan 9,711
Ohio 11,432
Wisconsin 2,376

Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Liberal Arts General Studies 556,813

Majors Similar to Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities

Related Major Annual Graduates
Visual & Performing Arts 149,215
English Language & Literature 54,635
Foreign Languages & Linguistics 33,333
Theology & Religious Vocations 27,459
Philosophy & Religious Studies 19,993

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).
  • 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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