2023 Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities Schools in Illinois
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
Finding the Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities 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 Schools in Illinois ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 48 schools in Illinois to see which programs offered the best value experiences for liberal arts / sciences and humanities 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. 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.
Top 10 Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Lincoln Land Community College the best value school in Illinois for liberal arts / sciences and humanities students. Located in the city of Springfield, LLCC is a public college with a small student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at LLCC are $6,840 per year. Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities majors at LLCC take out an average of $11,055 in student loans while working on their egree.
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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Elgin Community College is a great value for liberal arts / sciences and humanities students. ECC is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Elgin.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at ECC are $7,140 per year. The average amount in student loans that liberal arts / sciences and humanities majors at ECC take out is $7,000.
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Out of the 48 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Black Hawk College landed the # 3 spot on the list. 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. After completing their degree, liberal arts / sciences and humanities graduates from BHC carry an average student debtload of $7,500.
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The excellent programs at Waubonsee Community College helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best liberal arts / sciences and humanities schools in Illinois. Located in the rural area of Sugar Grove, Waubonsee is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Waubonsee are $9,271 a year. The average amount in student loans that liberal arts / sciences and humanities majors at Waubonsee take out is $7,250.
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Out of the 48 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, William Rainey Harper College landed the # 5 spot on the list. Harper College is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Palatine.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Harper College are $9,870 a year. While working on their degree, liberal arts / sciences and humanities majors at Harper College accumulate an average of around $7,684 in student debt.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Harper College also did well on our Best Liberal Arts & Humanities Schools in Illinois list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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With a ranking of #6, Shawnee Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for liberal arts / sciences and humanities students. 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.
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With a ranking of #7, College of DuPage did quite well on this year’s best value schools for liberal arts / sciences and humanities students. COD is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Glen Ellyn.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at COD are $9,750 a year. On average, liberal arts / sciences and humanities graduates from COD take out $10,119 in student loans while working on their degree.
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College of Lake County did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for liberal arts / sciences and humanities students. It came in at #8 on the list. Located in the suburb of Grayslake, College of Lake County is a public school with a large student population.
College of Lake County undergraduate students pay an average of $9,632 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, liberal arts / sciences and humanities graduates from College of Lake County take out $7,250 in student loans while working on their degree.
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Moraine Valley Community College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities Schools in Illinois ranking. MVCC is a large public school located in the suburb of Palos Hills.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at MVCC are $8,118 a year. Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities majors at MVCC take out an average of $8,250 in student loans while working on their egree.
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Carl Sandburg College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities Schools in Illinois list. Located in the rural area of Galesburg, Carl Sandburg College is a public school with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Carl Sandburg College are $7,860 a year. After completing their degree, liberal arts / sciences and humanities graduates from Carl Sandburg College carry an average student debtload of $5,500.
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Request InformationBest 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 |
More Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Rankings in Illinois
Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Related Majors for Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities
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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