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Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities Schools in Illinois

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2023 Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities Schools in Illinois

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

48 Colleges
$9,065 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$27,957 Avg Salary

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.

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

Check out the liberal arts / sciences and humanities programs at these schools if you want to get the best value for your educational dollar.

Top 10 Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools

$6,840 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found Lincoln Land Community College to be the best value school for liberal arts / sciences and humanities students who want to pursue a degree in Illinois. Located in the midsize city of Springfield, LLCC is a public school with a small student population.

LLCC undergraduate students pay an average of $6,840 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities majors at LLCC take out an average of $11,055 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Lincoln Land Community College

$7,140 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Elgin Community College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities Schools in Illinois list. ECC is a medium-sized public school located in the midsize 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.

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

#3

Black Hawk College

Moline, IL
$7,500 Average Tuition & Fees

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 small city of Moline.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at BHC are $7,500 per year. After completing their degree, liberal arts / sciences and humanities graduates from BHC carry an average student debtload of $7,500.

Full Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Black Hawk College Report

#4

Waubonsee Community College

Sugar Grove, IL
$9,271 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Waubonsee Community College is a great value for liberal arts / sciences and humanities students. Located in the rural area of Sugar Grove, Waubonsee is a public college with a moderately-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.

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

$9,870 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend William Rainey Harper College. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Liberal Arts & Humanities Schools in Illinois list. Harper College is a 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. While working on their degree, liberal arts / sciences and humanities majors at Harper College accumulate an average of around $7,684 in student debt.

Harper College excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Liberal Arts & Humanities Schools in Illinois list.

Read More…

$6,090 Average Tuition & Fees

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.

Read More…

#7

College of DuPage

Glen Ellyn, IL
$9,750 Average Tuition & Fees

College of DuPage did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for liberal arts / sciences and humanities students. It came in at #7 on the list. COD is a very large public school located in the large suburb of Glen Ellyn.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at COD are $9,750 per year. On average, liberal arts / sciences and humanities graduates from COD take out $10,119 in student loans while working on their degree.

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

#8

College of Lake County

Grayslake, IL
$9,632 Average Tuition & Fees

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 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. 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.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at College of Lake County

$8,118 Average Tuition & Fees

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 large suburb of Palos Hills.

MVCC undergraduate students pay an average of $8,118 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities majors at MVCC take out an average of $8,250 in student loans while working on their egree.

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

#10

Carl Sandburg College

Galesburg, IL
$7,860 Average Tuition & Fees

Carl Sandburg College landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value liberal arts / sciences and humanities programs. Located in the rural area of Galesburg, Carl Sandburg College is a public college 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.

Read full report on Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities at Carl Sandburg 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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