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College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2026 Best History Schools in Illinois

10 Colleges in the United States
720 History Degrees Awarded
$39,624 Avg Early-Career Salary

History degree programs prepare students for a range of careers in the field. The schools below stand out for the quality of their history programs.

To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 45 schools to find the best for history students.

What’s on this page:

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Best Schools for History in Illinois

If you are not interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the history degrees they offer, see the list below.

Top Schools in History

1

No school ranked higher than Northwestern University this year for history. Set in the city of Evanston, Northwestern University is a very large private not-for-profit institution. About 95% of students finish within six years. Northwestern University awarded about 44 history degrees in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, history degree recipients from Northwestern University generally make around $50,161. Students borrow a median of $15,917 to complete this degree. More information about a degree in history from Northwestern University

2

University Of Chicago is one of the finest schools in the country for a degree in history, ranking #2. Located in the city of Chicago, University Of Chicago is a very large private not-for-profit university. The six-year graduation rate is 96%. There were roughly 75 history students who graduated with this degree at University Of Chicago in the most recent data year. Graduates of the history program make about $46,616 in their early career. Typical student debt for the program is $15,854. More information about a degree in history from University Of Chicago

3

Students looking for a strong history program will find one at Wheaton College Illinois, which ranked #3. Wheaton College Illinois is a mid-sized private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Wheaton. Wheaton College Illinois graduates 85% of students within six years. About 13 history degrees were awarded at Wheaton College Illinois in the most recent year. Soon after graduation, history degree recipients from Wheaton College Illinois generally make around $43,654. Wheaton College Illinois graduates carry a median of $23,292 in student loans. Get the full history details for Wheaton College Illinois

4

A rank of #4 makes University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign one of the top schools for history. University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign is a very large public school located in the city of Champaign. Roughly 85% of students complete a degree within six years here. There were roughly 93 history students who graduated with this degree at University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign in the most recent data year. Graduates of the history program make about $26,436 in their early career. University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign graduates carry a median of $19,000 in student loans. See the full history program report for University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign

5
Elmhurst College crest
Elmhurst College
Elmhurst, IL

A rank of #5 makes Elmhurst College one of the top schools for history. Located in the suburb of Elmhurst, Elmhurst College is a mid-sized private not-for-profit university. The six-year graduation rate is 70%. There were roughly 15 history students who graduated with this degree at Elmhurst College in the most recent data year. Graduates of the history program make about $51,232 in their early career. Elmhurst College graduates carry a median of $14,750 in student loans. See the full history program report for Elmhurst College

6
Lewis University crest
Lewis University
Romeoville, IL

Lewis University came in at #6 for history this year. Located in the suburb of Romeoville, Lewis University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university. Lewis University graduates 67% of students within six years. About 10 history degrees were awarded at Lewis University in the most recent year. Students who receive their history degree from Lewis University earn around $55,718 in the first couple years of their career. Lewis University graduates carry a median of $24,838 in student loans. Get the full history details for Lewis University

7

Illinois State University placed #7 among the best history schools. Set in the suburb of Normal, Illinois State University is a very large public institution. Illinois State University graduates 64% of students within six years. There were roughly 118 history students who graduated with this degree at Illinois State University in the most recent data year. History graduates of Illinois State University earn a median of $40,465 early in their careers. Illinois State University graduates carry a median of $23,125 in student loans. Get the full history details for Illinois State University

8
Lake Forest College crest
Lake Forest College
Lake Forest, IL

Lake Forest College came in at #8 for history this year. This small private not-for-profit university is located in the suburb of Lake Forest. About 78% of students finish within six years. Lake Forest College awarded about 10 history degrees in the most recent data year. Graduates of the history program make about $41,168 in their early career. Students borrow a median of $26,661 to complete this degree. See the full history program report for Lake Forest College

9

Loyola University Chicago earned the #9 position for history this year. This large private not-for-profit university is located in the city of Chicago. The six-year graduation rate is 75%. About 53 history degrees were awarded at Loyola University Chicago in the most recent year. Graduates of the history program make about $31,079 in their early career. Students borrow a median of $24,000 to complete this degree. See the full history program report for Loyola University Chicago

10
Aurora University crest
Aurora University
Aurora, IL

Aurora University landed the #10 spot for history this year. Aurora University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Aurora. Roughly 60% of students complete a degree within six years here. About 15 history degrees were awarded at Aurora University in the most recent year. History graduates of Aurora University earn a median of $51,483 early in their careers. Students borrow a median of $24,507 to complete this degree. Read more about the history program at Aurora University

11
North Central College crest
North Central College
Naperville, IL

North Central College ranked #11 on our 2026 list of the best history schools. North Central College is a mid-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Naperville. The six-year graduation rate is 64%. About 12 history degrees were awarded at North Central College in the most recent year. Graduates of the history program make about $46,247 in their early career. Students borrow a median of $25,699 to complete this degree. Read more about the history program at North Central College

12

Northern Illinois University placed #12 among the best history schools. Set in the suburb of Dekalb, Northern Illinois University is a large public institution. About 49% of students finish within six years. Northern Illinois University awarded about 51 history degrees in the most recent data year. Graduates of the history program make about $33,288 in their early career. Northern Illinois University graduates carry a median of $22,500 in student loans. See the full history program report for Northern Illinois University

13

University Of Illinois At Chicago earned the #13 position for history this year. University Of Illinois At Chicago is a very large public school located in the city of Chicago. University Of Illinois At Chicago graduates 62% of students within six years. University Of Illinois At Chicago awarded about 38 history degrees in the most recent data year. Students who receive their history degree from University Of Illinois At Chicago earn around $26,474 in the first couple years of their career. Typical student debt for the program is $19,500. Read more about the history program at University Of Illinois At Chicago

14
Depaul University crest
Depaul University
Chicago, IL

Depaul University placed #14 among the best history schools. Located in the city of Chicago, Depaul University is a very large private not-for-profit university. The six-year graduation rate is 68%. Depaul University awarded about 30 history degrees in the most recent data year. Graduates of the history program make about $36,889 in their early career. Depaul University graduates carry a median of $27,000 in student loans. Get the full history details for Depaul University

15

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville came in at #15 for history this year. This large public university is located in the suburb of Edwardsville. The six-year graduation rate is 55%. About 35 history degrees were awarded at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in the most recent year. Soon after graduation, history degree recipients from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville generally make around $26,916. Typical student debt for the program is $21,500. More information about a degree in history from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

16

Eastern Illinois University ranked #16 on our 2026 list of the best history schools. Located in the town of Charleston, Eastern Illinois University is a large public university. About 47% of students finish within six years. About 36 history degrees were awarded at Eastern Illinois University in the most recent year. Students who receive their history degree from Eastern Illinois University earn around $32,149 in the first couple years of their career. Eastern Illinois University graduates carry a median of $21,500 in student loans. See the full history program report for Eastern Illinois University

17
Illinois College crest
Illinois College
Jacksonville, IL

Illinois College earned the #17 position for history this year. This small private not-for-profit university is located in the town of Jacksonville. Illinois College graduates 64% of students within six years. About 15 history degrees were awarded at Illinois College in the most recent year. History graduates of Illinois College earn a median of $41,184 early in their careers. Illinois College graduates carry a median of $26,922 in student loans. See the full history program report for Illinois College

18

Western Illinois University earned the #18 position for history this year. Located in the town of Macomb, Western Illinois University is a moderately-sized public university. Roughly 45% of students complete a degree within six years here. About 18 history degrees were awarded at Western Illinois University in the most recent year. Students who receive their history degree from Western Illinois University earn around $47,926 in the first couple years of their career. Western Illinois University graduates carry a median of $31,250 in student loans. More information about a degree in history from Western Illinois University

19

Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #19 spot for history this year. Located in the town of Carbondale, Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a large public university. About 60% of students finish within six years. About 18 history degrees were awarded at Southern Illinois University Carbondale in the most recent year. History graduates of Southern Illinois University Carbondale earn a median of $30,101 early in their careers. Southern Illinois University Carbondale graduates carry a median of $25,937 in student loans. Read more about the history program at Southern Illinois University Carbondale

20

University Of Illinois At Springfield landed the #20 spot for history this year. Located in the city of Springfield, University Of Illinois At Springfield is a moderately-sized public university. University Of Illinois At Springfield graduates 52% of students within six years. University Of Illinois At Springfield awarded about 21 history degrees in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, history degree recipients from University Of Illinois At Springfield generally make around $33,297. Typical student debt for the program is $23,892. Get the full history details for University Of Illinois At Springfield

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Notes and References

The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on a blend of student outcomes (graduation rate, post-graduation earnings), affordability, and program focus, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).

Ranking method: College Major Top Ranked · 45 schools evaluated.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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