Best colleges for Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities in Illinois
Program-level earnings — not school prestige — rank these. Among the Illinois programs in the federal field-of-study file, University of Chicago leads: its Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities graduates earn a median $96,510 four years after finishing, against the field's $53,072 national median. (Scorecard field-of-study, 2026.)
| # | College | Grad earnings, 4 yrs | Vs field median |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Chicago | $96,510 | +$43,438 |
| 2 | Northwestern University | $93,180 | +$40,108 |
| 3 | DePaul University | $86,444 | +$33,372 |
How big is the earnings gap between Illinois Liberal Arts programs?
$10,066 separates the top and bottom of this list — $96,510 at University of Chicago against $86,444 at DePaul University, four years after finishing. Same field, same state, same federal measure: where you study moves pay by that much.
Do Illinois Liberal Arts graduates earn more than the national median?
The state's strongest program pays $43,438 above the $53,072 national median for the field. Program-level medians come from federal tax records of graduates who received aid, so they track actual pay rather than advertised salaries.