31 Best colleges for Liberal Arts & Social Sciences in Chicago, IL

Updated: March 15, 2026

Ranking by academic field

Below is a list of best universities in Chicago ranked based on their research performance in Liberal Arts & Social Sciences. A graph of 9.69M citations received by 253K academic papers made by 31 universities in Chicago was used to calculate publications' ratings, which then were adjusted for release dates and added to final scores.

We don't distinguish between undergraduate and graduate programs nor do we adjust for current majors offered. You can find information about granted degrees on a university page but always double-check with the university website.

1. University of Chicago

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#12 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 4%
Average SAT: 1545
Average ACT: 35
Net Price: $28,060

2. University of Illinois at Chicago

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#47 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 77%
Average SAT: 1240
Average ACT: 28
Receiving Aid: 80%

3. Loyola University Chicago

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#123 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 82%
Average SAT: 1265
Average ACT: 30
Net Price: $39,147

4. DePaul University

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#135 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 76%
Average SAT: 1235
Average ACT: 28
Net Price: $34,135

5. Illinois Institute of Technology

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#10 in Illinois

#198 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 55%
Average SAT: 1310
Average ACT: 29
Net Price: $24,796

6. Rush University

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#14 in Illinois

#371 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 33%
Enrollment: 2,769
Male:Female: 21:79
Founded: 1972

7. Northeastern Illinois University

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#20 in Illinois

#485 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 75%
Receiving Aid: 90%
Average Aid: $12,876
Enrollment: 5,734

8. Roosevelt University

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#23 in Illinois

#577 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 97%
Average SAT: 1035
Average ACT: 22
Net Price: $22,366

9. Toyota Technological Institute at Chicago

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#24 in Illinois

#597 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 10%
Enrollment: 39
Male:Female: 76:24

10. John Marshall Law School

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#29 in Illinois

#703 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 52%
Founded: 1899

11. Chicago State University

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#31 in Illinois

#748 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 43%
Receiving Aid: 99%
Average Aid: $18,194
Enrollment: 2,238

12. National Louis University

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#32 in Illinois

#828 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 95%
Net Price: $13,150
Receiving Aid: 87%
Average Aid: $11,056

13. School of the Art Institute of Chicago

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#33 in Illinois

#835 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 77%
Net Price: $55,631
Receiving Aid: 99%
Average Aid: $20,050

14. Saint Xavier University

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#34 in Illinois

#836 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 84%
Net Price: $11,318
Receiving Aid: 100%
Average Aid: $31,985

15. Erikson Institute

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#37 in Illinois

#924 in the United States

Enrollment: 297
Male:Female: 3:97

16. Columbia College Chicago

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#40 in Illinois

#994 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 89%
Net Price: $29,473
Receiving Aid: 100%
Average Aid: $22,780

17. North Park University

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#46 in Illinois

#1078 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 69%
Net Price: $20,372
Receiving Aid: 100%
Average Aid: $24,476

18. Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#48 in Illinois

#1104 in the United States

Enrollment: 101
Male:Female: 46:54

19. DeVry University - Illinois

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#51 in Illinois

#1146 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 98%
Average SAT: 865
Average ACT: 15
Net Price: $30,889

20. Saint Augustine College

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#52 in Illinois

#1154 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 100%
Net Price: $8,310
Receiving Aid: 89%
Average Aid: $14,748

21. Catholic Theological Union at Chicago

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#53 in Illinois

#1158 in the United States

Enrollment: 210
Male:Female: 64:36
Founded: 1968

22. Bexley Hall Seabury Western Theological Seminary Federation, Inc.

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#54 in Illinois

#1166 in the United States

Enrollment: 80
Male:Female: 41:59

23. Adler University

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#57 in Illinois

#1229 in the United States

Enrollment: 1,631
Male:Female: 19:81
Founded: 1952

24. McCormick Theological Seminary

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#62 in Illinois

#1325 in the United States

Enrollment: 125
Male:Female: 55:45

25. Spertus College

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#66 in Illinois

#1397 in the United States

Enrollment: 89
Male:Female: 38:62

26. Chicago Theological Seminary

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#68 in Illinois

#1449 in the United States

Enrollment: 215
Male:Female: 46:54

27. Illinois College of Optometry

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#69 in Illinois

#1452 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 70%
Enrollment: 474
Male:Female: 26:74
Founded: 1872

28. Kendall College

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#71 in Illinois

#1459 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 90%
Net Price: $30,324
Receiving Aid: 69%
Average Aid: $7,984

29. Institute for Clinical Social Work

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#72 in Illinois

#1506 in the United States

Enrollment: 121
Male:Female: 24:76

30. Moody Bible Institute

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#73 in Illinois

#1554 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 83%
Net Price: $21,614
Receiving Aid: 90%
Average Aid: $12,742

31. Meadville Lombard Theological School

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#74 in Illinois

#1556 in the United States

Enrollment: 62
Male:Female: 40:60

Universities for Liberal Arts & Social Sciences near Chicago

Distance, km 📏 km	University	Country rank 🏆	City
19	Northwestern University	34	Evanston, Illinois
21	NorthShore University HealthSystem School of Nurse Anesthesia	442	Evanston, Illinois
35	Purdue University Northwest	489	Hammond, Indiana
39	Wheaton College - Illinois	416	Wheaton, Illinois
44	North Central College	653	Naperville, Illinois
44	Lake Forest College	677	Lake Forest, Illinois
50	Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science	521	North Chicago, Illinois
68	Valparaiso University	291	Valparaiso, Indiana
87	University of Wisconsin - Parkside	603	Kenosha, Wisconsin
94	Northern Illinois University	161	DeKalb, Illinois

Liberal Arts & Social Sciences subfields in Chicago

Broadcast Journalism5

Classics and Ancient History15

Communications and Public Relations12

Criminology and Criminal Justice8

Early Childhood Education7

Education Majors16

Gender Studies11

Human Rights Law6

Intellectual Property and Patent Law6

International Law6

International Relations and Diplomacy4

Journalism and Digital Media5

Law Enforcement6

Library and Information science18

Military science5

Negotiation and Conflict Resolution5

Occupational Safety and Health5

Political Economy7

Political Science31

Public Policy / Administration8

Special Education7

Sports / Exercise science6

Theology / Divinity / Religious studies24