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

Updated: March 02, 2025

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 9.25M citations received by 248K 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: 5%
Average SAT: 1540
Average ACT: 35
Net Price: $27,979

2. University of Illinois at Chicago

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#47 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 79%
Average SAT: 1230
Average ACT: 29
Receiving Aid: 80%

3. Loyola University Chicago

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#123 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 81%
Average SAT: 1250
Average ACT: 29
Net Price: $37,592

4. DePaul University

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#135 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 74%
Average SAT: 1235
Average ACT: 29
Net Price: $32,129

5. Illinois Institute of Technology

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#10 in Illinois

#198 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 55%
Average SAT: 1295
Average ACT: 28
Net Price: $25,001

6. Rush University

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#14 in Illinois

#371 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 33%
Enrollment: 2,782
Male:Female: 22:78
Founded: 1972

7. Northeastern Illinois University

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#20 in Illinois

#483 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 70%
Receiving Aid: 90%
Average Aid: $12,560
Enrollment: 5,504

8. Roosevelt University

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#23 in Illinois

#571 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 94%
Average SAT: 955
Average ACT: 25
Net Price: $21,503

9. Toyota Technological Institute at Chicago

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#24 in Illinois

#592 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 10%
Enrollment: 38
Male:Female: 73:27

10. John Marshall Law School

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#29 in Illinois

#699 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 52%
Founded: 1899

11. Chicago State University

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#31 in Illinois

#746 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 41%
Receiving Aid: 97%
Average Aid: $19,111
Enrollment: 2,324

12. National Louis University

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#32 in Illinois

#822 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 93%
Net Price: $15,724
Receiving Aid: 89%
Average Aid: $9,722

13. School of the Art Institute of Chicago

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#33 in Illinois

#827 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 76%
Net Price: $55,485
Receiving Aid: 97%
Average Aid: $18,872

14. Saint Xavier University

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#34 in Illinois

#837 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 86%
Net Price: $11,943
Receiving Aid: 100%
Average Aid: $30,290

15. Erikson Institute

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#37 in Illinois

#919 in the United States

Enrollment: 368
Male:Female: 2:98

16. Columbia College Chicago

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#40 in Illinois

#993 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 91%
Net Price: $29,790
Receiving Aid: 99%
Average Aid: $20,851

17. North Park University

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#46 in Illinois

#1070 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 73%
Net Price: $19,910
Receiving Aid: 100%
Average Aid: $22,779

18. Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#47 in Illinois

#1096 in the United States

Enrollment: 114
Male:Female: 44:56

19. DeVry University - Illinois

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#51 in Illinois

#1145 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 43%
Average SAT: 1060
Average ACT: 21
Net Price: $31,063

20. Saint Augustine College

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#52 in Illinois

#1152 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 100%
Net Price: $17,008
Receiving Aid: 84%
Average Aid: $5,947

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

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#53 in Illinois

#1155 in the United States

Enrollment: 76
Male:Female: 47:53

22. Catholic Theological Union at Chicago

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#54 in Illinois

#1172 in the United States

Enrollment: 198
Male:Female: 64:36
Founded: 1968

23. Adler University

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#57 in Illinois

#1252 in the United States

Enrollment: 1,674
Male:Female: 18:82
Founded: 1952

24. McCormick Theological Seminary

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#62 in Illinois

#1318 in the United States

Enrollment: 133
Male:Female: 63:37

25. Spertus College

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#65 in Illinois

#1383 in the United States

Enrollment: 97
Male:Female: 37:63

26. Chicago Theological Seminary

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#68 in Illinois

#1448 in the United States

Enrollment: 202
Male:Female: 42:58

27. Illinois College of Optometry

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#70 in Illinois

#1458 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 70%
Enrollment: 483
Male:Female: 26:74
Founded: 1872

28. Kendall College

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#71 in Illinois

#1463 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

#1513 in the United States

Enrollment: 120
Male:Female: 20:80

30. Moody Bible Institute

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#73 in Illinois

#1558 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 98%
Net Price: $23,950
Receiving Aid: 93%
Average Aid: $10,477

31. Meadville Lombard Theological School

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#74 in Illinois

#1561 in the United States

Enrollment: 69
Male:Female: 33:67

Universities for Liberal Arts & Social Sciences near Chicago

Distance, km 📏 km	University	Country rank 🏆	City
19	Northwestern University	33	Evanston, Illinois
21	NorthShore University HealthSystem School of Nurse Anesthesia	443	Evanston, Illinois
35	Purdue University Northwest	492	Hammond, Indiana
39	Wheaton College - Illinois	414	Wheaton, Illinois
44	North Central College	652	Naperville, Illinois
44	Lake Forest College	673	Lake Forest, Illinois
49	Governors State University	730	University Park, Illinois
50	Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science	522	North Chicago, Illinois
68	Valparaiso University	291	Valparaiso, Indiana
87	University of Wisconsin - Parkside	598	Kenosha, Wisconsin

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 / Administration7

Special Education8

Sports / Exercise science6

Theology / Divinity / Religious studies24