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

Updated: February 29, 2024

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 6.38M citations received by 216K 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

#14 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 5%
Average SAT: 1540
Average ACT: 35
Net Price: $36,991

2. University of Illinois at Chicago

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#46 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 79%
Average SAT: 1225
Average ACT: 27
Receiving Aid: 81%

3. Loyola University Chicago

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#128 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 79%
Average SAT: 1275
Average ACT: 29
Net Price: $37,511

4. DePaul University

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#137 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 70%
Average SAT: 1185
Average ACT: 27
Net Price: $32,151

5. Illinois Institute of Technology

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#10 in Illinois

#203 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 61%
Average SAT: 1315
Average ACT: 30
Net Price: $28,702

6. Rush University

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#14 in Illinois

#370 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 33%
Enrollment: 2,870
Male:Female: 22:78
Founded: 1972

7. Northeastern Illinois University

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#20 in Illinois

#489 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 63%
Receiving Aid: 94%
Average Aid: $15,143
Enrollment: 5,756

8. Roosevelt University

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#23 in Illinois

#543 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 88%
Average SAT: 960
Average ACT: 21
Net Price: $22,117

9. John Marshall Law School

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#24 in Illinois

#552 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 52%
Founded: 1899

10. Toyota Technological Institute at Chicago

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#25 in Illinois

#577 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 10%
Enrollment: 40
Male:Female: 77:23

11. Chicago State University

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#30 in Illinois

#713 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 49%
Receiving Aid: 93%
Average Aid: $15,891
Enrollment: 2,317

12. National Louis University

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#32 in Illinois

#791 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 92%
Net Price: $14,769
Receiving Aid: 98%
Average Aid: $9,641

13. Saint Xavier University

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#33 in Illinois

#817 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 84%
Net Price: $11,302
Receiving Aid: 100%
Average Aid: $29,886

14. School of the Art Institute of Chicago

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#34 in Illinois

#849 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 79%
Net Price: $53,923
Receiving Aid: 100%
Average Aid: $18,290

15. Erikson Institute

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#39 in Illinois

#946 in the United States

Enrollment: 331
Male:Female: 2:98

16. Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#41 in Illinois

#1037 in the United States

Enrollment: 133
Male:Female: 51:49

17. North Park University

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#42 in Illinois

#1042 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 68%
Average ACT: 21
Net Price: $19,029
Receiving Aid: 100%

18. Columbia College Chicago

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#43 in Illinois

#1044 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 95%
Net Price: $28,387
Receiving Aid: 99%
Average Aid: $18,020

19. DeVry University - Illinois

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#49 in Illinois

#1109 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 43%
Average SAT: 1075
Average ACT: 41
Net Price: $30,112

20. Catholic Theological Union at Chicago

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#52 in Illinois

#1146 in the United States

Enrollment: 213
Male:Female: 62:38
Founded: 1968

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

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#56 in Illinois

#1236 in the United States

Enrollment: 62
Male:Female: 51:49

22. Adler University

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#57 in Illinois

#1237 in the United States

Enrollment: 1,841
Male:Female: 18:82
Founded: 1952

23. Saint Augustine College

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#58 in Illinois

#1260 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 100%
Net Price: $10,288
Receiving Aid: 95%
Average Aid: $10,468

24. McCormick Theological Seminary

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#61 in Illinois

#1306 in the United States

Enrollment: 162
Male:Female: 59:41

25. Illinois College of Optometry

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#64 in Illinois

#1384 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 70%
Enrollment: 481
Male:Female: 27:73
Founded: 1872

26. Kendall College

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#65 in Illinois

#1405 in the United States

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

27. Chicago Theological Seminary

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#66 in Illinois

#1414 in the United States

Enrollment: 195
Male:Female: 37:63

28. Institute for Clinical Social Work

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#68 in Illinois

#1437 in the United States

Enrollment: 119
Male:Female: 21:79

29. Moody Bible Institute

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#72 in Illinois

#1546 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 94%
Net Price: $21,368
Receiving Aid: 90%
Average Aid: $10,560

30. Meadville Lombard Theological School

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#74 in Illinois

#1592 in the United States

Enrollment: 69
Male:Female: 30:70

31. Spertus College

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#78 in Illinois

#1650 in the United States

Enrollment: 99
Male:Female: 35:65

Universities for Liberal Arts & Social Sciences near Chicago

Distance, km 📏 km	University	Country rank 🏆	City
19	Northwestern University	37	Evanston, Illinois
21	NorthShore University HealthSystem School of Nurse Anesthesia	425	Evanston, Illinois
35	Purdue University Northwest	475	Hammond, Indiana
39	Wheaton College - Illinois	453	Wheaton, Illinois
44	Lake Forest College	660	Lake Forest, Illinois
44	North Central College	672	Naperville, Illinois
49	Governors State University	692	University Park, Illinois
50	Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science	497	North Chicago, Illinois
68	Valparaiso University	378	Valparaiso, Indiana
87	University of Wisconsin - Parkside	586	Kenosha, Wisconsin

Liberal Arts & Social Sciences subfields in Chicago

Broadcast Journalism5

Classics and Ancient History14

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 science16

Military science6

Negotiation and Conflict Resolution5

Occupational Safety and Health5

Political Economy7

Political Science30

Public Policy / Administration7

Special Education8

Sports / Exercise science5

Theology / Divinity / Religious studies24