Chicago, Illinois has 5 accredited schools offering general studies programs, with tuition ranging from $52,386 to $68,164 per year for indexed programs. Chicago has a population of about 2,707,648. Median household income is $75,134 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 43.3% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area, the top-earning general studies-related role is General and Operations Managers at a median $109,390 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest General Studies Schools to Chicago
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer general studies programs near Chicago, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Chicago city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.
How We Rank Schools
Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most
recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS).
To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the
U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked
against schools at the same credential level:
BOCSCORE
- Graduation rate 30%
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
- Average net price (lower is better) 20%
- Retention rate 15%
- Fully online availability 10%
Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score.
On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Chicago.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Graduation rate
70%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$68,740
Avg net price
$10,974/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 79%
- Programs offered: 140
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
55%
Graduation rate
74%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$82,592
Avg net price
$18,425/yr
TuitionIn‑state$52,386
Out‑of‑state$52,386
Key stats
- Retention rate: 86%
- Programs offered: 76
Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
19%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$29,963
Avg net price
$21,697/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 37%
- Programs offered: 8
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
55%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$42,195
Avg net price
$26,598/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 65%
- Programs offered: 48
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
68%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$68,751
Avg net price
$30,902/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 86%
- Programs offered: 166
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
50%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$48,712
Avg net price
$20,194/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 62%
- Programs offered: 80
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
47%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$45,799
Avg net price
$12,641/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 54%
- Programs offered: 46
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
96%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$91,885
Avg net price
$14,860/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 99%
- Programs offered: 105
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Illinois schools on the Illinois general studies page.
General Studies Wages Near Chicago
Chicago is part of the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area (BLS area code 16980). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Illinois statewide.
| Occupation |
Median Wage |
Source |
COL-Adjusted (US=100) |
| General and Operations Managers |
$109,390 |
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN |
$105,589 |
| Management Analysts |
$105,090 |
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN |
$101,438 |
| Human Resources Specialists |
$78,210 |
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN |
$75,492 |
| Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists |
$80,400 |
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN |
$77,606 |
| Writers and Authors |
$75,940 |
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN |
$73,301 |
| Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education |
$98,970 |
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN |
$95,531 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers |
$71,730 |
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN |
$69,237 |
| Social and Community Service Managers |
$79,150 |
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN |
$76,400 |
Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.
Chicago at a Glance
| Metric |
Value |
Source |
| Population |
2,707,648 |
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income |
$75,134 |
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ |
43.3% |
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003) |
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) |
103.6 (above U.S. average) |
BEA RPP 2024 |
Other Chicago-Area Cities With General Studies Programs
- Cicero, IL – 3.8 mi away (82,992 pop)
- Berwyn, IL – 5.4 mi away (55,748 pop)
- Oak Park, IL – 6.4 mi away (51,774 pop)
- Burbank, IL – 7.7 mi away (28,886 pop)
- Maywood, IL – 8.6 mi away (23,756 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited general studies schools are near Chicago, IL?
Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering general studies programs near Chicago. The closest is City Colleges of Chicago-Malcolm X College in Chicago, IL (2.9 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Morton College (4.0 miles). 3 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying general studies roles near Chicago?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying general studies-related roles near Chicago are: General and Operations Managers ($109,390), Management Analysts ($105,090), Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education ($98,970). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Illinois statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.
Should I look at programs in Cicero instead of Chicago?
Cicero, IL is 3.8 miles from Chicago and has its own set of local general studies programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.
Is Chicago an affordable place to study general studies?
Chicago’s median household income of $75,134 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Chicago while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Illinois public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.
How do I verify a program is accredited?
Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.
Learn More About General Studies Programs
Other Programs Available in Chicago
Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Chicago:
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Data verified: September 5, 2026.
Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.
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