Best Liberal Arts Schools Near Crystal Lake, IL (2026)

Updated September 6, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Crystal Lake, Illinois has 5 accredited schools offering liberal arts programs, with tuition ranging from $4,788 to $43,137 per year for indexed programs. Crystal Lake has a population of about 40,436. Median household income is $105,428 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 42.0% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area, the top-earning liberal arts-related role is Management Analyst at a median $105,090 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Liberal Arts Schools to Crystal Lake

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer liberal arts programs near Crystal Lake, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Crystal Lake 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:

  • 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 Crystal Lake. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

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#1

McHenry County College

Crystal Lake, IL 2.5 miles from Crystal Lake
  • 2 year
  • Offers a fully online program
58.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 36%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $45,143
Avg net price $7,042/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 55

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Illinois schools on the Illinois liberal arts page.

Liberal Arts Wages Near Crystal Lake

Crystal Lake 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)
Public Relations Specialist $77,050 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN $74,373
Management Analyst $105,090 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN $101,438
Technical Writer $89,960 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN $86,834
News Analyst, Reporter, or Journalist $70,350 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN $67,905
Editor $80,380 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN $77,587
Training and Development Specialist $67,050 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN $64,720
Human Resources Specialist $78,210 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN $75,492

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.

Crystal Lake at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 40,436 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $105,428 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 42.0% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 103.6 (above U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024
Liberal Arts-related employment in McHenry County 177 workers, 42 establishments BLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other Crystal Lake-Area Cities With Liberal Arts Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited liberal arts schools are near Crystal Lake, IL?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering liberal arts programs near Crystal Lake. The closest is McHenry County College in Crystal Lake, IL (2.5 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is College of Lake County (18.5 miles). 3 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying liberal arts roles near Crystal Lake?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying liberal arts-related roles near Crystal Lake are: Management Analyst ($105,090), Technical Writer ($89,960), Editor ($80,380). 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 Lake in the Hills instead of Crystal Lake?

Lake in the Hills, IL is 3.0 miles from Crystal Lake and has its own set of local liberal arts programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Crystal Lake an affordable place to study liberal arts?

Crystal Lake’s median household income of $105,428 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Crystal Lake 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 Liberal Arts Programs

Other Programs Available in Crystal Lake

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Crystal Lake:

Data verified: September 6, 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.

Back to Best Liberal Arts Schools in Illinois: Online Programs (2026)