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2024 Best Value Colleges for English Language & Literature in Illinois

22 Ranked Colleges
1,614 Degrees Awarded
$21,400 Avg Net Price*
Best Value English Language & Literature Schools in Illinois

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value English Language & Literature Schools in Illinois” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2020-2021, 54,635 people earned their degree in english language & literature, making the major the 18th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, english language & literature graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $30,352 and had an average of $23,972 in loans still to pay off.

Across Illinois, there were 1,614 english language & literature graduates with average earnings and debt of $28,501 and $23,846 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value English Language & Literature Schools in Illinois” ranking, we looked at 22 colleges that offer a degree in english language & literature. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great english language & literature programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the english language & literature program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Degree Other Award Levels
Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More English Language & Literature Rankings Other Ranking Categories

The english language & literature school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value English Language & Literature Schools in Illinois”.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value English Language & Literature Schools in Illinois

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois english language & literature students.

Top 22 Best Value Colleges for English Language & Literature in Illinois

1
Illinois State crest
Illinois State University
Normal, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Illinois State University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value English Language & Literature Schools in Illinois. Illinois State University is located in Normal, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 137 ’s english language & literature degrees to qualified students.

Illinois State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best English Language & Literature Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Illinois State is $20,830 for Illinois English Language & Literature students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on English Language & Literature at Illinois State

2

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value English Language & Literature Schools in Illinois. UIUC is located in Champaign, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 179 ’s english language & literature degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our illinois english language & literature students list, UIUC has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best English Language & Literature Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UIUC is $14,321 for Illinois English Language & Literature students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about English Language & Literature at UIUC

3

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Chicago. It ranked #3 on our 2024 Best Value English Language & Literature Schools in Illinois list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s english language & literature degrees to 110 students in 2020-2021.

UIC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best English Language & Literature Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $13,214 for illinois english language & literature students per year to attend UIC.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about English Language & Literature at University of Illinois at Chicago

4

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value English Language & Literature Schools in Illinois. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a fairly large school located in Edwardsville, Illinois that handed out 55 ’s english language & literature degrees in 2020-2021.

SIUE not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best English Language & Literature Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is $14,462 for Illinois English Language & Literature students.

Read full report on English Language & Literature at SIUE

5

Out of the 22 schools in the Best Value English Language & Literature Schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Northern Illinois University landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Dekalb, Illinois, this fairly large public school awarded 58 diplomas to qualified ’s english language & literature students in 2020-2021.

NIU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best English Language & Literature Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Northern Illinois University is $13,956 for Illinois English Language & Literature students.

Read more about English Language & Literature at Northern Illinois University

6

Western Illinois University landed the #6 spot on the 2024 Best Value English Language & Literature Schools in Illinois ranking. Located in Macomb, Illinois, this medium-sized public school handed out 29 degrees to qualified ’s english language & literature students in 2020-2021.

WIU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best English Language & Literature Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend WIU is $15,305 for illinois english language & literature students.

Full WIU English Language & Literature Report

7

With a ranking of #7, Southern Illinois University Carbondale did quite well on the 2024 Best Value English Language & Literature Schools in Illinois list. SIUC is a public institution located in Carbondale, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 30 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

SIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best English Language & Literature Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $16,285 for Illinois English Language & Literature students per year to attend SIUC.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read full report on English Language & Literature at SIUC

8
EIU crest
Eastern Illinois University
Charleston, Illinois

Eastern Illinois University did quite well in the 2024 Best Value English Language & Literature Schools in Illinois ranking, coming in at #8. Eastern Illinois University is a medium-sized school located in Charleston, Illinois that handed out 48 ’s english language & literature degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our illinois english language & literature students list, EIU has also earned the #19 rank in our “Best English Language & Literature Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Eastern Illinois University is $13,098 for Illinois English Language & Literature students.

Read full report on English Language & Literature at Eastern Illinois University

9

Northeastern Illinois University landed the #9 spot on the 2024 Best Value English Language & Literature Schools in Illinois ranking. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this medium-sized public school awarded 49 degrees to qualified ’s english language & literature students in 2020-2021.

Northeastern Illinois University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #20 on our “Best English Language & Literature Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Northeastern Illinois University is $14,590 for illinois english language & literature students.

Read more about English Language & Literature at Northeastern Illinois University

10

University of Illinois at Springfield did quite well in the 2024 Best Value English Language & Literature Schools in Illinois ranking, coming in at #10. University of Illinois at Springfield is a small public school situated in Springfield, Illinois. It awarded 20 ’s english language & literature degrees in 2020-2021.

UIS did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #21 on our “Best English Language & Literature Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for UIS is $12,034 for illinois english language & literature students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on English Language & Literature at UIS

11
Columbia crest
Columbia College Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

Columbia College Chicago came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value English Language & Literature Schools in Illinois ranking. Columbia College Chicago is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 70 ’s english language & literature degrees to qualified students.

Columbia not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #18 on our “Best English Language & Literature Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $26,258 for illinois english language & literature students per year to attend Columbia College Chicago.

Read more about English Language & Literature at Columbia College Chicago

12
Illinois College crest
Illinois College
Jacksonville, Illinois

Illinois College came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value English Language & Literature Schools in Illinois ranking. This small school is located in Jacksonville, Illinois, and it awarded 24 ’s english language & literature degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our illinois english language & literature students list, Illinois College has also earned the #17 rank in our “Best English Language & Literature Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Illinois College is $18,271 for Illinois English Language & Literature students.

Full Illinois College English Language & Literature Report

13
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, Illinois

With a ranking of #13, DePaul University did quite well on the 2024 Best Value English Language & Literature Schools in Illinois list. DePaul University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 94 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at DePaul, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best English Language & Literature Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend DePaul University is $31,174 for Illinois English Language & Literature students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on English Language & Literature at DePaul

14
Wheaton College Illinois crest
Wheaton College Illinois
Wheaton, Illinois

With a ranking of #14, Wheaton College Illinois did quite well on the 2024 Best Value English Language & Literature Schools in Illinois list. Wheaton College Illinois is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Wheaton, Illinois. It awarded 32 ’s english language & literature degrees in 2020-2021.

Wheaton College Illinois also made our “Best English Language & Literature Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #6. It costs about $25,692 for illinois english language & literature students per year to attend Wheaton College Illinois.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read full report on English Language & Literature at Wheaton College Illinois

15
Elmhurst crest
Elmhurst University
Elmhurst, Illinois

Elmhurst University landed the #15 spot on the 2024 Best Value English Language & Literature Schools in Illinois ranking. Elmhurst is a private not-for-profit institution located in Elmhurst, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 39 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our illinois english language & literature students list, Elmhurst has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best English Language & Literature Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Elmhurst University is $20,100 for illinois english language & literature students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about English Language & Literature at Elmhurst University

16
Loyola Chicago crest
Loyola University Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

With a ranking of #16, Loyola University Chicago did quite well on the 2024 Best Value English Language & Literature Schools in Illinois list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 64 degrees to qualified ’s english language & literature students in 2020-2021.

Loyola Chicago also made our “Best English Language & Literature Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #7. The yearly cost to attend Loyola Chicago is $36,434 for Illinois English Language & Literature students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%.

Read full report on English Language & Literature at Loyola Chicago

17
Augustana crest
Augustana College
Rock Island, Illinois

With a ranking of #17, Augustana College did quite well on the 2024 Best Value English Language & Literature Schools in Illinois list. This small school is located in Rock Island, Illinois, and it awarded 27 ’s english language & literature degrees in 2020-2021.

Augustana also made our “Best English Language & Literature Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #10. The yearly cost to attend Augustana College is $23,489 for illinois english language & literature students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full Augustana English Language & Literature Report

18
Lake Forest crest
Lake Forest College
Lake Forest, Illinois

Lake Forest College did quite well in the 2024 Best Value English Language & Literature Schools in Illinois ranking, coming in at #18. Lake Forest, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s english language & literature degrees to 20 students in 2020-2021.

Lake Forest not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best English Language & Literature Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $23,991 for illinois english language & literature students per year to attend Lake Forest.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.

Read full report on English Language & Literature at Lake Forest College

19
Knox crest
Knox College
Galesburg, Illinois

Knox College came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value English Language & Literature Schools in Illinois ranking. Located in Galesburg, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 30 degrees to qualified ’s english language & literature students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Knox, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best English Language & Literature Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $20,548 for illinois english language & literature students per year to attend Knox.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Knox English Language & Literature Report

20

With a ranking of #20, School of the Art Institute of Chicago did quite well on the 2024 Best Value English Language & Literature Schools in Illinois list. School of the Art Institute of Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 27 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

School of the Art Institute of Chicago also took the #22 spot in our “Best English Language & Literature Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $45,909 for Illinois English Language & Literature students per year to attend School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read more about English Language & Literature at School of the Art Institute of Chicago

21
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

Northwestern University did quite well in the 2024 Best Value English Language & Literature Schools in Illinois ranking, coming in at #21. Northwestern is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Evanston, Illinois. It awarded 99 ’s english language & literature degrees in 2020-2021.

Northwestern also made our “Best English Language & Literature Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #2. It costs about $23,279 for Illinois English Language & Literature students per year to attend Northwestern.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. With a freshman retention rate of 99%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Northwestern English Language & Literature Report

22
UChicago crest
University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

University of Chicago came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value English Language & Literature Schools in Illinois ranking. UChicago is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 104 ’s english language & literature degrees to qualified students.

UChicago not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best English Language & Literature Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $28,517 for Illinois English Language & Literature students per year to attend UChicago.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 99%.

Full UChicago English Language & Literature Report

Notes and References

References

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