2022 Best Value Colleges for General Architecture (Income $30-$48k) in Illinois

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. 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 Architecture Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

General Architecture is the 111th most popular major in the country with 5,051 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, general architecture graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $46,998 and had an average of $41,356 in loans still to pay off.

Across Illinois, there were 197 general architecture graduates with average earnings and debt of $45,625 and $42,290 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Architecture Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking looked at 4 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in general architecture. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great general architecture 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 general architecture program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

The architecture 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 Architecture Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k”.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most 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 Architecture Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Architecture Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k.

Top 4 Best Value Colleges for General Architecture (Income $30-$48k) in Illinois

#1

University of Illinois at Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

#1 in overall quality

$11,185 Average Net Price

$48,171 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Architecture Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #1 spot on the list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s architecture degrees to 80 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois architecture students whose families make $30-$48k list, UIC has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best General Architecture Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Illinois at Chicago is $11,185 for Illinois Architecture students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low student loan default rate of 3.4% 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 more about General Architecture at University of Illinois at Chicago

#2

Southern Illinois University Carbondale

Carbondale, Illinois

#3 in overall quality

$14,306 Average Net Price

$38,710 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Architecture Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k. SIUC is a fairly large school located in Carbondale, Illinois that handed out 70 ’s architecture degrees in 2019-2020.

SIUC also took the #3 spot in our “Best General Architecture Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $14,306 for illinois architecture students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend SIUC.

Read full report on General Architecture at SIUC

#3

Illinois Institute of Technology

Chicago, Illinois

#2 in overall quality

$18,720 Average Net Price

$62,621 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Illinois Institute of Technology. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Architecture Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 10 diplomas to qualified ’s architecture students in 2019-2020.

Illinois Tech also took the #2 spot in our “Best General Architecture Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Illinois Institute of Technology is $18,720 for illinois architecture students whose families make $30-$48k.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The low student loan default rate of 2.9% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Illinois Tech General Architecture Report

#4

Judson University

Elgin, Illinois

#4 in overall quality

$16,017 Average Net Price

$40,350 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Judson University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Architecture Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. This small school is located in Elgin, Illinois, and it awarded 37 ’s architecture degrees in 2019-2020.

Judson did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best General Architecture Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $16,017 for Illinois Architecture students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Judson University.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Full Judson General Architecture Report

• Best Value Colleges for General Architecture (Income $30-$48k) in the Great Lakes Region
• Best Value Colleges for General Architecture (Income $30-$48k)

Notes and References

References

• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
• Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
• Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

• *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
• Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

Credits

• Credit for the banner image above goes to Danichou.

Featured Architecture / Urban Planning Schools

Request Info

Southern New Hampshire University You have goals. Southern New Hampshire University can help you get there. Whether you need a bachelor's degree to get into a career or want a master's degree to move up in your current career, SNHU has an online program for you. Find your degree from over 200 online programs ... Learn More >