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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Computer Science in Illinois (With Aid)

24 Ranked Colleges
1,809 Degrees Awarded
$19,300 Avg Net Price*
Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor's in Illinois For Those Getting Aid

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. 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 CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Computer Science is the 19th most popular major in the country with 53,722 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, computer science graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $66,561 and had an average of $23,565 in loans still to pay off.

Across Illinois, there were 3,177 computer science graduates with average earnings and debt of $69,479 and $23,722 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,809 computer science graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,319 and $24,183 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 24 colleges that offer a degree in computer science. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great computer science programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the computer science program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

The compsci 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 CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid”.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid.

Top 24 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Computer Science in Illinois (With Aid)

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. UIUC is a large public school situated in Champaign, Illinois. It awarded 291 bachelors’s compsci degrees in 2019-2020.

UIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for UIUC is $15,880 for illinois bachelor’s degree compsci students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 2.4% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Computer Science at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Chicago. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. University of Illinois at Chicago is a large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 258 bachelors’s compsci degrees in 2019-2020.

UIC also made our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #4. The estimated yearly cost for UIC is $13,312 for illinois bachelor’s degree compsci students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Computer Science at UIC

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Springfield. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. This small school is located in Springfield, Illinois, and it awarded 93 bachelors’s compsci degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIS, the school also landed the #14 spot in our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UIS is $12,477 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree CompSci students with aid.

Full UIS Computer Science Report

#4

Governors State University

University Park, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Governors State University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid. Governors State University is located in University Park, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 41 bachelors’s compsci degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at GSU, the school also landed the #22 spot in our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Governors State University is $12,077 for illinois bachelor’s degree compsci students with aid.

Read full report on Computer Science at GSU

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid. This fairly large school is located in Edwardsville, Illinois, and it awarded 76 bachelors’s compsci degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SIUE, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is $14,423 for illinois bachelor’s degree compsci students with aid.

Read more about Computer Science at SIUE

#6

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

With a ranking of #6, Northern Illinois University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. This fairly large school is located in Dekalb, Illinois, and it awarded 134 bachelors’s compsci degrees in 2019-2020.

NIU also made our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #13. The yearly cost to attend NIU is $18,259 for illinois bachelor’s degree compsci students with aid.

Full Northern Illinois University Computer Science Report

#7

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois

With a ranking of #7, Northwestern University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Northwestern University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Evanston, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 94 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Northwestern did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Northwestern is $24,664 for illinois bachelor’s degree compsci students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Computer Science at Northwestern

#8

Lewis University

Romeoville, Illinois
#6 in overall quality

Lewis University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. Romeoville, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s compsci degrees to 98 students in 2019-2020.

Lewis also took the #6 spot in our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Lewis University is $18,664 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree CompSci students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Computer Science at Lewis

#9

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, Illinois
#21 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, Eastern Illinois University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. EIU is located in Charleston, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1 bachelors’s compsci degrees to qualified students.

EIU also took the #21 spot in our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend EIU is $14,607 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree CompSci students with aid.

Read full report on Computer Science at Eastern Illinois University

With a ranking of #10, Southern Illinois University Carbondale did quite well on the 2022 Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. This fairly large school is located in Carbondale, Illinois, and it awarded 32 bachelors’s compsci degrees in 2019-2020.

SIUC also made our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #17. The estimated yearly cost for Southern Illinois University Carbondale is $16,945 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree CompSci students with aid.

Read full report on Computer Science at SIUC

#11

Saint Xavier University

Chicago, Illinois
#23 in overall quality

Saint Xavier University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. This small school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 24 bachelors’s compsci degrees in 2019-2020.

SXU also made our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #23. The estimated yearly cost for SXU is $14,528 for illinois bachelor’s degree compsci students with aid.

Read full report on Computer Science at SXU

Northeastern Illinois University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Northeastern Illinois University is a public institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 121 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree compsci students with aid list, Northeastern Illinois University has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Northeastern Illinois University is $15,843 for illinois bachelor’s degree compsci students with aid.

Read more about Computer Science at Northeastern Illinois University

#13

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois

Illinois State University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. Illinois State is a large school located in Normal, Illinois that handed out 53 bachelors’s compsci degrees in 2019-2020.

Illinois State also made our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #9. It costs about $20,895 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree CompSci students with aid per year to attend Illinois State University.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Computer Science at Illinois State University

#14

Dominican University

River Forest, Illinois

Dominican University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. Dominican University is a private not-for-profit institution located in River Forest, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 17 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Dominican U, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Dominican University is $19,268 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree CompSci students with aid.

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

Read more about Computer Science at Dominican University

#15

Aurora University

Aurora, Illinois

Aurora University landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Aurora, Illinois, and it awarded 23 bachelors’s compsci degrees in 2019-2020.

Aurora also made our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #19. The estimated yearly cost for Aurora is $17,215 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree CompSci students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Aurora Computer Science Report

#16

Elmhurst University

Elmhurst, Illinois

With a ranking of #16, Elmhurst University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. This small school is located in Elmhurst, Illinois, and it awarded 18 bachelors’s compsci degrees in 2019-2020.

Elmhurst did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Elmhurst is $21,485 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree CompSci students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Computer Science at Elmhurst University

#17

Augustana College

Rock Island, Illinois

Augustana College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #17. Located in Rock Island, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 22 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s compsci students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Augustana, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Augustana College is $23,874 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree CompSci students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Augustana Computer Science Report

#18

McKendree University

Lebanon, Illinois

McKendree University ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. McKendree is located in Lebanon, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 9 bachelors’s compsci degrees to qualified students.

McKendree also took the #18 spot in our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $19,844 for illinois bachelor’s degree compsci students with aid per year to attend McKendree University.

Read more about Computer Science at McKendree University

#19

Wheaton College Illinois

Wheaton, Illinois

Wheaton College Illinois ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Wheaton, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s compsci degrees to 15 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree compsci students with aid list, Wheaton College Illinois has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Wheaton College Illinois is $25,358 for illinois bachelor’s degree compsci students with aid.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 0.7% 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%.

Full Wheaton College Illinois Computer Science Report

#20

Bradley University

Peoria, Illinois

Bradley University ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Peoria, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s compsci degrees to 30 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Bradley, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Bradley University is $25,634 for illinois bachelor’s degree compsci students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Read more about Computer Science at Bradley

#21

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

University of Chicago came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s compsci degrees to 93 students in 2019-2020.

UChicago also made our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #2. The yearly cost to attend University of Chicago is $27,315 for illinois bachelor’s degree compsci students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read more about Computer Science at University of Chicago

Illinois Institute of Technology did quite well in the 2022 Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #22. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 71 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s compsci students in 2019-2020.

Illinois Tech also took the #7 spot in our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Illinois Institute of Technology is $22,831 for illinois bachelor’s degree compsci students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. 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%.

Read more about Computer Science at Illinois Tech

#23

North Central College

Naperville, Illinois

North Central College ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. This small school is located in Naperville, Illinois, and it awarded 26 bachelors’s compsci degrees in 2019-2020.

North Central also made our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #11. The estimated yearly cost for North Central is $24,786 for illinois bachelor’s degree compsci students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 3.9% 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%.

Read more about Computer Science at North Central

#24

Roosevelt University

Chicago, Illinois

Roosevelt University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s compsci degrees to 28 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree compsci students with aid list, Roosevelt has also earned the #24 rank in our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $22,749 for illinois bachelor’s degree compsci students with aid per year to attend Roosevelt University.

Read full report on Computer Science at Roosevelt University

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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.

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