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2022 Best Value Colleges for Computer Science in Illinois (With Aid)

26 Ranked Colleges
3,177 Degrees Awarded
$19,700 Avg Net Price*
Best Value CompSci Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual has developed its “Best Value CompSci Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

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.

For this year’s “Best Value CompSci Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 26 colleges that offer a degree in computer science. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent computer science programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the computer science program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Computer Science Schools

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 in Illinois For Those Getting Aid”.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value CompSci Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value CompSci Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid.

Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Computer Science in Illinois (With Aid)

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 #1 for the Best Value CompSci Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a large school located in Champaign, Illinois that handed out 723 ’s compsci degrees in 2019-2020.

UIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Computer Science Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $15,880 for illinois compsci students with aid per year to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Computer Science at UIUC

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 in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. UIC is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 361 ’s compsci degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our illinois compsci students with aid list, UIC has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Computer Science Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Chicago is $13,312 for illinois 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%.

Full University of Illinois at Chicago Computer Science Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Springfield. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value CompSci Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid. Located in Springfield, Illinois, this small public school handed out 228 diplomas to qualified ’s compsci students in 2019-2020.

UIS also made our “Best Computer Science Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #14. The estimated yearly cost for UIS is $12,477 for illinois compsci students with aid.

Full UIS Computer Science Report

#4

Governors State University

University Park, Illinois

Out of the 26 schools in the Best Value CompSci Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Governors State University landed the #4 spot on the list. GSU is a public institution located in University Park, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 74 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at GSU, the school also landed the #24 spot in our “Best Computer Science Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Governors State University is $12,077 for illinois compsci students with aid.

Full Governors State University Computer Science Report

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 in Illinois For Those Getting Aid. SIUE is a fairly large school located in Edwardsville, Illinois that handed out 81 ’s compsci degrees in 2019-2020.

SIUE did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Computer Science Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is $14,423 for Illinois CompSci students with aid.

Full SIUE Computer Science Report

#6

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

With a ranking of #6, Northern Illinois University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value CompSci Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. NIU is a fairly large public school situated in Dekalb, Illinois. It awarded 199 ’s compsci degrees in 2019-2020.

NIU also took the #17 spot in our “Best Computer Science Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend NIU is $18,259 for illinois compsci students with aid.

Read full report on Computer Science at Northern Illinois University

#7

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois

With a ranking of #7, Northwestern University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value CompSci Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Evanston, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s compsci degrees to 183 students in 2019-2020.

Northwestern did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Computer Science Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Northwestern is $24,664 for illinois compsci students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 0.8% 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 impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Northwestern University Computer Science Report

#8

Lewis University

Romeoville, Illinois

Lewis University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value CompSci Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. Lewis is located in Romeoville, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 133 ’s compsci degrees to qualified students.

Lewis not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Computer Science Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Lewis is $18,664 for Illinois CompSci students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 3.6% 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 Lewis University

#9

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, Illinois

With a ranking of #9, Eastern Illinois University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value CompSci Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Eastern Illinois University is a medium-sized public school situated in Charleston, Illinois. It awarded 1 ’s compsci degrees in 2019-2020.

EIU also made our “Best Computer Science Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #22. The yearly cost to attend Eastern Illinois University is $14,607 for Illinois CompSci students with aid.

Full EIU Computer Science Report

Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value CompSci Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a public institution located in Carbondale, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 56 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

SIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #21 on our “Best Computer Science Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Southern Illinois University Carbondale is $16,945 for Illinois CompSci students with aid.

Read full report on Computer Science at SIUC

#11

Saint Xavier University

Chicago, Illinois

Saint Xavier University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value CompSci Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. This small school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 24 ’s compsci degrees in 2019-2020.

SXU also took the #25 spot in our “Best Computer Science Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for SXU is $14,528 for Illinois CompSci students with aid.

Read full report on Computer Science at Saint Xavier University

Northeastern Illinois University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value CompSci Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s compsci degrees to 147 students in 2019-2020.

Northeastern Illinois University also took the #23 spot in our “Best Computer Science Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $15,843 for illinois compsci students with aid per year to attend Northeastern Illinois University.

Read full report on Computer Science at Northeastern Illinois University

#13

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois

Illinois State University landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value CompSci Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. This large school is located in Normal, Illinois, and it awarded 53 ’s compsci degrees in 2019-2020.

Illinois State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Computer Science Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Illinois State is $20,895 for illinois 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 Illinois State University Computer Science Report

#14

Dominican University

River Forest, Illinois

With a ranking of #14, Dominican University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value CompSci Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Located in River Forest, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 17 diplomas to qualified ’s compsci students in 2019-2020.

Dominican U also took the #16 spot in our “Best Computer Science Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $19,268 for illinois compsci students with aid per year to attend Dominican U.

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.

Read more about Computer Science at Dominican U

#15

Aurora University

Aurora, Illinois

Aurora University landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value CompSci Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. Aurora University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Aurora, Illinois. It awarded 23 ’s compsci degrees in 2019-2020.

Aurora not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #20 on our “Best Computer Science Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Aurora is $17,215 for Illinois 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%.

Read more about Computer Science at Aurora University

#16

Elmhurst University

Elmhurst, Illinois

Elmhurst University ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value CompSci Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Elmhurst, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 18 degrees to qualified ’s compsci students in 2019-2020.

Elmhurst not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best Computer Science Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Elmhurst is $21,485 for Illinois CompSci students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 3.0% 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%.

Full Elmhurst University Computer Science Report

#17

Augustana College

Rock Island, Illinois

Augustana College ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value CompSci Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Augustana College is located in Rock Island, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 22 ’s compsci degrees to qualified students.

Augustana also made our “Best Computer Science Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #8. The yearly cost to attend Augustana is $23,874 for illinois compsci students with aid.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Computer Science at Augustana College

#18

McKendree University

Lebanon, Illinois

McKendree University landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value CompSci Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. McKendree is located in Lebanon, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 9 ’s compsci degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our illinois compsci students with aid list, McKendree has also earned the #19 rank in our “Best Computer Science Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for McKendree University is $19,844 for Illinois CompSci students with aid.

Full McKendree University Computer Science Report

#19

Wheaton College Illinois

Wheaton, Illinois

Wheaton College Illinois ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value CompSci Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Wheaton College Illinois is located in Wheaton, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 15 ’s compsci degrees to qualified students.

Wheaton College Illinois also took the #4 spot in our “Best Computer Science Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $25,358 for illinois compsci students with aid per year to attend Wheaton College Illinois.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Computer Science at Wheaton College Illinois

#20

Bradley University

Peoria, Illinois

Bradley University landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value CompSci Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Peoria, Illinois, and it awarded 44 ’s compsci degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois compsci students with aid list, Bradley has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Computer Science Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Bradley University is $25,634 for illinois compsci students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The 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 Computer Science at Bradley University

Illinois Institute of Technology ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value CompSci Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Illinois Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 263 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Illinois Tech did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Computer Science Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Illinois Institute of Technology is $22,831 for Illinois CompSci students with aid.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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. 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%.

Full Illinois Tech Computer Science Report

#22

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

University of Chicago did quite well in the 2022 Best Value CompSci Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #22. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s compsci degrees to 264 students in 2019-2020.

UChicago did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Computer Science Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $27,315 for Illinois CompSci students with aid per year to attend UChicago.

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. With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Computer Science at UChicago

#23

North Central College

Naperville, Illinois

North Central College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value CompSci Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #23. North Central is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Naperville, Illinois. It awarded 26 ’s compsci degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at North Central, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Computer Science Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend North Central is $24,786 for illinois compsci students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Computer Science at North Central

#24

Roosevelt University

Chicago, Illinois

Roosevelt University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value CompSci Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Roosevelt is a small school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 36 ’s compsci degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Roosevelt is $22,749 for Illinois CompSci students with aid.

Full Roosevelt University Computer Science Report

#25

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois

DePaul University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value CompSci Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 2 diplomas to qualified ’s compsci students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at DePaul, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Computer Science Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for DePaul University is $30,090 for illinois compsci students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 4.5% 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%.

Full DePaul Computer Science Report

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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