2026 Best Value Urban Education & Leadership Schools in Illinois
[Urban Education & Leadership](/majors/education/educational-administration/urban-education-and-leadership/) is a field worth comparing on the balance of cost and outcomes. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 3 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for urban education & leadership students.
What’s on this page:
2026 Best Value Urban Education & Leadership Schools in Illinois
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the urban education & leadership degrees they offer, see the list below.
Best Value Urban Education & Leadership Schools
University Of Illinois At Chicago earned the #1 spot for value among urban education & leadership schools in Illinois. University Of Illinois At Chicago is a very large public school located in the city of Chicago. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $15,949, with out-of-state students paying around $32,009. Students borrow a median of $20,115 to complete the urban education & leadership program here. Soon after graduation, urban education & leadership degree recipients from University Of Illinois At Chicago generally make around $61,834. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 77% of applicants are accepted.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Northeastern Illinois University earned it the #2 place for urban education & leadership. Set in the city of Chicago, Northeastern Illinois University is a moderately-sized public institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $12,383, while out-of-state students pay about $22,726. Urban Education & Leadership graduates carry a median of $17,600 in student loans. Urban Education & Leadership graduates of Northeastern Illinois University earn a median of $82,842 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 75% of applicants are accepted.
Rockford College is a great value for students pursuing a degree in urban education & leadership, landing the #3 spot this year. Located in the city of Rockford, Rockford College is a small private not-for-profit university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $37,780. Typical student debt for urban education & leadership graduates is $28,094. Early-career urban education & leadership graduates make about $73,751. That is a strong return on a $28,094 median debt. Roughly 93% of applicants are accepted.
More Urban Education & Leadership Rankings
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Notes and References
This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 3 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 ranked schools only.
- 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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
