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2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for General Education (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois

11 Ranked Colleges
307 Degrees Awarded
$15,500 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value General Education Schools for a Master's in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

General Education is the 28th most popular major in the country with 29,936 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

Across Illinois, there were 423 general education graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 307 general education graduates with average earnings and debt of $57,267 and $46,814 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 11 colleges that offer a degree in general education. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent general education programs, but they also 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 general education program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college decision.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our 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 General Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois master’s degree general education students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 11 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for General Education (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois

#1 in overall quality

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 General Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Champaign, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s general education degrees to 169 students in 2019-2020.

UIUC also took the #1 spot in our “Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UIUC are $30,083.

Full UIUC General Education Report

#2

Saint Xavier University

Chicago, Illinois
#9 in overall quality

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Saint Xavier University landed the #2 spot on the list. Saint Xavier University is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2 masters’s general education degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SXU, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at SXU are $15,450.

Full Saint Xavier University General Education Report

#3

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois
#8 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northern Illinois University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. NIU is a public institution located in Dekalb, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 16 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree general education students whose families make $0-$30k list, NIU has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at NIU are $11,086.

Full Northern Illinois University General Education Report

#4

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois
#7 in overall quality

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Western Illinois University landed the #4 spot on the list. Western Illinois University is a medium-sized school located in Macomb, Illinois that handed out 14 masters’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree general education students whose families make $0-$30k list, WIU has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Western Illinois University are $11,996, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full WIU General Education Report

#5

Elmhurst University

Elmhurst, Illinois
#2 in overall quality

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Elmhurst University landed the #5 spot on the list. Elmhurst is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Elmhurst, Illinois. It awarded 10 masters’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.

Elmhurst not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Elmhurst are $32,300.

Read full report on General Education at Elmhurst

#6

McKendree University

Lebanon, Illinois
#4 in overall quality

With a ranking of #6, McKendree University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. This small school is located in Lebanon, Illinois, and it awarded 27 masters’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.

McKendree did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at McKendree University are $9,324, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full McKendree University General Education Report

#7

Quincy University

Quincy, Illinois
#10 in overall quality

With a ranking of #7, Quincy University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Quincy University is a small school located in Quincy, Illinois that handed out 20 masters’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.

Quincy U not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Quincy University are $12,000.

Full Quincy University General Education Report

#8

Concordia University, Chicago

River Forest, Illinois
#3 in overall quality

Concordia University, Chicago did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #8. Concordia University, Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in River Forest, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 5 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Concordia University, Chicago not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Concordia University, Chicago are $9,378, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on General Education at Concordia University, Chicago

#9

Greenville University

Greenville, Illinois
#5 in overall quality

Greenville University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Greenville is a private not-for-profit institution located in Greenville, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 2 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree general education students whose families make $0-$30k list, Greenville has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Greenville are $8,082, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on General Education at Greenville University

#10

North Park University

Chicago, Illinois

North Park University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #10. This small school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 1 masters’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree general education students whose families make $0-$30k list, North Park has also earned the #0 rank in our “Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at North Park University are $14,076, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on General Education at North Park

#11

Rockford University

Rockford, Illinois
#6 in overall quality

Rockford University landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Rockford, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s general education degrees to 11 students in 2019-2020.

Rockford also took the #6 spot in our “Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Rockford University are $13,255, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Rockford University General Education Report

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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.

Credits

  • Credit for the banner image above goes to KOKUYO.

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