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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Education (Income $30-$48k) in Illinois

10 Ranked Colleges
79 Degrees Awarded
$16,900 Avg Net Price*
Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor's in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking.

In 2019-2020, 29,936 people earned their degree in general education, making the major the 28th most popular in the United States.

Across Illinois, there were 423 general education graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 79 general education graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,319 and $24,183 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking analyzed 10 colleges that offered a degree in general education. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality general education programs that also have a lower cost than 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank General Education Schools

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois bachelor’s degree general education students whose families make $30-$48k.

Top 10 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Education (Income $30-$48k) 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 Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in Champaign, Illinois, and it awarded 13 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.

UIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for UIUC is $8,464 for illinois bachelor’s degree general education students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign General Education Report

#2

Lake Forest College

Lake Forest, Illinois
#2 in overall quality

Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Lake Forest College landed the #2 spot on the list. Lake Forest is located in Lake Forest, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 11 bachelors’s general education degrees to qualified students.

Lake Forest not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Lake Forest is $19,152 for illinois bachelor’s degree general education students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.5% 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 Lake Forest College General Education Report

#3

Illinois College

Jacksonville, Illinois
#7 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Illinois College. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. Illinois College is located in Jacksonville, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2 bachelors’s general education degrees to qualified students.

Illinois College not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Illinois College is $12,454 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree General Education students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on General Education at Illinois College

#4

Concordia University, Chicago

River Forest, Illinois
#8 in overall quality

Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Concordia University, Chicago landed the #4 spot on the list. Concordia University, Chicago is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in River Forest, Illinois. It awarded 7 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.

Concordia University, Chicago also made our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #8. The yearly cost to attend Concordia University, Chicago is $15,406 for illinois bachelor’s degree general education students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about General Education at Concordia University, Chicago

#5

Elmhurst University

Elmhurst, Illinois
#4 in overall quality

Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Elmhurst University landed the #5 spot on the list. Elmhurst, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s general education degrees to 1 students in 2019-2020.

Elmhurst also took the #4 spot in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $17,837 for illinois bachelor’s degree general education students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Elmhurst University.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Education at Elmhurst University

#6

Greenville University

Greenville, Illinois
#5 in overall quality

Greenville University landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Greenville, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 4 degrees to qualified bachelors’s general education students in 2019-2020.

Greenville not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Greenville University is $19,258 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree General Education 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.

Full Greenville General Education Report

#7

McKendree University

Lebanon, Illinois
#6 in overall quality

With a ranking of #7, McKendree University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. This small school is located in Lebanon, Illinois, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at McKendree, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for McKendree University is $16,659 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree General Education students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on General Education at McKendree University

#8

Illinois Wesleyan University

Bloomington, Illinois
#3 in overall quality

Illinois Wesleyan University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #8. This small school is located in Bloomington, Illinois, and it awarded 2 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Illinois Wesleyan, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $19,857 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree General Education students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Illinois Wesleyan.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 1.4% 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%.

Full Illinois Wesleyan General Education Report

#9

Trinity Christian College

Palos Heights, Illinois
#9 in overall quality

Trinity Christian College ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Palos Heights, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 3 degrees to qualified bachelors’s general education students in 2019-2020.

Trinity Christian not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Trinity Christian is $19,918 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree General Education students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 5.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. 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 full report on General Education at Trinity Christian

#10

Roosevelt University

Chicago, Illinois
#10 in overall quality

Roosevelt University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #10. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s general education degrees to 9 students in 2019-2020.

Roosevelt also made our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #10. The estimated yearly cost for Roosevelt is $20,330 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree General Education students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full Roosevelt 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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