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2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for General Education in Illinois

10 Ranked Colleges
307 Degrees Awarded
$15,700 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value General Education Schools for a Master's in Illinois

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its “Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois” ranking as one item you can use to help make this 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.

This year’s “Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois” 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.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the general education program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

The general education 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 General Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois”.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois master’s degree general education students.

Top 10 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for General Education in Illinois

#1 in overall quality

Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #1 spot on the 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.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIUC, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are $30,083, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign General Education Report

#2

Concordia University, Chicago

River Forest, Illinois
#3 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Concordia University, Chicago. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois list. 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 also took the #3 spot in our “Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Concordia University, Chicago are $9,378, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about General Education at Concordia University, Chicago

#3

Greenville University

Greenville, Illinois
#5 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Greenville University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois. Greenville University is located in Greenville, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2 masters’s general education degrees to qualified students.

Greenville not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Greenville University are $8,082, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on General Education at Greenville University

#4

McKendree University

Lebanon, Illinois
#4 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend McKendree University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois. 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 are $9,324, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on General Education at McKendree

#5

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois
#7 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Western Illinois University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois list. Located in Macomb, Illinois, this medium-sized public school handed out 14 degrees to qualified masters’s general education students in 2019-2020.

WIU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at WIU are $11,996, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about General Education at WIU

#6

Rockford University

Rockford, Illinois
#6 in overall quality

Rockford University landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois ranking. Rockford University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Rockford, Illinois. It awarded 11 masters’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.

Rockford not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Rockford are $13,255, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Rockford General Education Report

#7

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois
#8 in overall quality

With a ranking of #7, Northern Illinois University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois list. Northern Illinois University is located in Dekalb, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 16 masters’s general education degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at NIU, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at NIU are $11,086, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Northern Illinois University General Education Report

#8

Quincy University

Quincy, Illinois
#10 in overall quality

Quincy University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois list. Quincy University is located in Quincy, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 20 masters’s general education degrees to qualified students.

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. Average graduate tuition and fees at Quincy University are $12,000, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on General Education at Quincy University

#9

Saint Xavier University

Chicago, Illinois
#9 in overall quality

Saint Xavier University landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois ranking. SXU is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 2 masters’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.

SXU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 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 SXU are $15,450.

Read more about General Education at Saint Xavier University

#10

Elmhurst University

Elmhurst, Illinois
#2 in overall quality

Elmhurst University landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois ranking. Located in Elmhurst, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 10 degrees to qualified masters’s general education students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree general education students list, Elmhurst has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Elmhurst are $32,300, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on General Education at Elmhurst 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.

Credits

  • Credit for the banner image above goes to KOKUYO.

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