2022 Best Value Education Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Education Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
General Education is the 35th most popular major in the country with 29,936 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, general education graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $47,138 and had an average of $29,674 in loans still to pay off.
Across Illinois, there were 423 general education graduates with average earnings and debt of $46,475 and $26,209 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Education Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 16 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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
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More Ways to Rank General Education Schools
The 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 Education Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k”.
To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
Best Value Education Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Education Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k.
Top 16 Best Value Colleges for General Education (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois
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 Education Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a large public school situated in Champaign, Illinois. It awarded 197 ’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
UIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best General Education Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $5,477 for illinois education students whose families make $0-$30k 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 low student loan default rate of 2.4% 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%.
Read full report on General Education at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Saint Xavier University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Education Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Saint Xavier University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 2 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at SXU, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best General Education Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $11,266 for Illinois Education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Saint Xavier University.
Out of the 16 schools in the Best Value Education Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northern Illinois University landed the #3 spot on the list. Northern Illinois University is a fairly large school located in Dekalb, Illinois that handed out 16 ’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at NIU, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best General Education Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Northern Illinois University is $15,281 for Illinois Education students whose families make $0-$30k.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Lake Forest College. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Education Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. Lake Forest is a private not-for-profit institution located in Lake Forest, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 11 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Lake Forest, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best General Education Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Lake Forest College is $18,192 for Illinois Education students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 full report on General Education at Lake Forest College
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Western Illinois University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Education Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. WIU is a public institution located in Macomb, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 14 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.
WIU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best General Education Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Western Illinois University is $13,942 for illinois education students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a ranking of #6, Illinois College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Jacksonville, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s education degrees to 2 students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our illinois education students whose families make $0-$30k list, Illinois College has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best General Education Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Illinois College is $11,376 for illinois education students whose families make $0-$30k.
Elmhurst University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. This small school is located in Elmhurst, Illinois, and it awarded 11 ’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
Elmhurst also made our “Best General Education Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #4. The estimated yearly cost for Elmhurst University is $16,903 for Illinois Education students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%.
Read full report on General Education at Elmhurst University
Illinois Wesleyan University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Illinois Wesleyan is a private not-for-profit institution located in Bloomington, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 2 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Illinois Wesleyan also took the #3 spot in our “Best General Education Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Illinois Wesleyan is $18,570 for illinois education students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. 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%.
Read full report on General Education at Illinois Wesleyan University
With a ranking of #9, McKendree University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. McKendree University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Lebanon, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 37 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at McKendree, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best General Education Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for McKendree University is $15,184 for illinois education students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read full report on General Education at McKendree University
Concordia University, Chicago landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. 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 12 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Concordia University, Chicago did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best General Education Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Concordia University, Chicago is $14,097 for Illinois Education students whose families make $0-$30k.
Quincy University landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Quincy U is a small school located in Quincy, Illinois that handed out 20 ’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Quincy U, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best General Education Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Quincy University is $15,292 for Illinois Education students whose families make $0-$30k.
Greenville University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Greenville University is a small school located in Greenville, Illinois that handed out 6 ’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
Greenville not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best General Education Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Greenville University is $19,681 for Illinois Education students whose families make $0-$30k.
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.
North Park University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Education Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #13. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 1 diplomas to qualified ’s education students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at North Park, the school also landed the #15 spot in our “Best General Education Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for North Park is $17,808 for Illinois Education students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Trinity Christian College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Education Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #14. Trinity Christian is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Palos Heights, Illinois. It awarded 3 ’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
Trinity Christian also took the #12 spot in our “Best General Education Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Trinity Christian is $16,611 for illinois education students whose families make $0-$30k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 5.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. 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.
Roosevelt University landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 9 diplomas to qualified ’s education students in 2019-2020.
Roosevelt did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best General Education Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Roosevelt is $20,398 for illinois education students whose families make $0-$30k.
Rockford University landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Rockford University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Rockford, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 11 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Rockford also made our “Best General Education Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #14. The yearly cost to attend Rockford University is $21,868 for Illinois Education students whose families make $0-$30k.
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.
Read full report on General Education at Rockford University
- Best Value Colleges for General Education (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region
- Best Value Colleges for General Education (Income $0-$30k)
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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.
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