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2022 Best Value Education Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid

16 Ranked Colleges
423 Degrees Awarded
$19,700 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Education Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Education Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” ranking - to help you make that 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.

For this year’s “Best Value Education Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 16 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.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the general education program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 Getting Aid”.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. 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 Education Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois education students with aid.

Top 16 Best Value Colleges for General Education in Illinois (With Aid)

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 Getting Aid. Champaign, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s education degrees to 197 students in 2019-2020.

UIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best General Education Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $15,880 for illinois education students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. 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 UIUC

#2

Saint Xavier University

Chicago, Illinois

Out of the 16 schools in the Best Value Education Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid 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 ’s education degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our illinois education students with aid list, SXU has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best General Education Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for SXU is $14,528 for Illinois Education students with aid.

Read full report on General Education at SXU

#3

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Western Illinois University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Education Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid. WIU is a medium-sized public school situated in Macomb, Illinois. It awarded 14 ’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

WIU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best General Education Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Western Illinois University is $16,210 for Illinois Education students with aid.

Read full report on General Education at WIU

#4

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northern Illinois University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Education Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid. Dekalb, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s education degrees to 16 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois education students with aid list, NIU has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best General Education Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for NIU is $18,259 for Illinois Education students with aid.

Read more about General Education at Northern Illinois University

#5

Illinois College

Jacksonville, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Illinois College. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Education Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid 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.

Illinois College not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best General Education Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Illinois College is $16,562 for Illinois Education students with aid.

Full Illinois College General Education Report

#6

Concordia University, Chicago

River Forest, Illinois

Concordia University, Chicago came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in River Forest, Illinois, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 12 diplomas to qualified ’s education students in 2019-2020.

Concordia University, Chicago also took the #11 spot in our “Best General Education Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Concordia University, Chicago is $16,512 for illinois education students with aid.

Full Concordia University, Chicago General Education Report

#7

Quincy University

Quincy, Illinois

Quincy University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Quincy, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s education degrees to 20 students in 2019-2020.

Quincy U also made our “Best General Education Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #13. The estimated yearly cost for Quincy University is $17,497 for Illinois Education students with aid.

Read full report on General Education at Quincy University

#8

Elmhurst University

Elmhurst, Illinois

With a ranking of #8, Elmhurst University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Elmhurst is located in Elmhurst, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 11 ’s education degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our illinois education students with aid list, Elmhurst has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best General Education Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $21,485 for illinois education students with aid per year to attend Elmhurst University.

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%.

Full Elmhurst General Education Report

#9

Greenville University

Greenville, Illinois

Greenville University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Greenville is a small school located in Greenville, Illinois that handed out 6 ’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois education students with aid list, Greenville has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best General Education Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $20,689 for Illinois Education students with aid per year to attend Greenville University.

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 more about General Education at Greenville University

#10

McKendree University

Lebanon, Illinois

McKendree University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. McKendree 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.

McKendree also took the #8 spot in our “Best General Education Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend McKendree is $19,844 for illinois education students with aid.

Read more about General Education at McKendree University

#11

Lake Forest College

Lake Forest, Illinois

Lake Forest College landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. Lake Forest College is a small school located in Lake Forest, Illinois that handed out 11 ’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

Lake Forest also took the #2 spot in our “Best General Education Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $26,426 for Illinois Education students with aid per year to attend Lake Forest.

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

#12

North Park University

Chicago, Illinois

North Park University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Education Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #12. North Park is a small school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 1 ’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

North Park did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best General Education Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend North Park University is $19,170 for illinois education students with aid.

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.

Full North Park General Education Report

#13

Trinity Christian College

Palos Heights, Illinois

Trinity Christian College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Education Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #13. Located in Palos Heights, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 3 degrees to qualified ’s education students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Trinity Christian, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best General Education Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Trinity Christian College is $21,904 for Illinois Education students with aid.

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. 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%.

Full Trinity Christian General Education Report

#14

Rockford University

Rockford, Illinois

Rockford University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Rockford, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s education degrees to 11 students in 2019-2020.

Rockford also took the #14 spot in our “Best General Education Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Rockford University is $22,197 for Illinois Education students with aid.

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

#15

Roosevelt University

Chicago, Illinois

Roosevelt University landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s education degrees to 9 students in 2019-2020.

Roosevelt also took the #16 spot in our “Best General Education Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Roosevelt University is $22,749 for illinois education students with aid.

Read more about General Education at Roosevelt University

#16

Illinois Wesleyan University

Bloomington, Illinois

Illinois Wesleyan University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. Bloomington, 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.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Illinois Wesleyan, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best General Education Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Illinois Wesleyan is $26,039 for Illinois Education students with aid.

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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Education at Illinois Wesleyan University

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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