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2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid

11 Ranked Colleges
307 Degrees Awarded
$15,500 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Education Schools for a Master's in Illinois For Those Getting Aid

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2019-2020, 29,936 people earned their degree in general education, making the major the 35th most popular in the United States. 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. 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 Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” ranking looked at 11 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in general education. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great general education programs and 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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

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. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Value Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid

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

Top 11 Best Value Master’s Degree 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 for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is located in Champaign, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 169 masters’s education degrees to qualified students.

UIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 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 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are $30,083.

Read full report on General Education at UIUC

#2

Saint Xavier University

Chicago, Illinois
#9 in overall quality

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Saint Xavier University landed the #2 spot on the list. This small school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 2 masters’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

SXU also made our “Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #9. Average graduate tuition and fees at Saint Xavier University are $15,450, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Saint Xavier University General Education Report

#3

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 #3 on our 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Macomb, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s education degrees to 14 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at WIU, the school also landed the #7 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 Western Illinois University are $11,996.

Read full report on General Education at Western Illinois University

#4

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northern Illinois University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. This fairly large school is located in Dekalb, Illinois, and it awarded 16 masters’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

NIU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at NIU are $11,086, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full NIU General Education Report

#5

Quincy University

Quincy, Illinois

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Quincy University landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Quincy, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 20 diplomas to qualified masters’s education students in 2019-2020.

Quincy U also made our “Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #10. Average graduate tuition and fees at Quincy University are $12,000, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Quincy U General Education Report

#6

Concordia University, Chicago

River Forest, Illinois

With a ranking of #6, Concordia University, Chicago did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid 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 full report on General Education at Concordia University, Chicago

#7

Elmhurst University

Elmhurst, Illinois
#2 in overall quality

With a ranking of #7, Elmhurst University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Elmhurst, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 10 degrees to qualified masters’s education students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree education students with aid 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 University are $32,300, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on General Education at Elmhurst

#8

McKendree University

Lebanon, Illinois

With a ranking of #8, McKendree University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. This small school is located in Lebanon, Illinois, and it awarded 27 masters’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

McKendree not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #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 you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full McKendree General Education Report

#9

North Park University

Chicago, Illinois

North Park University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. North Park University is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1 masters’s education degrees to qualified students.

North Park did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #0 on our “Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at North Park are $14,076, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on General Education at North Park

#10

Greenville University

Greenville, Illinois
#5 in overall quality

Greenville University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #10. This small school is located in Greenville, Illinois, and it awarded 2 masters’s education degrees in 2019-2020.

Greenville did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 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 Greenville University are $8,082.

Read full report on General Education at Greenville University

#11

Rockford University

Rockford, Illinois
#6 in overall quality

Rockford University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. Rockford is located in Rockford, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 11 masters’s education degrees to qualified students.

Rockford did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 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 Rockford are $13,255.

Full Rockford 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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