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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Early Childhood Education in Illinois

23 Ranked Colleges
404 Degrees Awarded
$19,900 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor'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 was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Early Childhood Education is the 34th most popular major in the country with 31,017 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

Across Illinois, there were 790 early childhood education graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 404 early childhood education graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,319 and $24,183 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois” ranking analyzed 23 colleges that offered a degree in early childhood education. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality early childhood education programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the early childhood 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.

More Ways to Rank Early Childhood Education Schools

The child development 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 Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois”.

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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois.

Top 23 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Early Childhood Education in Illinois

#1

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois
#2 in overall quality

Out of the 23 schools in the Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Illinois State University landed the #1 spot on the list. Illinois State is a large school located in Normal, Illinois that handed out 63 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree child development students list, Illinois State has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Illinois State is $20,895 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Child development students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Early Childhood Education at Illinois State University

#1 in overall quality

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 #2 for the Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois. Champaign, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s child development degrees to 14 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree child development students list, UIUC has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UIUC is $15,880 for illinois bachelor’s degree child development students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Read more about Early Childhood Education at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

#12 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a fairly large public school situated in Edwardsville, Illinois. It awarded 18 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

SIUE not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is $14,423 for illinois bachelor’s degree child development students.

Read more about Early Childhood Education at SIUE

#14 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northeastern Illinois University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Northeastern Illinois University is a medium-sized public school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 12 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree child development students list, Northeastern Illinois University has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Northeastern Illinois University is $15,843 for illinois bachelor’s degree child development students.

Read full report on Early Childhood Education at Northeastern Illinois University

#5

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois
#8 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northern Illinois University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois. NIU is a fairly large public school situated in Dekalb, Illinois. It awarded 21 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

NIU also took the #8 spot in our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Northern Illinois University is $18,259 for illinois bachelor’s degree child development students.

Read more about Early Childhood Education at Northern Illinois University

#9 in overall quality

Southern Illinois University Carbondale did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking, coming in at #6. Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a public institution located in Carbondale, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 26 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

SIUC also took the #9 spot in our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale is $16,945 for illinois bachelor’s degree child development students.

Read more about Early Childhood Education at SIUC

#7

Governors State University

University Park, Illinois
#21 in overall quality

Governors State University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. This small school is located in University Park, Illinois, and it awarded 19 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

GSU also took the #21 spot in our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $12,077 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Child development students per year to attend GSU.

Full GSU Early Childhood Education Report

#8

National Louis University

Chicago, Illinois
#11 in overall quality

National Louis University landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 132 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

NLU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for NLU is $14,957 for illinois bachelor’s degree child development students.

Full NLU Early Childhood Education Report

#9

Chicago State University

Chicago, Illinois
#23 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, Chicago State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. This small school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 11 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSU, the school also landed the #23 spot in our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $11,733 for illinois bachelor’s degree child development students per year to attend CSU.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Full CSU Early Childhood Education Report

#10

North Park University

Chicago, Illinois
#10 in overall quality

North Park University landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. North Park is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1 bachelors’s child development degrees to qualified students.

North Park also made our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #10. The yearly cost to attend North Park University is $19,170 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Child development students.

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 Early Childhood Education at North Park

#11

Judson University

Elgin, Illinois
#17 in overall quality

Judson University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Elgin, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s child development degrees to 3 students in 2019-2020.

Judson also made our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #17. It costs about $18,737 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Child development students per year to attend Judson 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 full report on Early Childhood Education at Judson University

#12

Bradley University

Peoria, Illinois
#4 in overall quality

Bradley University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking, coming in at #12. Bradley University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Peoria, Illinois. It awarded 8 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

Bradley also made our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #4. It costs about $25,634 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Child development students per year to attend Bradley University.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.

Read more about Early Childhood Education at Bradley

#13

Concordia University, Chicago

River Forest, Illinois
#13 in overall quality

Concordia University, Chicago landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. This medium-sized school is located in River Forest, Illinois, and it awarded 4 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

Concordia University, Chicago also made our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #13. The estimated yearly cost for Concordia University, Chicago is $16,512 for illinois bachelor’s degree child development students.

Read full report on Early Childhood Education at Concordia University, Chicago

#14

Quincy University

Quincy, Illinois
#19 in overall quality

Quincy University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking, coming in at #14. This small school is located in Quincy, Illinois, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

Quincy U not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #19 on our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $17,497 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Child development students per year to attend Quincy U.

Read more about Early Childhood Education at Quincy University

#15

Rockford University

Rockford, Illinois
#20 in overall quality

With a ranking of #15, Rockford University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Rockford University is a small school located in Rockford, Illinois that handed out 5 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree child development students list, Rockford has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $22,197 for illinois bachelor’s degree child development students per year to attend Rockford University.

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.

Read more about Early Childhood Education at Rockford University

#16

Columbia College Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
#18 in overall quality

Columbia College Chicago landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

Columbia did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $31,099 for illinois bachelor’s degree child development students per year to attend Columbia College Chicago.

Read more about Early Childhood Education at Columbia College Chicago

#17

Olivet Nazarene University

Bourbonnais, Illinois
#15 in overall quality

Olivet Nazarene University ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. This small school is located in Bourbonnais, Illinois, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree child development students list, Olivet Nazarene has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Olivet Nazarene University is $20,195 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Child development students.

The low student loan default rate of 3.4% 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 Early Childhood Education at Olivet Nazarene University

#18

Elmhurst University

Elmhurst, Illinois
#5 in overall quality

Elmhurst University landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. This small school is located in Elmhurst, Illinois, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree child development students list, Elmhurst has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Elmhurst University is $21,485 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Child development students.

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 Early Childhood Education at Elmhurst University

#19

Saint Xavier University

Chicago, Illinois
#16 in overall quality

Saint Xavier University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s child development degrees to 4 students in 2019-2020.

SXU also made our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #16. The yearly cost to attend Saint Xavier University is $14,528 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Child development students.

Read full report on Early Childhood Education at SXU

#20

Roosevelt University

Chicago, Illinois
#22 in overall quality

Roosevelt University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. Roosevelt is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 11 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Roosevelt not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #22 on our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Roosevelt University is $22,749 for illinois bachelor’s degree child development students.

Read full report on Early Childhood Education at Roosevelt University

#21

Millikin University

Decatur, Illinois
#7 in overall quality

Millikin University ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Millikin University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Decatur, Illinois. It awarded 8 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Millikin, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Millikin is $21,331 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Child development students.

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.

Read full report on Early Childhood Education at Millikin

#22

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois
#6 in overall quality

With a ranking of #22, DePaul University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. DePaul University is a large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 12 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

DePaul did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $30,090 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Child development students per year to attend DePaul University.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full DePaul University Early Childhood Education Report

#23

Loyola University Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
#3 in overall quality

Loyola University Chicago ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Child development Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. This fairly large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s child development degrees in 2019-2020.

Loyola Chicago also took the #3 spot in our “Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $35,407 for illinois bachelor’s degree child development students per year to attend Loyola Chicago.

The low student loan default rate of 3.4% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Early Childhood Education at Loyola Chicago

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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 Vgrigas.

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