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2022 Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

42 Ranked Colleges
1,196 Degrees Awarded
$13,800 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor's in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. 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 Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Elementary Education is the 19th most popular major in the country with 40,622 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

Across Illinois, there were 1,523 elementary education graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,196 elementary education graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,319 and $24,183 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 42 colleges that offered a degree in elementary education. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent elementary education programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the elementary education program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Elementary Education Schools

The elementary teaching 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 Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k”.

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 by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois bachelor’s degree elementary teaching students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Elementary Education (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois

#1 in overall quality

Out of the 42 schools in the Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #1 spot on the list. UIUC is a large school located in Champaign, Illinois that handed out 67 bachelors’s elementary teaching degrees in 2019-2020.

UIUC also made our “Best Elementary Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #1. It costs about $5,477 for illinois bachelor’s degree elementary teaching students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its 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%.

Full UIUC Elementary Education Report

#5 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Chicago. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Illinois at Chicago is a public institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 57 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UIC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Elementary Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Illinois at Chicago is $10,648 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Elementary Teaching students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Elementary Education at University of Illinois at Chicago

#22 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 Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a fairly large public school situated in Edwardsville, Illinois. It awarded 60 bachelors’s elementary teaching degrees in 2019-2020.

SIUE also took the #22 spot in our “Best Elementary Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $8,055 for illinois bachelor’s degree elementary teaching students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend SIUE.

Read full report on Elementary Education at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

#4

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois
#2 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Illinois State University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. Illinois State University is located in Normal, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 255 bachelors’s elementary teaching degrees to qualified students.

Illinois State also made our “Best Elementary Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #2. The yearly cost to attend Illinois State University is $14,470 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Elementary Teaching students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Illinois State Elementary Education Report

#5

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois
#14 in overall quality

Out of the 42 schools in the Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northern Illinois University landed the #5 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Dekalb, Illinois, and it awarded 61 bachelors’s elementary teaching degrees in 2019-2020.

NIU also made our “Best Elementary Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #14. The yearly cost to attend NIU is $15,281 for illinois bachelor’s degree elementary teaching students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Elementary Education at Northern Illinois University

#6

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, Illinois
#15 in overall quality

Eastern Illinois University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #6. Located in Charleston, Illinois, this medium-sized public school handed out 49 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s elementary teaching students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at EIU, the school also landed the #15 spot in our “Best Elementary Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $12,350 for illinois bachelor’s degree elementary teaching students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Eastern Illinois University.

Read full report on Elementary Education at Eastern Illinois University

#7

Saint Xavier University

Chicago, Illinois

With a ranking of #7, Saint Xavier University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. SXU is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 12 bachelors’s elementary teaching degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $11,266 for illinois bachelor’s degree elementary teaching students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend SXU.

Full SXU Elementary Education Report

#8

Governors State University

University Park, Illinois

Governors State University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Governors State University is located in University Park, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 21 bachelors’s elementary teaching degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for Governors State University is $10,872 for illinois bachelor’s degree elementary teaching students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Elementary Education at Governors State University

#17 in overall quality

Southern Illinois University Carbondale came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Southern Illinois University Carbondale is located in Carbondale, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 38 bachelors’s elementary teaching degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SIUC, the school also landed the #17 spot in our “Best Elementary Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $13,658 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Elementary Teaching students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend SIUC.

Read full report on Elementary Education at SIUC

#10

Wheaton College Illinois

Wheaton, Illinois
#3 in overall quality

Wheaton College Illinois ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Wheaton College Illinois is a small school located in Wheaton, Illinois that handed out 28 bachelors’s elementary teaching degrees in 2019-2020.

Wheaton College Illinois also took the #3 spot in our “Best Elementary Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Wheaton College Illinois is $18,440 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Elementary Teaching students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. 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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%.

Read full report on Elementary Education at Wheaton College Illinois

#11

Lewis University

Romeoville, Illinois
#10 in overall quality

Lewis University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. This medium-sized school is located in Romeoville, Illinois, and it awarded 25 bachelors’s elementary teaching degrees in 2019-2020.

Lewis not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Elementary Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Lewis is $12,821 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Elementary Teaching students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 3.6% 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 Elementary Education at Lewis

#12

Aurora University

Aurora, Illinois
#12 in overall quality

Aurora University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #12. Aurora University is located in Aurora, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 26 bachelors’s elementary teaching degrees to qualified students.

Aurora did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Elementary Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Aurora is $14,103 for illinois bachelor’s degree elementary teaching students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 full report on Elementary Education at Aurora

#13

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois
#25 in overall quality

Western Illinois University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Macomb, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s elementary teaching degrees to 43 students in 2019-2020.

WIU also took the #25 spot in our “Best Elementary Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $13,942 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Elementary Teaching students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend WIU.

Read full report on Elementary Education at Western Illinois University

#14

University of Illinois at Springfield

Springfield, Illinois

With a ranking of #14, University of Illinois at Springfield did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Springfield, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s elementary teaching degrees to 14 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend UIS is $9,771 for illinois bachelor’s degree elementary teaching students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full UIS Elementary Education Report

#15

University of St Francis

Joliet, Illinois
#16 in overall quality

University of St Francis did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #15. This small school is located in Joliet, Illinois, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s elementary teaching degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at University of Saint Francis, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best Elementary Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of St Francis is $15,847 for illinois bachelor’s degree elementary teaching students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Elementary Education at University of Saint Francis

#16

Illinois College

Jacksonville, Illinois

Illinois College ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Jacksonville, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 8 degrees to qualified bachelors’s elementary teaching students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $11,376 for illinois bachelor’s degree elementary teaching students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Illinois College.

Full Illinois College Elementary Education Report

#17

National Louis University

Chicago, Illinois
#21 in overall quality

National Louis University ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. This medium-sized school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 24 bachelors’s elementary teaching degrees in 2019-2020.

NLU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #21 on our “Best Elementary Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend National Louis University is $14,178 for illinois bachelor’s degree elementary teaching students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full NLU Elementary Education Report

#18

Millikin University

Decatur, Illinois
#13 in overall quality

Millikin University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Millikin is a small school located in Decatur, Illinois that handed out 20 bachelors’s elementary teaching degrees in 2019-2020.

Millikin did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Elementary Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $17,656 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Elementary Teaching students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Millikin University.

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.

Read more about Elementary Education at Millikin

#19

Bradley University

Peoria, Illinois
#8 in overall quality

Bradley University ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Bradley is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Peoria, Illinois. It awarded 43 bachelors’s elementary teaching degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Bradley, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Elementary Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Bradley is $17,205 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Elementary Teaching students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Bradley Elementary Education Report

Northeastern Illinois University ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this medium-sized public school handed out 34 degrees to qualified bachelors’s elementary teaching students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Northeastern Illinois University is $14,816 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Elementary Teaching students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Northeastern Illinois University Elementary Education Report

#21

Augustana College

Rock Island, Illinois
#9 in overall quality

Augustana College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #21. Augustana College is a small school located in Rock Island, Illinois that handed out 18 bachelors’s elementary teaching degrees in 2019-2020.

Augustana also made our “Best Elementary Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #9. It costs about $20,355 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Elementary Teaching students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Augustana College.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Elementary Education at Augustana

#22

Monmouth College

Monmouth, Illinois

Monmouth College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #22. Monmouth is a private not-for-profit institution located in Monmouth, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 6 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Monmouth is $13,231 for illinois bachelor’s degree elementary teaching students whose families make $0-$30k.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. 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%.

Read full report on Elementary Education at Monmouth College

#23

Dominican University

River Forest, Illinois
#18 in overall quality

Dominican University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This small school is located in River Forest, Illinois, and it awarded 11 bachelors’s elementary teaching degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Dominican U, the school also landed the #18 spot in our “Best Elementary Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Dominican University is $17,060 for illinois bachelor’s degree elementary teaching 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.

Full Dominican U Elementary Education Report

#24

North Park University

Chicago, Illinois
#19 in overall quality

North Park University landed the #24 spot on the 2022 Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. North Park is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 6 bachelors’s elementary teaching degrees in 2019-2020.

North Park not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #19 on our “Best Elementary Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for North Park is $17,808 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Elementary Teaching 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.

Read more about Elementary Education at North Park University

#25

Concordia University, Chicago

River Forest, Illinois

Concordia University, Chicago did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Elementary Teaching Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #25. This medium-sized school is located in River Forest, Illinois, and it awarded 15 bachelors’s elementary teaching degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Concordia University, Chicago is $14,097 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Elementary Teaching students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Concordia University, Chicago Elementary 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 Vgrigas.

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