2027 Best Value Civil Engineering Schools in Illinois
[Civil Engineering](/majors/engineering/civil-engineering/other-civil-engineering/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The schools below stand out for delivering a strong civil engineering education at a price that pays off.
College Factual analyzed 2 schools to build this 2027 ranking of the best value civil engineering schools.
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2027 Best Value Civil Engineering Schools in Illinois
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in civil engineering, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Civil Engineering Schools
Southern Illinois University Carbondale earned the #1 spot for value among civil engineering schools in Illinois. Set in the town of Carbondale, Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a large public institution. In-state tuition and fees average $13,334. Students borrow a median of $19,781 to complete the civil engineering program here. Soon after graduation, civil engineering degree recipients from Southern Illinois University Carbondale generally make around $46,566. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Southern Illinois University Carbondale admits about 87% of applicants.
Illinois Institute Of Technology came in at #2 on our 2027 list of the best value civil engineering schools. Located in the city of Chicago, Illinois Institute Of Technology is a large private not-for-profit university. In-state tuition and fees average $52,202. Civil Engineering graduates carry a median of $26,000 in student loans. Soon after graduation, civil engineering degree recipients from Illinois Institute Of Technology generally make around $75,829. Set against $26,000 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 55%.
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2027 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 2 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 2 ranked schools only.
- 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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
