2026 Best Value Construction Engineering Schools in Illinois
[Construction Engineering](/majors/engineering/construction-engineering/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 3 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for construction engineering students.
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2026 Best Value Construction Engineering Schools in Illinois
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the construction engineering degrees they offer, see the list below.
Best Value Construction Engineering Schools
For return on investment in construction engineering, no school beat University Of Illinois At Chicago this year. University Of Illinois At Chicago is a very large public school located in the city of Chicago. Students from in state pay about $15,949 in tuition and fees, compared with $32,009 for out-of-state students. Construction Engineering graduates carry a median of $20,115 in student loans. Early-career construction engineering graduates make about $61,829. That is a strong return on a $20,115 median debt. University Of Illinois At Chicago admits about 77% of applicants.
Students looking for strong value in construction engineering will find it at Illinois Institute Of Technology, which ranked #2. Set in the city of Chicago, Illinois Institute Of Technology is a large private not-for-profit institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $52,202. Students borrow a median of $26,774 to complete the construction engineering program here. Early-career construction engineering graduates make about $71,315. That is a strong return on a $26,774 median debt. The acceptance rate is 55%.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Bradley University earned it the #3 place for construction engineering. Bradley University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Peoria. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $42,160. Students borrow a median of $26,380 to complete the construction engineering program here. Soon after graduation, construction engineering degree recipients from Bradley University generally make around $71,053. That is a strong return on a $26,380 median debt. Bradley University admits about 77% of applicants.
More Construction Engineering Rankings
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Notes and References
This list is compiled by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 3 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.
