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2022 Best Value Engineering Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

11 Ranked Colleges
6,518 Degrees Awarded
$12,500 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Engineering Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. 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 Engineering Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2019-2020, 200,458 engineering students received their degree, making the major the 6th most popular in the country. In 2017-2018, engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $64,888 and had an average of $23,564 in loans still to pay off.

Across Illinois, there were 6,518 engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $65,008 and $25,246 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Engineering Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 11 colleges that offer a degree in engineering. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality engineering 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 engineering 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 Engineering Schools

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Engineering Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important 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 Engineering Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Engineering Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 11 Best Value Colleges for Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northwestern University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Engineering Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. Located in Evanston, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 804 diplomas to qualified ’s engineering students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Northwestern, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Engineering Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Northwestern University is $1,866 for illinois engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read full report on Engineering at Northwestern

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Engineering Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Champaign, Illinois, this large public school awarded 2,577 degrees to qualified ’s engineering students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIUC, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Engineering Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $5,477 for illinois engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Engineering at UIUC

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Engineering Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. SIUE is a fairly large school located in Edwardsville, Illinois that handed out 261 ’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

SIUE not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Engineering Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $8,055 for Illinois Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend SIUE.

Read more about Engineering at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Engineering Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #4 spot on the list. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 915 ’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

UIC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Engineering Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for UIC is $10,648 for Illinois Engineering 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%.

Full University of Illinois at Chicago Engineering Report

#5

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northern Illinois University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Northern Illinois University is located in Dekalb, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 328 ’s engineering degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at NIU, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Engineering Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend NIU is $15,281 for Illinois Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Engineering at Northern Illinois University

Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. SIUC is a public institution located in Carbondale, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 198 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

SIUC also took the #10 spot in our “Best Engineering Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $13,658 for illinois engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend SIUC.

Read full report on Engineering at SIUC

#7

Wheaton College Illinois

Wheaton, Illinois

Wheaton College Illinois did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #7. Located in Wheaton, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 7 diplomas to qualified ’s engineering students in 2019-2020.

Wheaton College Illinois also made our “Best Engineering Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #3. The yearly cost to attend Wheaton College Illinois is $18,440 for illinois engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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 Engineering at Wheaton College Illinois

#8

Bradley University

Peoria, Illinois

Bradley University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Bradley is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Peoria, Illinois. It awarded 193 ’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

Bradley not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Engineering Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $17,205 for illinois engineering students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Bradley University.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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 Engineering Report

#9

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois

Western Illinois University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Macomb, Illinois, and it awarded 24 ’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois engineering students whose families make $0-$30k list, WIU has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Engineering Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend WIU is $13,942 for illinois engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Engineering at WIU

#10

Olivet Nazarene University

Bourbonnais, Illinois

Olivet Nazarene University landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Olivet Nazarene is a small school located in Bourbonnais, Illinois that handed out 79 ’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

Olivet Nazarene not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Engineering Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Olivet Nazarene is $15,806 for Illinois Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 more about Engineering at Olivet Nazarene

Illinois Institute of Technology did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #11. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 662 degrees to qualified ’s engineering students in 2019-2020.

Illinois Tech did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Engineering Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Illinois Institute of Technology is $17,222 for Illinois Engineering students whose families make $0-$30k.

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. The low student loan default rate of 2.9% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full Illinois Institute of Technology Engineering 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.

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