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2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois

8 Ranked Colleges
1,818 Degrees Awarded
$26,800 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Engineering Schools for a Master's in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Engineering Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

With 200,458 degrees handed out in 2019-2020, engineering is the 6th most popular major in the United States. 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. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 1,818 engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $57,267 and $46,814 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Engineering Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 8 colleges that offer a degree in engineering. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great engineering programs and 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 engineering program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Engineering Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

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

Top 8 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Engineering (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois
#1 in overall quality
$56,567 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Northwestern is a large school located in Evanston, Illinois that handed out 313 masters’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

Northwestern did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Northwestern University are $56,567, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Engineering at Northwestern University

#2

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, Illinois
#2 in overall quality
$30,083 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Champaign, Illinois, this large public school awarded 654 degrees to qualified masters’s engineering students in 2019-2020.

UIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UIUC are $30,083.

Read full report on Engineering at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

#3

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

Edwardsville, Illinois
#6 in overall quality
$9,300 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. SIUE is a fairly large public school situated in Edwardsville, Illinois. It awarded 55 masters’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

SIUE also took the #6 spot in our “Best Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at SIUE are $9,300, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Engineering at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

#4

University of Illinois at Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
#4 in overall quality
$27,036 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 8 schools in the Best Value Engineering Schools for a Master’s 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. UIC is a large public school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 283 masters’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree engineering students whose families make $0-$30k list, UIC has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Illinois at Chicago are $27,036.

Read full report on Engineering at UIC

#5

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois
#7 in overall quality
$11,086 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northern Illinois University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. This fairly large school is located in Dekalb, Illinois, and it awarded 90 masters’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree engineering students whose families make $0-$30k list, NIU has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Northern Illinois University are $11,086, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Engineering at Northern Illinois University

#6

Southern Illinois University Carbondale

Carbondale, Illinois
#5 in overall quality
$32,928 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Southern Illinois University Carbondale did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #6. Located in Carbondale, Illinois, this fairly large public school handed out 44 degrees to qualified masters’s engineering students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SIUC, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Southern Illinois University Carbondale are $32,928, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Southern Illinois University Carbondale Engineering Report

#7

Bradley University

Peoria, Illinois
$17,040 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Bradley University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Peoria, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s engineering degrees to 31 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree engineering students whose families make $0-$30k list, Bradley has also earned the #0 rank in our “Best Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Bradley University are $17,040.

Read full report on Engineering at Bradley University

#8

Illinois Institute of Technology

Chicago, Illinois
#3 in overall quality
$30,695 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #8, Illinois Institute of Technology did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s engineering degrees to 314 students in 2019-2020.

Illinois Tech also made our “Best Engineering Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #3. Average graduate tuition and fees at Illinois Institute of Technology are $30,695, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Engineering at Illinois Institute of Technology

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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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