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2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k

11 Ranked Colleges
3,865 Degrees Awarded
$13,300 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor's in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking.

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. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 3,865 engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,319 and $24,183 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” 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.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the engineering program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest 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 for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k.

Top 11 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Engineering (Income $30-$48k) in Illinois

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois
#1 in overall quality

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 for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k. This large school is located in Evanston, Illinois, and it awarded 362 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

Northwestern did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $3,995 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Northwestern.

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%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Engineering at Northwestern University

#2 in overall quality

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 Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. UIUC is a large school located in Champaign, Illinois that handed out 1,667 bachelors’s engineering degrees 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 Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $8,464 for illinois bachelor’s degree engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Read full report on Engineering at UIUC

#9 in overall quality

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 for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is located in Edwardsville, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 206 bachelors’s engineering degrees to qualified students.

SIUE did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $9,938 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend SIUE.

Full Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Engineering Report

#6 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Chicago. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this large public school handed out 560 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s engineering students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIC, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $11,185 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UIC.

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%.

Full University of Illinois at Chicago Engineering Report

#5

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois
#8 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northern Illinois University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k. Dekalb, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s engineering degrees to 238 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at NIU, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Northern Illinois University is $15,861 for illinois bachelor’s degree engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Engineering at NIU

#10 in overall quality

With a ranking of #6, Southern Illinois University Carbondale did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. This fairly large school is located in Carbondale, Illinois, and it awarded 140 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree engineering students whose families make $30-$48k list, SIUC has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $14,306 for illinois bachelor’s degree engineering students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

Read full report on Engineering at Southern Illinois University Carbondale

#7

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois
#11 in overall quality

Western Illinois University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Western Illinois University is located in Macomb, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 24 bachelors’s engineering degrees to qualified students.

WIU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Western Illinois University is $14,526 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on Engineering at Western Illinois University

#8

Olivet Nazarene University

Bourbonnais, Illinois
#7 in overall quality

Olivet Nazarene University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #8. This small school is located in Bourbonnais, Illinois, and it awarded 79 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree engineering students whose families make $30-$48k list, Olivet Nazarene has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Olivet Nazarene University is $15,390 for illinois bachelor’s degree engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 Engineering at Olivet Nazarene

#9

Bradley University

Peoria, Illinois
#4 in overall quality

Bradley University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. Bradley University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Peoria, Illinois. It awarded 162 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Bradley, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Bradley University is $18,232 for illinois bachelor’s degree engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Bradley Engineering Report

#10

Wheaton College Illinois

Wheaton, Illinois
#3 in overall quality

Wheaton College Illinois came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Wheaton College Illinois is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Wheaton, Illinois. It awarded 7 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

Wheaton College Illinois not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $16,212 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Engineering students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Wheaton College Illinois.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on Engineering at Wheaton College Illinois

#5 in overall quality

Illinois Institute of Technology landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 317 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

Illinois Tech also made our “Best Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #5. The estimated yearly cost for Illinois Institute of Technology is $18,720 for illinois bachelor’s degree engineering students whose families make $30-$48k.

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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Engineering at Illinois Tech

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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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