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2022 Best Value Colleges for Engineering (Income $48-$75k) in Illinois

11 Ranked Colleges
6,518 Degrees Awarded
Best Value Engineering Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. 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 $48-$75k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

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.

For this year’s “Best Value Engineering Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking, we looked at 11 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.

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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

The engineering school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Engineering Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k”.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Engineering Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.

Top 11 Best Value Colleges for Engineering (Income $48-$75k) in Illinois

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. Northwestern University is a large school located in Evanston, Illinois that handed out 804 ’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois engineering students whose families make $48-$75k list, Northwestern has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Engineering Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Northwestern University is $6,452 for Illinois Engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low student loan default rate of 0.8% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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

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 in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is located in Champaign, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2,577 ’s engineering degrees to qualified students.

UIUC also took the #2 spot in our “Best Engineering Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UIUC is $13,351 for illinois engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.

Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Engineering Report

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Engineering Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #3 spot on the list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s engineering degrees to 915 students in 2019-2020.

UIC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Engineering Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for UIC is $13,683 for illinois engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Engineering at UIC

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Engineering Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k. SIUE is located in Edwardsville, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 261 ’s engineering degrees to qualified students.

SIUE did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Engineering Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is $13,705 for illinois engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.

Full SIUE Engineering Report

#5

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

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 in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k. Northern Illinois University is a public institution located in Dekalb, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 328 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

NIU also took the #8 spot in our “Best Engineering Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Northern Illinois University is $18,346 for Illinois Engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read more about Engineering at NIU

#6

Wheaton College Illinois

Wheaton, Illinois

Wheaton College Illinois came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This small school is located in Wheaton, Illinois, and it awarded 7 ’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

Wheaton College Illinois did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Engineering Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Wheaton College Illinois is $19,691 for Illinois Engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 0.7% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Wheaton College Illinois Engineering Report

Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. SIUC is a fairly large public school situated in Carbondale, Illinois. It awarded 198 ’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SIUC, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Engineering Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for SIUC is $14,985 for illinois engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read full report on Engineering at Southern Illinois University Carbondale

#8

Olivet Nazarene University

Bourbonnais, Illinois

Olivet Nazarene University landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Olivet Nazarene University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Bourbonnais, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 79 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Olivet Nazarene, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Engineering Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Olivet Nazarene is $17,841 for Illinois Engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Engineering at Olivet Nazarene

#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 $48-$75k ranking. Located in Macomb, Illinois, this medium-sized public school awarded 24 degrees to qualified ’s engineering students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois engineering students whose families make $48-$75k list, WIU has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Engineering Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for WIU is $15,912 for illinois engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read more about Engineering at Western Illinois University

#10

Bradley University

Peoria, Illinois

With a ranking of #10, Bradley University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. Peoria, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s engineering degrees to 193 students 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 Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $22,865 for Illinois Engineering students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Bradley University.

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

Read more about Engineering at Bradley University

Illinois Institute of Technology ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. Illinois Tech is a medium-sized school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 662 ’s engineering degrees 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 $22,542 for Illinois Engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 full report on 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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