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2022 Best Value Colleges for Engineering (Income $75-$110k) in Illinois

11 Ranked Colleges
6,518 Degrees Awarded
$21,700 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Engineering Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Engineering Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

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 $75-$110k” 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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Engineering Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k” list to help you make the college decision.

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. 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 $75-$110k

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois engineering students whose families make $75-$110k.

Top 11 Best Value Colleges for Engineering (Income $75-$110k) in Illinois

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois
#1 in overall quality
$16,784 Average Net Price
$68,272 Average Early-Career Earnings

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 $75-$110k list. Northwestern is a large school located in Evanston, Illinois that handed out 804 ’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

Northwestern also took the #1 spot in our “Best Engineering Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Northwestern University is $16,784 for Illinois Engineering students whose families make $75-$110k.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Engineering at Northwestern

#2

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, Illinois
#2 in overall quality
$21,998 Average Net Price
$49,122 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Engineering Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #2 spot on the list. UIUC 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 estimated yearly cost for UIUC is $21,998 for Illinois Engineering students whose families make $75-$110k.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 2.4% 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 UIUC

#3

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois
#8 in overall quality
$21,425 Average Net Price
$41,947 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Engineering Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northern Illinois University landed the #3 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Dekalb, Illinois, and it awarded 328 ’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

NIU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Engineering Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $21,425 for illinois engineering students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend NIU.

Full NIU Engineering Report

#4

University of Illinois at Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
#7 in overall quality
$20,270 Average Net Price
$48,171 Average Early-Career Earnings

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 in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k. 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 did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Engineering Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $20,270 for Illinois Engineering students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend UIC.

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%.

Full University of Illinois at Chicago Engineering Report

#5

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

Edwardsville, Illinois
#9 in overall quality
$18,928 Average Net Price
$45,324 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Engineering Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a fairly large public school situated in Edwardsville, Illinois. It awarded 261 ’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

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 SIUE is $18,928 for illinois engineering students whose families make $75-$110k.

Read full report on Engineering at SIUE

#6

Southern Illinois University Carbondale

Carbondale, Illinois
#10 in overall quality
$20,698 Average Net Price
$38,710 Average Early-Career Earnings

Southern Illinois University Carbondale came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Carbondale, Illinois, and it awarded 198 ’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

SIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Engineering Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $20,698 for illinois engineering students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend SIUC.

Read more about Engineering at SIUC

#7

Wheaton College Illinois

Wheaton, Illinois
#3 in overall quality
$24,299 Average Net Price
$30,458 Average Early-Career Earnings

Wheaton College Illinois came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Engineering Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Wheaton College Illinois is located in Wheaton, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 7 ’s engineering degrees to qualified students.

Wheaton College Illinois did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Engineering Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Wheaton College Illinois is $24,299 for illinois engineering students whose families make $75-$110k.

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. 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%.

Read full report on Engineering at Wheaton College Illinois

#8

Olivet Nazarene University

Bourbonnais, Illinois
#6 in overall quality
$21,306 Average Net Price
$46,385 Average Early-Career Earnings

With a ranking of #8, Olivet Nazarene University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k list. Olivet Nazarene 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.

Olivet Nazarene not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Engineering Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $21,306 for illinois engineering students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Olivet Nazarene University.

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
#11 in overall quality
$20,181 Average Net Price
$37,263 Average Early-Career Earnings

Western Illinois University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #9. Macomb, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s engineering degrees to 24 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at WIU, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Engineering Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $20,181 for illinois engineering students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Western Illinois University.

Read full report on Engineering at Western Illinois University

#10

Illinois Institute of Technology

Chicago, Illinois
#5 in overall quality
$24,888 Average Net Price
$62,621 Average Early-Career Earnings

Illinois Institute of Technology landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s engineering degrees to 662 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois engineering students whose families make $75-$110k list, Illinois Tech has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Engineering Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Illinois Tech is $24,888 for Illinois Engineering students whose families make $75-$110k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national 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 more about Engineering at Illinois Institute of Technology

#11

Bradley University

Peoria, Illinois
#4 in overall quality
$28,169 Average Net Price
$45,292 Average Early-Career Earnings

With a ranking of #11, Bradley University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k list. Located in Peoria, Illinois, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 193 diplomas to qualified ’s engineering students in 2019-2020.

Bradley also took the #4 spot in our “Best Engineering Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Bradley University is $28,169 for illinois engineering students whose families make $75-$110k.

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

Read full report on Engineering at Bradley

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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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