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2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid

11 Ranked Colleges
3,865 Degrees Awarded
$19,400 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor's in Illinois For Those Getting Aid

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” ranking - to help you make that decision.

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.

This year’s “Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 11 colleges that offered a degree in engineering. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent engineering programs, but they also cost less that 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.

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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 Getting Aid” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid.

Top 11 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Engineering in Illinois (With Aid)

#1

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, Illinois
#2 in overall quality
$15,880 Average Net Price

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. UIUC is a public institution located in Champaign, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1,667 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for UIUC is $15,880 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Engineering students with aid.

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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Engineering at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

#2

University of Illinois at Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
#6 in overall quality
$13,312 Average Net Price

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #2 spot on the list. University of Illinois at Chicago is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 560 bachelors’s engineering degrees to qualified students.

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. The estimated yearly cost for UIC is $13,312 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Engineering students with aid.

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 University of Illinois at Chicago

#3

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois
#8 in overall quality
$18,259 Average Net Price

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northern Illinois University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid. Northern Illinois University is a fairly large public school situated in Dekalb, Illinois. It awarded 238 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

NIU also took the #8 spot in our “Best Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend NIU is $18,259 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Engineering students with aid.

Full NIU Engineering Report

#4

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

Edwardsville, Illinois
#9 in overall quality
$14,423 Average Net Price

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 for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid. Edwardsville, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s engineering degrees to 206 students in 2019-2020.

SIUE also made our “Best Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #9. The yearly cost to attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is $14,423 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Engineering students with aid.

Read more about Engineering at SIUE

#5

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois
#1 in overall quality
$24,664 Average Net Price

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northwestern University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid. Northwestern University is a large school located in Evanston, Illinois that handed out 362 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

Northwestern also made our “Best Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #1. The estimated yearly cost for Northwestern is $24,664 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Engineering students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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.

Full Northwestern University Engineering Report

#6

Southern Illinois University Carbondale

Carbondale, Illinois
#10 in overall quality
$16,945 Average Net Price

Southern Illinois University Carbondale ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Carbondale, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s engineering degrees to 140 students in 2019-2020.

SIUC also took the #10 spot in our “Best Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale is $16,945 for illinois bachelor’s degree engineering students with aid.

Read more about Engineering at SIUC

#7

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois
#11 in overall quality
$16,210 Average Net Price

Western Illinois University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #7. Macomb, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s engineering degrees to 24 students in 2019-2020.

WIU also made our “Best Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #11. The estimated yearly cost for WIU is $16,210 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Engineering students with aid.

Full WIU Engineering Report

#8

Olivet Nazarene University

Bourbonnais, Illinois
#7 in overall quality
$20,195 Average Net Price

Olivet Nazarene University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Olivet Nazarene is a private not-for-profit institution located in Bourbonnais, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 79 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Olivet Nazarene not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Olivet Nazarene is $20,195 for illinois bachelor’s degree engineering students with aid.

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 more about Engineering at Olivet Nazarene University

#9

Bradley University

Peoria, Illinois
#4 in overall quality
$25,634 Average Net Price

Bradley University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #9. Bradley University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Peoria, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 162 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Bradley also made our “Best Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #4. The yearly cost to attend Bradley is $25,634 for illinois bachelor’s degree engineering students with aid.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Engineering at Bradley University

#10

Wheaton College Illinois

Wheaton, Illinois
#3 in overall quality
$25,358 Average Net Price

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 Getting Aid ranking. Wheaton College Illinois is a private not-for-profit institution located in Wheaton, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Wheaton College Illinois did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Wheaton College Illinois is $25,358 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Engineering students with aid.

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 90%. 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%.

Read full report on Engineering at Wheaton College Illinois

#11

Illinois Institute of Technology

Chicago, Illinois
#5 in overall quality
$22,831 Average Net Price

Illinois Institute of Technology ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 317 degrees to qualified bachelors’s engineering students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree engineering students with aid list, Illinois Tech has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Illinois Tech is $22,831 for illinois bachelor’s degree engineering students with aid.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.

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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