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2023 Best Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in Illinois

9 Ranked Colleges
3,938 Degrees Awarded
$64,389 Avg Salary
Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Engineering for a Bachelor's

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, veterans have many different options to choose from. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Engineering for a Bachelor’s” ranking is part of that endeavor.

With 198,468 degrees handed out in 2020-2021, engineering is the 7th most popular major in the United States. In 2019-2020, engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $68,653 and had an average of $23,855 in loans still to pay off.

Across Illinois, there were 6,585 engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $68,398 and $22,915 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 3,938 engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $40,117 and $25,584 respectively.

This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Engineering for a Bachelor’s” ranking analyzed 9 colleges that offered a degree in engineering. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality engineering programs as well as strong veteran support.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as veteran satisfaction, veteran affordability, and overall quality of the engineering program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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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 “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Engineering for a Bachelor’s” list to help you make the college decision.

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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Engineering for a Bachelor’s

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois bachelor’s degree vets studying engineering.

Top 9 Best Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in Illinois

1

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Engineering for a Bachelor’s list. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is located in Champaign, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1,839 bachelors’s engineering degrees to qualified students.

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.Our most recent data shows that 10 of the 52,679 students enrolled at UIUC were GI Bill® students, of which 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $0. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

[Read full report on veteran student life at UIUC]](/colleges/university-of-illinois-at-urbana-champaign/student-life/veterans/)

2

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. The school came in at #2 for the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Engineering for a Bachelor’s. SIUE is located in Edwardsville, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 235 bachelors’s engineering degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree vets studying engineering list, SIUE has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.According to our most recent data, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville supports 12,860 students, and 3 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 2 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $23,082. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

Full Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Veteran Student Life Report

3

Out of the 9 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Engineering for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #3 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Carbondale, Illinois, and it awarded 130 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

SIUC also took the #7 spot in our “Best Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.Among the 11,366 students enrolled at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, 1 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $0. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

Full Southern Illinois University Carbondale Veteran Student Life Report

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Chicago. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Engineering for a Bachelor’s list. University of Illinois at Chicago is a large public school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 540 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIC, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.Of the 33,518 students enrolled at UIC, 1 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $23,878. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

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

[Read full report on veteran student life at University of Illinois at Chicago]](/colleges/university-of-illinois-at-chicago/student-life/veterans/)

5

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Illinois Institute of Technology. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Engineering for a Bachelor’s list. Illinois Institute of Technology is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 292 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Illinois Tech, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.Among the 6,325 students enrolled at Illinois Institute of Technology, 83 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 52 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $14,905. During this same period, 14 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

[Read full report on veteran student life at Illinois Institute of Technology]](/colleges/illinois-institute-of-technology/student-life/veterans/)

6
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

Northwestern University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Engineering for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #6. Northwestern University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Evanston, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 319 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Northwestern not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list.According to our most recent data, Northwestern University supports 22,603 students, and 1 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 1 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $399. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read More…

7

Northern Illinois University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Engineering for a Bachelor’s ranking. NIU is a fairly large school located in Dekalb, Illinois that handed out 222 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

NIU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list.Among the 16,769 students enrolled at Northern Illinois University, 480 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 207 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,822. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program.

Full Northern Illinois University Veteran Student Life Report

8
Olivet Nazarene crest
Olivet Nazarene University
Bourbonnais, Illinois

Olivet Nazarene University ranked #8 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Engineering for a Bachelor’s list. Olivet Nazarene University is located in Bourbonnais, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 48 bachelors’s engineering degrees to qualified students.

Olivet Nazarene also took the #9 spot in our “Best Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking.Of the 3,764 students enrolled at Olivet Nazarene University, 57 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 35 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $12,334. To help with additional expenses, 11 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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…

9
Bradley crest
Bradley University
Peoria, Illinois

Bradley University landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Engineering for a Bachelor’s ranking. Bradley is located in Peoria, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 174 bachelors’s engineering degrees to qualified students.

Bradley did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list.Of the 5,855 students enrolled at Bradley University, 96 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 61 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $13,498. During this same period, 7 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Bradley University does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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…

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