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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for English in Illinois

24 Ranked Colleges
1,099 Degrees Awarded
$20,900 Avg Net Price*
Best Value English Language Schools for a Bachelor's in Illinois

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its “Best Value English Language Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

English is the 15th most popular major in the country with 41,945 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

Across Illinois, there were 1,324 English graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,099 English graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,319 and $24,183 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value English Language Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois” ranking, we looked at 24 colleges that offer a degree in English. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality English programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the English 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

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value English Language Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois” 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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value English Language Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value English Language Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois.

Top 24 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for English in Illinois

#3 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value English Language Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois. This large school is located in Champaign, Illinois, and it awarded 126 bachelors’s English language degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIUC, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best English Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $15,880 for illinois bachelor’s degree english language 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Full UIUC English Report

#2

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois
#5 in overall quality

Out of the 24 schools in the Best Value English Language Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Illinois State University landed the #2 spot on the list. Illinois State is located in Normal, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 108 bachelors’s English language degrees to qualified students.

Illinois State also made our “Best English Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #5. The estimated yearly cost for Illinois State University is $20,895 for illinois bachelor’s degree english language students.

The low student loan default rate of 4.4% 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 full report on English at Illinois State

#7 in overall quality

Out of the 24 schools in the Best Value English Language Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this large public school handed out 84 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s English language students in 2019-2020.

UIC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best English Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $13,312 for illinois bachelor’s degree english language students per year to attend UIC.

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%.

Full UIC English Report

#4

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois
#10 in overall quality

Out of the 24 schools in the Best Value English Language Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Northern Illinois University landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Dekalb, Illinois, this fairly large public school awarded 60 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s English language students in 2019-2020.

NIU also took the #10 spot in our “Best English Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Northern Illinois University is $18,259 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree English Language students.

Read full report on English at NIU

#15 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northeastern Illinois University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value English Language Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Northeastern Illinois University is a public institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 47 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Northeastern Illinois University, the school also landed the #15 spot in our “Best English Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Northeastern Illinois University is $15,843 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree English Language students.

Read full report on English at Northeastern Illinois University

#16 in overall quality

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value English Language Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a fairly large school located in Edwardsville, Illinois that handed out 54 bachelors’s English language degrees in 2019-2020.

SIUE not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #16 on our “Best English Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $14,423 for illinois bachelor’s degree english language students per year to attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.

Full SIUE English Report

#7

Governors State University

University Park, Illinois
#19 in overall quality

With a ranking of #7, Governors State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value English Language Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. GSU is a public institution located in University Park, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 20 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree english language students list, GSU has also earned the #19 rank in our “Best English Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend GSU is $12,077 for illinois bachelor’s degree english language students.

Read more about English at GSU

#8

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, Illinois
#17 in overall quality

With a ranking of #8, Eastern Illinois University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value English Language Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. This medium-sized school is located in Charleston, Illinois, and it awarded 29 bachelors’s English language degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at EIU, the school also landed the #17 spot in our “Best English Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $14,607 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree English Language students per year to attend Eastern Illinois University.

Read more about English at Eastern Illinois University

#9

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois
#23 in overall quality

Western Illinois University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value English Language Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking, coming in at #9. Located in Macomb, Illinois, this medium-sized public school handed out 22 degrees to qualified bachelors’s English language students in 2019-2020.

WIU also took the #23 spot in our “Best English Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Western Illinois University is $16,210 for illinois bachelor’s degree english language students.

Read full report on English at Western Illinois University

#21 in overall quality

Southern Illinois University Carbondale came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value English Language Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. Carbondale, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s English language degrees to 24 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SIUC, the school also landed the #21 spot in our “Best English Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $16,945 for illinois bachelor’s degree english language students per year to attend SIUC.

Read more about English at SIUC

#11

Aurora University

Aurora, Illinois
#14 in overall quality

With a ranking of #11, Aurora University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value English Language Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. This medium-sized school is located in Aurora, Illinois, and it awarded 16 bachelors’s English language degrees in 2019-2020.

Aurora not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best English Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Aurora is $17,215 for illinois bachelor’s degree english language students.

The low student loan default rate of 4.4% 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 Aurora English Report

#12

McKendree University

Lebanon, Illinois
#13 in overall quality

McKendree University landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value English Language Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. This small school is located in Lebanon, Illinois, and it awarded 6 bachelors’s English language degrees in 2019-2020.

McKendree also made our “Best English Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #13. The estimated yearly cost for McKendree University is $19,844 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree English Language students.

Full McKendree English Report

#13

Wheaton College Illinois

Wheaton, Illinois
#4 in overall quality

With a ranking of #13, Wheaton College Illinois did quite well on the 2022 Best Value English Language Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Wheaton College Illinois is a small school located in Wheaton, Illinois that handed out 42 bachelors’s English language degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Wheaton College Illinois, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best English Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Wheaton College Illinois is $25,358 for illinois bachelor’s degree english language students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 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 more about English at Wheaton College Illinois

#14

Illinois College

Jacksonville, Illinois
#22 in overall quality

With a ranking of #14, Illinois College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value English Language Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Illinois College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Jacksonville, Illinois. It awarded 10 bachelors’s English language degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree english language students list, Illinois College has also earned the #22 rank in our “Best English Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Illinois College is $16,562 for illinois bachelor’s degree english language students.

Read full report on English at Illinois College

#15

Elmhurst University

Elmhurst, Illinois
#9 in overall quality

With a ranking of #15, Elmhurst University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value English Language Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Elmhurst University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Elmhurst, Illinois. It awarded 19 bachelors’s English language degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree english language students list, Elmhurst has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best English Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $21,485 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree English Language students per year to attend Elmhurst University.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about English at Elmhurst University

#16

Roosevelt University

Chicago, Illinois
#20 in overall quality

Roosevelt University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value English Language Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking, coming in at #16. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s English language degrees to 9 students in 2019-2020.

Roosevelt not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #20 on our “Best English Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Roosevelt University is $22,749 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree English Language students.

Read full report on English at Roosevelt

#17

Columbia College Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
#24 in overall quality

With a ranking of #17, Columbia College Chicago did quite well on the 2022 Best Value English Language Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 2 degrees to qualified bachelors’s English language students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Columbia, the school also landed the #24 spot in our “Best English Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $31,099 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree English Language students per year to attend Columbia.

Read full report on English at Columbia College Chicago

#18

North Central College

Naperville, Illinois
#8 in overall quality

North Central College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value English Language Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking, coming in at #18. North Central is located in Naperville, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 13 bachelors’s English language degrees to qualified students.

North Central did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best English Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $24,786 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree English Language students per year to attend North Central College.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about English at North Central College

#19

Augustana College

Rock Island, Illinois
#11 in overall quality

Augustana College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value English Language Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking, coming in at #19. This small school is located in Rock Island, Illinois, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s English language degrees in 2019-2020.

Augustana not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best English Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $23,874 for illinois bachelor’s degree english language students per year to attend Augustana.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.

Read more about English at Augustana College

#20

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois
#12 in overall quality

With a ranking of #20, DePaul University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value English Language Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. DePaul University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 58 bachelors’s English language degrees in 2019-2020.

DePaul not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best English Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend DePaul is $30,090 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree English Language students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on English at DePaul University

#21

Loyola University Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
#6 in overall quality

Loyola University Chicago came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value English Language Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. Loyola Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 55 bachelors’s English language degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree english language students list, Loyola Chicago has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best English Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $35,407 for illinois bachelor’s degree english language students per year to attend Loyola University Chicago.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about English at Loyola University Chicago

#22

Knox College

Galesburg, Illinois
#18 in overall quality

Knox College ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value English Language Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Knox is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Galesburg, Illinois. It awarded 4 bachelors’s English language degrees in 2019-2020.

Knox did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best English Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Knox College is $22,292 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree English Language students.

The low student loan default rate of 4.8% 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 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.

Read full report on English at Knox College

#23

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois
#2 in overall quality

Northwestern University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value English Language Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking, coming in at #23. Northwestern is a private not-for-profit institution located in Evanston, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 54 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Northwestern, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best English Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Northwestern is $24,664 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree English Language students.

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. 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.

Read more about English at Northwestern

#23

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
#1 in overall quality

With a ranking of #23, University of Chicago did quite well on the 2022 Best Value English Language Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. University of Chicago is a fairly large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 59 bachelors’s English language degrees in 2019-2020.

UChicago not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best English Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend UChicago is $27,315 for illinois bachelor’s degree english language students.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on English at University of Chicago

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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