2022 Best Value English Language & Literature Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. 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 English Language & Literature Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.
English Language & Literature is the 16th most popular major in the country with 56,860 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, English language and literature graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $27,873 and had an average of $24,681 in loans still to pay off.
Across Illinois, there were 1,707 English language and literature graduates with average earnings and debt of $29,329 and $24,956 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,368 English language and literature graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,319 and $24,183 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value English Language & Literature Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 26 colleges that offered a degree in English language and literature. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great English language and literature programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.
To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the English language and literature program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value English Language & Literature Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
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Best Value English Language & Literature Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value English Language & Literature Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for English Language & Literature (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois
Out of the 26 schools in the Best Value English Language & Literature Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern University landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Evanston, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 55 degrees to qualified bachelors’s English language and literature students in 2019-2020.
Northwestern also made our “Best English Language & Literature Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #2. It costs about $1,866 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree English Language & Literature students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Northwestern University.
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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. 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%.
Read full report on English Language & Literature at Northwestern University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Chicago. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value English Language & Literature Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 84 degrees to qualified bachelors’s English language and literature students in 2019-2020.
UChicago not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best English Language & Literature Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Chicago is $2,712 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree English Language & Literature students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 100%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 5 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 Language & Literature at University of Chicago
Out of the 26 schools in the Best Value English Language & Literature Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #3 spot on the list. UIUC is a public institution located in Champaign, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 161 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
UIUC also took the #3 spot in our “Best English Language & Literature Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $5,477 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree English Language & Literature students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
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 English Language & Literature Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. UIC is a large public school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 84 bachelors’s English language and literature degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree english language & literature students whose families make $0-$30k list, UIC has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best English Language & Literature Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Illinois at Chicago is $10,648 for illinois bachelor’s degree english language & literature students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%.
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 English Language & Literature Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. SIUE is a fairly large public school situated in Edwardsville, Illinois. It awarded 55 bachelors’s English language and literature degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree english language & literature students whose families make $0-$30k list, SIUE has also earned the #19 rank in our “Best English Language & Literature Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $8,055 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree English Language & Literature students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend SIUE.
Northern Illinois University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value English Language & Literature Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. NIU is a fairly large school located in Dekalb, Illinois that handed out 60 bachelors’s English language and literature degrees in 2019-2020.
NIU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best English Language & Literature Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend NIU is $15,281 for illinois bachelor’s degree english language & literature students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a ranking of #7, Governors State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value English Language & Literature Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in University Park, Illinois, this small public school handed out 20 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s English language and literature students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at GSU, the school also landed the #20 spot in our “Best English Language & Literature Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Governors State University is $10,872 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree English Language & Literature students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a ranking of #8, Illinois State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value English Language & Literature Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Illinois State is a large school located in Normal, Illinois that handed out 108 bachelors’s English language and literature degrees in 2019-2020.
Illinois State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best English Language & Literature Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $14,470 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree English Language & Literature students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Illinois State.
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%.
With a ranking of #9, Eastern Illinois University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value English Language & Literature Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Charleston, Illinois, this medium-sized public school handed out 29 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s English language and literature students in 2019-2020.
EIU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best English Language & Literature Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for EIU is $12,350 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree English Language & Literature students whose families make $0-$30k.
Wheaton College Illinois ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value English Language & Literature Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Wheaton College Illinois is a private not-for-profit institution located in Wheaton, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 42 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree english language & literature students whose families make $0-$30k list, Wheaton College Illinois has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best English Language & Literature Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Wheaton College Illinois is $18,440 for illinois bachelor’s degree english language & literature students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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 student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Wheaton College Illinois English Language & Literature Report
Elmhurst University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value English Language & Literature Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Elmhurst is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Elmhurst, Illinois. It awarded 36 bachelors’s English language and literature degrees in 2019-2020.
Elmhurst also took the #10 spot in our “Best English Language & Literature Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Elmhurst is $16,903 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree English Language & Literature students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low student loan default rate of 3.0% 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 Language & Literature at Elmhurst University
Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value English Language & Literature Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a public institution located in Carbondale, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 26 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree english language & literature students whose families make $0-$30k list, SIUC has also earned the #23 rank in our “Best English Language & Literature Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend SIUC is $13,658 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree English Language & Literature students whose families make $0-$30k.
Aurora University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value English Language & Literature Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Aurora, Illinois, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 16 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s English language and literature students in 2019-2020.
Aurora not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best English Language & Literature Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $14,103 for illinois bachelor’s degree english language & literature students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Aurora.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Illinois Wesleyan University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value English Language & Literature Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Bloomington, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s English language and literature degrees to 16 students in 2019-2020.
Illinois Wesleyan did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best English Language & Literature Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $18,570 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree English Language & Literature students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Illinois Wesleyan.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 1.4% 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%.
Illinois College came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value English Language & Literature Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Illinois College is a small school located in Jacksonville, Illinois that handed out 20 bachelors’s English language and literature degrees in 2019-2020.
Illinois College did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #22 on our “Best English Language & Literature Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Illinois College is $11,376 for illinois bachelor’s degree english language & literature students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read full report on English Language & Literature at Illinois College
Northeastern Illinois University landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value English Language & Literature Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. 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.
In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree english language & literature students whose families make $0-$30k list, Northeastern Illinois University has also earned the #17 rank in our “Best English Language & Literature Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $14,816 for illinois bachelor’s degree english language & literature students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Northeastern Illinois University.
Read more about English Language & Literature at Northeastern Illinois University
With a ranking of #17, Western Illinois University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value English Language & Literature Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Western Illinois University is a medium-sized public school situated in Macomb, Illinois. It awarded 22 bachelors’s English language and literature degrees in 2019-2020.
WIU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #25 on our “Best English Language & Literature Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $13,942 for illinois bachelor’s degree english language & literature students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Western Illinois University.
Full Western Illinois University English Language & Literature Report
With a ranking of #18, McKendree University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value English Language & Literature Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Lebanon, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s English language and literature degrees to 10 students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at McKendree, the school also landed the #14 spot in our “Best English Language & Literature Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for McKendree University is $15,184 for illinois bachelor’s degree english language & literature students whose families make $0-$30k.
Knox College ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value English Language & Literature Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Knox College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Galesburg, Illinois. It awarded 43 bachelors’s English language and literature degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Knox, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best English Language & Literature Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Knox is $16,828 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree English Language & Literature students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 4.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Augustana College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value English Language & Literature Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #20. Augustana is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Rock Island, Illinois. It awarded 20 bachelors’s English language and literature degrees in 2019-2020.
Augustana did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best English Language & Literature Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Augustana College is $20,355 for illinois bachelor’s degree english language & literature students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. 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 Language & Literature at Augustana College
North Central College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value English Language & Literature Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #21. North Central is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Naperville, Illinois. It awarded 20 bachelors’s English language and literature degrees in 2019-2020.
North Central not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best English Language & Literature Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for North Central College is $18,889 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree English Language & Literature students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low student loan default rate of 3.9% 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 Language & Literature at North Central
Roosevelt University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value English Language & Literature Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #22. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 9 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s English language and literature students in 2019-2020.
Roosevelt not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #21 on our “Best English Language & Literature Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Roosevelt is $20,398 for illinois bachelor’s degree english language & literature students whose families make $0-$30k.
Full Roosevelt University English Language & Literature Report
Columbia College Chicago landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value English Language & Literature Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Columbia College Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 52 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Columbia did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #24 on our “Best English Language & Literature Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Columbia is $27,120 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree English Language & Literature students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read full report on English Language & Literature at Columbia
DePaul University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value English Language & Literature Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. DePaul University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 67 bachelors’s English language and literature degrees in 2019-2020.
DePaul did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best English Language & Literature Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $26,173 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree English Language & Literature students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend DePaul University.
The low student loan default rate of 4.5% 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%.
With a ranking of #25, Loyola University Chicago did quite well on the 2022 Best Value English Language & Literature Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Loyola Chicago is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 55 bachelors’s English language and literature degrees to qualified students.
Loyola Chicago also made our “Best English Language & Literature Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #7. The yearly cost to attend Loyola University Chicago is $29,440 for illinois bachelor’s degree english language & literature students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
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Best English Language & Literature Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois
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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.
Credits
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Mike Hazard.
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