2026 Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in Illinois
[Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies](/majors/ethnic-cultural-gender-studies/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
College Factual analyzed 27 schools to build this 2026 ranking of the best value area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies schools.
What’s on this page:
2026 Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools in Illinois
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies degrees they offer, see the list below.
Best Value Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies Schools
University Of Illinois At Chicago earned the #1 spot for value among area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies schools in Illinois. University Of Illinois At Chicago is a very large public school located in the city of Chicago. Students from in state pay about $15,949 in tuition and fees, compared with $32,009 for out-of-state students. Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies graduates carry a median of $19,448 in student loans. Early-career area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies graduates make about $33,366. That is a strong return on a $19,448 median debt. The acceptance rate is 77%.
A rank of #2 makes University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign one of the best values for area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies. Set in the city of Champaign, University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign is a very large public institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $18,267, compared with $40,096 for out-of-state students. Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies graduates carry a median of $22,179 in student loans. Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies graduates of University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign earn a median of $24,742 early in their careers. Set against $22,179 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 42% of applicants are accepted.
University Of Chicago is a great value for students pursuing a degree in area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies, landing the #3 spot this year. University Of Chicago is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $69,324. Typical student debt for area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies graduates is $15,854. Early-career area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies graduates make about $38,008. Set against $15,854 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 4%.
A rank of #4 makes Illinois State University one of the best values for area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies. Set in the suburb of Normal, Illinois State University is a very large public institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $14,410, while out-of-state students pay about $26,058. Students borrow a median of $21,896 to complete the area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies program here. Early-career area, ethnic, culture, & gender studies graduates make about $49,660. Set against $21,896 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 88%.
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Notes and References
This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 27 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 ranked schools only.
- 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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
