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2022 Best Value Colleges for Law (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois

7 Ranked Colleges
1,511 Degrees Awarded
$15,200 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Law Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Law Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2019-2020, 34,750 people earned their degree in law, making the major the 25th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, law graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $58,876 and had an average of $112,084 in loans still to pay off.

Across Illinois, there were 1,511 law graduates with average earnings and debt of $76,510 and $124,300 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Law Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 7 colleges that offered a degree in law. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality law programs that also have a lower cost than 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 law program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

The law school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Law Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k”.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Law Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Law Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 7 Best Value Colleges for Law (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois

Out of the 7 schools in the Best Value Law Schools 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 278 diplomas to qualified ’s law students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Northwestern, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Law Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Northwestern is $1,866 for illinois law students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 Law Report

#2

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

Out of the 7 schools in the Best Value Law Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Chicago landed the #2 spot on the list. UChicago is a fairly large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 204 ’s law degrees in 2019-2020.

UChicago also took the #1 spot in our “Best Law Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UChicago is $2,712 for illinois law students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on Law at University of Chicago

#3

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

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 Law Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. Dekalb, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s law degrees to 80 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at NIU, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Law Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Northern Illinois University is $15,281 for illinois law students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Law at Northern Illinois University

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Law Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a fairly large school located in Carbondale, Illinois that handed out 102 ’s law degrees in 2019-2020.

SIUC also took the #7 spot in our “Best Law Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend SIUC is $13,658 for Illinois Law students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Law at Southern Illinois University Carbondale

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Illinois Institute of Technology. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Law Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Illinois Tech is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 223 ’s law degrees to qualified students.

Illinois Tech did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Law Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $17,222 for illinois law students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Illinois Institute of Technology.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. 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. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Law at Illinois Tech

#6

Loyola University Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

Loyola University Chicago did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Law Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #6. Loyola University Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 232 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois law students whose families make $0-$30k list, Loyola Chicago has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Law Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Loyola Chicago is $29,440 for illinois law students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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 full report on Law at Loyola Chicago

#7

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois

DePaul University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Law Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 233 degrees to qualified ’s law students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at DePaul, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Law Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $26,173 for illinois law students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend DePaul.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Law at DePaul University

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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