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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Studies (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois

5 Ranked Colleges
285 Degrees Awarded
$17,600 Avg Net Price*
Best Value General Studies Schools for a Bachelor's in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value General Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

General Studies is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 5th of all the majors we analyze. In 2019-2020, 133,583 degrees were awarded to students with this major.

Across Illinois, there were 2,959 general studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 285 general studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,319 and $24,183 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value General Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 5 colleges that offer a degree in general studies. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality general studies programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the general studies program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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The general studies 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 General Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k”.

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. 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 General Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value General Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 5 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Studies (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois

#1

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois
#2 in overall quality
$14,470 Average Net Price

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Illinois State University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value General Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Normal, Illinois, and it awarded 100 bachelors’s general studies degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Illinois State, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $14,470 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree General Studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Illinois State.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Illinois State General Studies Report

#2

Northeastern Illinois University

Chicago, Illinois
#3 in overall quality
$14,816 Average Net Price

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northeastern Illinois University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value General Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Northeastern Illinois University is a medium-sized school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 19 bachelors’s general studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Northeastern Illinois University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Northeastern Illinois University is $14,816 for illinois bachelor’s degree general studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about General Studies at Northeastern Illinois University

#3

Chicago State University

Chicago, Illinois
#5 in overall quality
$11,507 Average Net Price

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Chicago State University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value General Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s general studies degrees to 15 students in 2019-2020.

CSU also made our “Best General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #5. It costs about $11,507 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree General Studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Chicago State University.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read full report on General Studies at CSU

#4

Lincoln College

Lincoln, Illinois
#4 in overall quality
$20,845 Average Net Price

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Lincoln College. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value General Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Lincoln College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Lincoln, Illinois. It awarded 1 bachelors’s general studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Lincoln College not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $20,845 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree General Studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Lincoln College.

Read more about General Studies at Lincoln College

#5

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois
#1 in overall quality
$26,173 Average Net Price

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend DePaul University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value General Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. DePaul University is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 141 bachelors’s general studies degrees to qualified students.

DePaul also made our “Best General Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #1. The estimated yearly cost for DePaul is $26,173 for illinois bachelor’s degree general studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 General Studies 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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