2026 Best Value Value Schools in Illinois
[Value](/majors/multi-interdisciplinary-studies/data-analytics/business-analytics/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 8 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for value students.
What’s on this page:
2026 Best Value Value Schools in Illinois
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the value degrees they offer, see the list below.
Best Value Value Schools
Leading the list is University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign, our #1 best value for value in Illinois. Set in the city of Champaign, University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign is a very large public institution. Students from in state pay about $18,267 in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay about $40,096. Students borrow a median of $20,778 to complete the value program here. Value graduates of University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign earn a median of $57,461 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 42%.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Depaul University earned it the #2 place for value. Set in the city of Chicago, Depaul University is a very large private not-for-profit institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $45,405. Value graduates carry a median of $25,310 in student loans. Soon after graduation, value degree recipients from Depaul University generally make around $55,226. Set against $25,310 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 76% of applicants are accepted.
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Notes and References
This list is compiled by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 8 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 2 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.
