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

9 Ranked Colleges
337 Degrees Awarded
$14,900 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Philosophy 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 Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Philosophy is the 81st most popular major in the country with 10,015 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, philosophy graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $29,067 and had an average of $22,199 in loans still to pay off.

Across Illinois, there were 417 philosophy graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,300 and $23,445 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 337 philosophy graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,319 and $24,183 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 9 colleges that offered a degree in philosophy. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent philosophy programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

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

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois bachelor’s degree philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 9 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Philosophy (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Northwestern University is located in Evanston, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 21 bachelors’s philosophy degrees to qualified students.

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

With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 0.8% 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%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read more about Philosophy at Northwestern University

#2

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s 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 private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 70 bachelors’s philosophy degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UChicago, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Chicago is $2,712 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 0.6% 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%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full University of Chicago Philosophy Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. Champaign, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s philosophy degrees to 29 students in 2019-2020.

UIUC also took the #4 spot in our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UIUC is $5,477 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.

Read full report on Philosophy at UIUC

#4

Wheaton College Illinois

Wheaton, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Wheaton College Illinois. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Wheaton College Illinois is located in Wheaton, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 17 bachelors’s philosophy degrees to qualified students.

Wheaton College Illinois also took the #3 spot in our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Wheaton College Illinois is $18,440 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 0.7% 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%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Philosophy at Wheaton College Illinois

#5

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Illinois State University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. Illinois State University is a large public school situated in Normal, Illinois. It awarded 17 bachelors’s philosophy degrees in 2019-2020.

Illinois State also took the #5 spot in our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Illinois State is $14,470 for illinois bachelor’s degree philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%.

Full Illinois State University Philosophy Report

#6

Lake Forest College

Lake Forest, Illinois

With a ranking of #6, Lake Forest College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Lake Forest is a private not-for-profit institution located in Lake Forest, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Lake Forest also took the #8 spot in our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $18,192 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Lake Forest College.

The low student loan default rate of 2.5% 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%.

Read full report on Philosophy at Lake Forest

#7

Elmhurst University

Elmhurst, Illinois

Elmhurst University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #7. Elmhurst, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s philosophy degrees to 3 students in 2019-2020.

Elmhurst not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Elmhurst University is $16,903 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Philosophy 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 Philosophy at Elmhurst

#8

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois

DePaul University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. DePaul is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 17 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

DePaul also made our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #7. It costs about $26,173 for illinois bachelor’s degree philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend DePaul University.

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 full report on Philosophy at DePaul

#9

Loyola University Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

With a ranking of #9, Loyola University Chicago did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. This fairly large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 18 bachelors’s philosophy degrees in 2019-2020.

Loyola Chicago did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Loyola University Chicago is $29,440 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Philosophy students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.

Full Loyola Chicago Philosophy Report

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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