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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Philosophy (Income $30-$48k) in Illinois

9 Ranked Colleges
337 Degrees Awarded
$15,500 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor's in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. 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 Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

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.

For this year’s “Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 9 colleges that offer a degree in philosophy. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great philosophy programs and 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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Philosophy Schools

The philosophy 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 Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k”.

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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k.

Top 9 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Philosophy (Income $30-$48k) 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 $30-$48k list. Northwestern 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.

Northwestern also made our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #2. The yearly cost to attend Northwestern is $3,995 for illinois bachelor’s degree philosophy students whose families make $30-$48k.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Philosophy at Northwestern University

#2

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Chicago. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k. UChicago is a fairly large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 70 bachelors’s philosophy degrees in 2019-2020.

UChicago also made our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #1. The estimated yearly cost for University of Chicago is $2,800 for illinois bachelor’s degree philosophy students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%. 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%. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

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 $30-$48k. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a public institution located in Champaign, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 29 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $8,464 for illinois bachelor’s degree philosophy students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UIUC.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UIUC Philosophy Report

#4

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois

Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Illinois State University landed the #4 spot on the list. Illinois State is a large public school situated in Normal, Illinois. It awarded 17 bachelors’s philosophy degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Illinois State, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $14,999 for illinois bachelor’s degree philosophy students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Illinois State.

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%.

Read full report on Philosophy at Illinois State University

#5

Wheaton College Illinois

Wheaton, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Wheaton College Illinois. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k. Wheaton College Illinois is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Wheaton, Illinois. It awarded 17 bachelors’s philosophy degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Wheaton College Illinois, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Wheaton College Illinois is $16,212 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Philosophy students whose families make $30-$48k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Wheaton College Illinois Philosophy Report

#6

Lake Forest College

Lake Forest, Illinois

Lake Forest College ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. Lake Forest is a small school located in Lake Forest, Illinois that handed out 9 bachelors’s philosophy degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Lake Forest, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Lake Forest College is $19,152 for illinois bachelor’s degree philosophy students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 more about Philosophy at Lake Forest

#7

Elmhurst University

Elmhurst, Illinois

Elmhurst University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Elmhurst is a private not-for-profit institution located in Elmhurst, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s degrees 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 is $17,837 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Philosophy students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Elmhurst University Philosophy Report

#8

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois

With a ranking of #8, DePaul University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. DePaul is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 17 bachelors’s philosophy degrees to qualified students.

DePaul also took the #7 spot in our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend DePaul University is $25,842 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Philosophy students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 Philosophy at DePaul University

#9

Loyola University Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

Loyola University Chicago came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Philosophy Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Loyola University Chicago is a fairly large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 18 bachelors’s philosophy degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree philosophy students whose families make $30-$48k list, Loyola Chicago has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Philosophy Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Loyola University Chicago is $29,788 for illinois bachelor’s degree philosophy students whose families make $30-$48k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Philosophy at Loyola University Chicago

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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