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2022 Best Value Colleges for Geography (Income $48-$75k) in Illinois

12 Ranked Colleges
182 Degrees Awarded
Best Value Geography Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. 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 Geography Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Geography is the 144th most popular major in the country with 5,476 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

Across Illinois, there were 182 geography graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Geography Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking, we looked at 12 colleges that offer a degree in geography. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent geography 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 geography 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.

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 Geography Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Geography Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois geography students whose families make $48-$75k.

Top 12 Best Value Colleges for Geography (Income $48-$75k) in Illinois

#1

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Chicago. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Geography Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 4 ’s geography 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 Geography Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $7,934 for Illinois Geography students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UChicago.

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%. 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.

Read more about Geography at University of Chicago

#2

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Geography Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern University landed the #2 spot on the list. Evanston, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s geography degrees to 1 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 Geography Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $6,452 for Illinois Geography students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Northwestern University.

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 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. 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%.

Read full report on Geography at Northwestern University

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Geography Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #3 spot on the list. UIUC is located in Champaign, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 20 ’s geography degrees to qualified students.

UIUC also made our “Best Geography Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #3. The estimated yearly cost for University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $13,351 for illinois geography students whose families make $48-$75k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. 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 more about Geography at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Geography Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k. SIUE is located in Edwardsville, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 38 ’s geography degrees to qualified students.

SIUE also made our “Best Geography Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #6. The estimated yearly cost for SIUE is $13,705 for illinois geography students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read more about Geography at SIUE

#5

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, Illinois

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Geography Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Eastern Illinois University landed the #5 spot on the list. This medium-sized school is located in Charleston, Illinois, and it awarded 14 ’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at EIU, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Geography Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $13,560 for illinois geography students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend EIU.

Read full report on Geography at EIU

#6

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

Northern Illinois University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #6. Located in Dekalb, Illinois, this fairly large public school awarded 17 degrees to qualified ’s geography students in 2019-2020.

NIU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Geography Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Northern Illinois University is $18,346 for Illinois Geography students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read more about Geography at Northern Illinois University

#7

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois

With a ranking of #7, Illinois State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. Illinois State is a public institution located in Normal, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 31 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Illinois State, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Geography Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Illinois State University is $19,080 for illinois geography students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 Geography Report

#8

Augustana College

Rock Island, Illinois

Augustana College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geography Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Rock Island, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s geography degrees to 17 students in 2019-2020.

Augustana also made our “Best Geography Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #5. The yearly cost to attend Augustana College is $21,453 for Illinois Geography students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 more about Geography at Augustana College

Northeastern Illinois University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #9. Northeastern Illinois University is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 8 ’s geography degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our illinois geography students whose families make $48-$75k list, Northeastern Illinois University has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Geography Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $18,180 for illinois geography students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Northeastern Illinois University.

Read more about Geography at Northeastern Illinois University

#10

Elmhurst University

Elmhurst, Illinois

With a ranking of #10, Elmhurst University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. Elmhurst is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Elmhurst, Illinois. It awarded 2 ’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

Elmhurst not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Geography Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $19,703 for Illinois Geography students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Elmhurst.

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 full report on Geography at Elmhurst University

#11

Chicago State University

Chicago, Illinois

Chicago State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #11. Chicago State University is a small school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 2 ’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois geography students whose families make $48-$75k list, CSU has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Geography Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Chicago State University is $10,023 for illinois geography students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 Geography at Chicago State University

#12

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois

DePaul University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Geography Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 14 ’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at DePaul, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Geography Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend DePaul is $28,075 for Illinois Geography students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low student loan default rate of 4.5% 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 Geography 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.

Credits

  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Couleur.

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