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2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid

11 Ranked Colleges
145 Degrees Awarded
$20,700 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor's in Illinois For Those Getting Aid

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” ranking.

In 2019-2020, 5,476 people earned their degree in geography, making the major the 144th most popular in the United States.

Across Illinois, there were 182 geography graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 145 geography graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,319 and $24,183 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 11 colleges that offer a degree in geography. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality geography programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the geography program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. 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 for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” 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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois bachelor’s degree geography students with aid.

Top 11 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Geography in Illinois (With Aid)

#3 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. UIUC is a public institution located in Champaign, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $15,880 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Geography students with aid.

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 low student loan default rate of 2.4% 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 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

#6 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid. This fairly large school is located in Edwardsville, Illinois, and it awarded 32 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

SIUE not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for SIUE is $14,423 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Geography students with aid.

Read more about Geography at SIUE

#3

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois
#7 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northern Illinois University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. This fairly large school is located in Dekalb, Illinois, and it awarded 13 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at NIU, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for NIU is $18,259 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Geography students with aid.

Read more about Geography at Northern Illinois University

#4

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, Illinois
#9 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Eastern Illinois University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid. This medium-sized school is located in Charleston, Illinois, and it awarded 14 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

EIU also took the #9 spot in our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $14,607 for illinois bachelor’s degree geography students with aid per year to attend EIU.

Full Eastern Illinois University Geography Report

#5

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois
#4 in overall quality

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Illinois State University landed the #5 spot on the list. Illinois State is a public institution located in Normal, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 31 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Illinois State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $20,895 for illinois bachelor’s degree geography students with aid per year to attend Illinois State University.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Geography at Illinois State

#10 in overall quality

With a ranking of #6, Northeastern Illinois University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Northeastern Illinois University is a medium-sized public school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 8 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

Northeastern Illinois University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Northeastern Illinois University is $15,843 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Geography students with aid.

Read full report on Geography at Northeastern Illinois University

#7

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois
#2 in overall quality

Northwestern University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #7. This large school is located in Evanston, Illinois, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree geography students with aid list, Northwestern has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Northwestern is $24,664 for illinois bachelor’s degree geography students with aid.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full Northwestern University Geography Report

#8

Augustana College

Rock Island, Illinois
#5 in overall quality

Augustana College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #8. Located in Rock Island, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 17 degrees to qualified bachelors’s geography students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Augustana, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Augustana College is $23,874 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Geography students with aid.

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

Read more about Geography at Augustana

#9

Elmhurst University

Elmhurst, Illinois
#8 in overall quality

Elmhurst University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. Elmhurst is located in Elmhurst, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2 bachelors’s geography degrees to qualified students.

Elmhurst also took the #8 spot in our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Elmhurst University is $21,485 for illinois bachelor’s degree geography students with aid.

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

#10

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
#1 in overall quality

University of Chicago ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 4 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s geography students in 2019-2020.

UChicago also made our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #1. The yearly cost to attend UChicago is $27,315 for illinois bachelor’s degree geography students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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. 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%.

Full UChicago Geography Report

#11

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois
#11 in overall quality

DePaul University landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s geography degrees to 14 students 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 Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for DePaul is $30,090 for illinois bachelor’s degree geography students with aid.

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%.

Full DePaul Geography 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.

Credits

  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Couleur.

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