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2022 Best Value Colleges for Geography & Cartography (Income $30-$48k) in Illinois

13 Ranked Colleges
242 Degrees Awarded
$13,000 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Geography Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. 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 Geography Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

Geography & Cartography is the 107th most popular major in the country with 8,936 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, geography and cartography graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $36,126 and had an average of $23,577 in loans still to pay off.

Across Illinois, there were 242 geography and cartography graduates with average earnings and debt of $33,000 and $19,500 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Geography Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking looked at 13 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in geography and cartography. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent geography and cartography programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the geography and cartography program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Geography & Cartography Schools

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 $30-$48k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. 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 in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois geography students whose families make $30-$48k.

Top 13 Best Value Colleges for Geography & Cartography (Income $30-$48k) in Illinois

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northwestern University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Geography Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k. 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.

Northwestern also made our “Best Geography & Cartography Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #2. It costs about $3,995 for Illinois Geography students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Northwestern University.

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 impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.

Read full report on Geography & Cartography at Northwestern

#2

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Geography Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Chicago landed the #2 spot on the list. University of Chicago is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 4 ’s geography degrees to qualified students.

UChicago not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Geography & Cartography Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Chicago is $2,800 for illinois geography 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.

Read more about Geography & Cartography at UChicago

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Geography Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. Champaign, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s geography degrees to 54 students in 2019-2020.

UIUC also took the #3 spot in our “Best Geography & Cartography Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $8,464 for Illinois Geography students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. 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 full report on Geography & Cartography at UIUC

Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Geography Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville landed the #4 spot on the list. Edwardsville, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s geography degrees to 38 students in 2019-2020.

SIUE not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Geography & Cartography Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $9,938 for Illinois Geography students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend SIUE.

Full SIUE Geography & Cartography Report

#5

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, Illinois

Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Geography Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k 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 21 ’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

EIU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Geography & Cartography Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend EIU is $11,316 for illinois geography students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full Eastern Illinois University Geography & Cartography Report

#6

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois

Illinois State University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Geography Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. Illinois State is located in Normal, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 31 ’s geography degrees to qualified students.

Illinois State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Geography & Cartography Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $14,999 for illinois geography students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Illinois State University.

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 Geography & Cartography at Illinois State

#7

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

Northern Illinois University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Geography Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. Northern Illinois University is a fairly large public school situated in Dekalb, Illinois. It awarded 17 ’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois geography students whose families make $30-$48k list, NIU has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Geography & Cartography Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Northern Illinois University is $15,861 for illinois geography students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on Geography & Cartography at NIU

Northeastern Illinois University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #8. Northeastern Illinois University is a public institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 8 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois geography students whose families make $30-$48k list, Northeastern Illinois University has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Geography & Cartography Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Northeastern Illinois University is $15,513 for Illinois Geography students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Geography & Cartography at Northeastern Illinois University

#9

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois

Western Illinois University landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Macomb, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s geography degrees to 11 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at WIU, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Geography & Cartography Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for WIU is $14,526 for illinois geography students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Geography & Cartography at Western 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 $30-$48k list. Elmhurst University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Elmhurst, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 4 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Elmhurst did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Geography & Cartography Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Elmhurst is $17,837 for illinois geography students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 & Cartography at Elmhurst

#11

Augustana College

Rock Island, Illinois

Augustana College came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geography Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Augustana College is located in Rock Island, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 17 ’s geography degrees to qualified students.

Augustana also took the #5 spot in our “Best Geography & Cartography Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Augustana is $16,249 for Illinois Geography students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Geography & Cartography at Augustana College

#12

Chicago State University

Chicago, Illinois

With a ranking of #12, Chicago State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. Chicago State University is a small public school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 2 ’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

CSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Geography & Cartography Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Chicago State University is $11,844 for illinois geography students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full Chicago State University Geography & Cartography Report

#13

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois

DePaul University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geography Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. DePaul is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 17 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

DePaul did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Geography & Cartography Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for DePaul University is $25,842 for Illinois Geography 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%.

Full DePaul Geography & Cartography 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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