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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Geography & Cartography in Illinois (With Aid)

12 Ranked Colleges
168 Degrees Awarded
$20,300 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.

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. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 168 geography and cartography 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 12 colleges that offer a degree 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.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the geography and cartography program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Geography & Cartography Schools

The geography 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 Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid”.

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. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

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

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid.

Top 12 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Geography & Cartography in Illinois (With Aid)

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. This large school is located in Champaign, Illinois, and it awarded 30 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree geography students with aid list, UIUC has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Geography & Cartography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $15,880 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Geography students with aid.

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 more about Geography & Cartography 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 #2 for the Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid. Edwardsville, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s geography degrees to 32 students in 2019-2020.

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

Read full report on Geography & Cartography at SIUE

#3

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

Out of the 12 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, Northern Illinois University landed the #3 spot on the list. Dekalb, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s geography degrees to 13 students in 2019-2020.

NIU also took the #7 spot in our “Best Geography & Cartography 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.

Full NIU Geography & Cartography Report

#4

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Eastern Illinois University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Eastern Illinois University is a medium-sized public school situated in Charleston, Illinois. It awarded 14 bachelors’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 & Cartography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend EIU is $14,607 for illinois bachelor’s degree geography students with aid.

Read more about Geography & Cartography at Eastern Illinois University

#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 Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid. 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 also took the #4 spot in our “Best Geography & Cartography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Illinois State is $20,895 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Geography students with aid.

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%.

Full Illinois State University Geography & Cartography Report

Northeastern Illinois University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree geography students with aid list, Northeastern Illinois University has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Geography & Cartography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $15,843 for illinois bachelor’s degree geography students with aid per year to attend Northeastern Illinois University.

Full Northeastern Illinois University Geography & Cartography Report

#7

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois
#11 in overall quality

Western Illinois University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. Western Illinois University is a medium-sized public school situated in Macomb, Illinois. It awarded 2 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

WIU also took the #11 spot in our “Best Geography & Cartography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $16,210 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Geography students with aid per year to attend Western Illinois University.

Read full report on Geography & Cartography at WIU

#8

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois
#2 in overall quality

Northwestern University landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. Northwestern is located in Evanston, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1 bachelors’s geography degrees to qualified students.

Northwestern not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Geography & Cartography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Northwestern is $24,664 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Geography students with aid.

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. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Geography & Cartography at Northwestern University

#9

Augustana College

Rock Island, Illinois
#5 in overall quality

Augustana College ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Rock Island, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s geography degrees to 17 students in 2019-2020.

Augustana also took the #5 spot in our “Best Geography & Cartography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $23,874 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Geography students with aid per year to attend Augustana College.

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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Geography & Cartography at Augustana College

#10

Elmhurst University

Elmhurst, Illinois
#8 in overall quality

With a ranking of #10, Elmhurst University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Elmhurst, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s geography degrees to 2 students in 2019-2020.

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

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Elmhurst University Geography & Cartography Report

#11

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
#1 in overall quality

University of Chicago ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. UChicago is a fairly large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 4 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

UChicago did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Geography & Cartography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Chicago is $27,315 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Geography students with aid.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full University of Chicago Geography & Cartography Report

#12

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois

DePaul 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 #12. DePaul University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 14 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

DePaul did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Geography & Cartography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for DePaul is $30,090 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Geography students with aid.

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

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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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