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2022 Best Value Colleges for Geography & Cartography in Illinois (With Aid)

13 Ranked Colleges
242 Degrees Awarded
$19,600 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Geography Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. 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 in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” ranking.

In 2019-2020, 8,936 people earned their degree in geography and cartography, making the major the 107th most popular in the United States. 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 Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 13 colleges that offered 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.

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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 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. 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 Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Geography Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid.

Top 13 Best Value Colleges for Geography & Cartography in Illinois (With Aid)

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 #1 for the Best Value Geography Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid. UIUC is a large public school situated in Champaign, Illinois. It awarded 54 ’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIUC, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Geography & Cartography Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $15,880 for illinois geography students with aid.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Geography & Cartography at UIUC

Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Geography Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville landed the #2 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 also made our “Best Geography & Cartography Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #6. The estimated yearly cost for Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is $14,423 for Illinois Geography students with aid.

Full SIUE Geography & Cartography Report

#3

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Geography Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Northern Illinois University landed the #3 spot on the list. NIU is a public institution located in Dekalb, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 17 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

NIU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Geography & Cartography Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $18,259 for illinois geography students with aid per year to attend Northern Illinois University.

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 in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. This medium-sized school is located in Charleston, Illinois, and it awarded 21 ’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois geography students with aid list, EIU has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Geography & Cartography Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Eastern Illinois University is $14,607 for illinois geography students with aid.

Read more about Geography & Cartography at Eastern Illinois University

#5

Chicago State University

Chicago, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Chicago State University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Geography Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s geography degrees to 2 students in 2019-2020.

CSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Geography & Cartography Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $11,733 for illinois geography students with aid per year to attend CSU.

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.

Read full report on Geography & Cartography at CSU

#6

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois

Illinois State University landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. 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 also made our “Best Geography & Cartography Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #4. The estimated yearly cost for Illinois State University is $20,895 for Illinois 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%.

Read more about Geography & Cartography at Illinois State

With a ranking of #7, Northeastern Illinois University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this medium-sized public school handed out 8 diplomas to qualified ’s geography students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois geography students with aid 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 $15,843 for Illinois Geography students with aid.

Read full report on Geography & Cartography at Northeastern Illinois University

#8

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois

Northwestern University landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. Northwestern is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Evanston, Illinois. It awarded 1 ’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

Northwestern did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Geography & Cartography Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Northwestern is $24,664 for Illinois 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 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. 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 University

#9

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois

Western Illinois University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #9. 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. It costs about $16,210 for illinois geography students with aid per year to attend Western Illinois University.

Full WIU Geography & Cartography Report

#10

Augustana College

Rock Island, Illinois

Augustana College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Geography Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Augustana is a small school located in Rock Island, Illinois that handed out 17 ’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

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

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.

Full Augustana Geography & Cartography Report

#11

Elmhurst University

Elmhurst, Illinois

Elmhurst University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geography Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. Elmhurst, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s geography degrees to 4 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois geography students with aid list, Elmhurst has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Geography & Cartography Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $21,485 for illinois geography students with aid per year to attend Elmhurst University.

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%.

Read more about Geography & Cartography at Elmhurst University

#12

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

University of Chicago ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Geography Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. UChicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 4 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UChicago also made our “Best Geography & Cartography Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #1. The yearly cost to attend UChicago is $27,315 for Illinois Geography students with aid.

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 excellent freshman retention rate of 100%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Geography & Cartography at UChicago

#13

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois

DePaul University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Geography Schools in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. DePaul University is a large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 17 ’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

DePaul also made our “Best Geography & Cartography Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #12. The yearly cost to attend DePaul is $30,090 for illinois 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 University 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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