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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for International Relations & National Security in Illinois

13 Ranked Colleges
224 Degrees Awarded
$24,300 Avg Net Price*
Best Value International Relations Schools for a Bachelor's in Illinois

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 International Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois” ranking.

International Relations & National Security is the 65th most popular major in the country with 14,762 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, international relations and national security graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $38,051 and had an average of $28,099 in loans still to pay off.

Across Illinois, there were 373 international relations and national security graduates with average earnings and debt of $35,500 and $26,096 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 224 international relations and national security graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,319 and $24,183 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value International Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois” ranking analyzed 13 colleges that offered a degree in international relations and national security. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality international relations and national security 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 international relations and national security program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value International Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois” list to help you make the college decision.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Value International Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value International Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois.

Top 13 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for International Relations & National Security in Illinois

#1

Wheaton College Illinois

Wheaton, Illinois

Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value International Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Wheaton College Illinois landed the #1 spot on the list. Wheaton College Illinois is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Wheaton, Illinois. It awarded 34 bachelors’s international relations degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree international relations students list, Wheaton College Illinois has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best International Relations & National Security Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $25,358 for illinois bachelor’s degree international relations students per year to attend Wheaton College Illinois.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Wheaton College Illinois International Relations & National Security Report

#2

Bradley University

Peoria, Illinois
#6 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Bradley University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value International Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois. Bradley University is located in Peoria, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 6 bachelors’s international relations degrees to qualified students.

Bradley also took the #6 spot in our “Best International Relations & National Security Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Bradley University is $25,634 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree International Relations students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on International Relations & National Security at Bradley University

#3

McKendree University

Lebanon, Illinois
#11 in overall quality

Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value International Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, McKendree University landed the #3 spot on the list. This small school is located in Lebanon, Illinois, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s international relations degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at McKendree, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best International Relations & National Security Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend McKendree is $19,844 for illinois bachelor’s degree international relations students.

Read more about International Relations & National Security at McKendree University

#4

Dominican University

River Forest, Illinois
#8 in overall quality

Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value International Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Dominican University landed the #4 spot on the list. River Forest, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s international relations degrees to 5 students in 2019-2020.

Dominican U did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best International Relations & National Security Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Dominican University is $19,268 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree International Relations students.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full Dominican University International Relations & National Security Report

#5

Saint Xavier University

Chicago, Illinois
#10 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Saint Xavier University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value International Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois. Saint Xavier University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 2 bachelors’s international relations degrees in 2019-2020.

SXU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best International Relations & National Security Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend SXU is $14,528 for illinois bachelor’s degree international relations students.

Read more about International Relations & National Security at Saint Xavier University

#6

Rockford University

Rockford, Illinois
#13 in overall quality

With a ranking of #6, Rockford University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value International Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Rockford is located in Rockford, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1 bachelors’s international relations degrees to qualified students.

Rockford also took the #13 spot in our “Best International Relations & National Security Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Rockford is $22,197 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree International Relations students.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Full Rockford University International Relations & National Security Report

#7

Roosevelt University

Chicago, Illinois
#12 in overall quality

Roosevelt University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value International Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking, coming in at #7. Roosevelt University is a small school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 4 bachelors’s international relations degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Roosevelt, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best International Relations & National Security Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $22,749 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree International Relations students per year to attend Roosevelt.

Read full report on International Relations & National Security at Roosevelt

#8

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois

With a ranking of #8, DePaul University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value International Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 27 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s international relations students in 2019-2020.

DePaul not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best International Relations & National Security Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for DePaul University is $30,090 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree International Relations students.

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%.

Full DePaul International Relations & National Security Report

#9

Lake Forest College

Lake Forest, Illinois

Lake Forest College ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value International Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Lake Forest, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s international relations degrees to 11 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Lake Forest, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best International Relations & National Security Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Lake Forest College is $26,426 for illinois bachelor’s degree international relations students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about International Relations & National Security at Lake Forest

#10

Loyola University Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

With a ranking of #10, Loyola University Chicago did quite well on the 2022 Best Value International Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 68 degrees to qualified bachelors’s international relations students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree international relations students list, Loyola Chicago has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best International Relations & National Security Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Loyola University Chicago is $35,407 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree International Relations students.

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 more about International Relations & National Security at Loyola University Chicago

#11

Knox College

Galesburg, Illinois

Knox College came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value International Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. Knox is a small school located in Galesburg, Illinois that handed out 7 bachelors’s international relations degrees in 2019-2020.

Knox not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best International Relations & National Security Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Knox College is $22,292 for illinois bachelor’s degree international relations students.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The low student loan default rate of 4.8% 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%.

Full Knox International Relations & National Security Report

#12

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

University of Chicago ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value International Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. This fairly large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 17 bachelors’s international relations degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree international relations students list, UChicago has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best International Relations & National Security Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $27,315 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree International Relations students per year to attend UChicago.

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 excellent freshman retention rate of 100%, 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 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on International Relations & National Security at UChicago

#12

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois

Northwestern University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value International Relations Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Northwestern University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Evanston, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 37 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree international relations students list, Northwestern has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best International Relations & National Security Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Northwestern is $24,664 for illinois bachelor’s degree international relations students.

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%. 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%.

Full Northwestern University International Relations & National Security 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 RepubFan12.

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