2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
In 2019-2020, 48,597 people earned their degree in political science and government, making the major the 21st most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, political science and government graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $33,977 and had an average of $22,822 in loans still to pay off.
Across Illinois, there were 1,532 political science and government graduates with average earnings and debt of $32,277 and $22,016 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,397 political science and government graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,319 and $24,183 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois” ranking analyzed 34 colleges that offered a degree in political science and government. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent political science and government 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 political science and government program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois
The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois bachelor’s degree political science students.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Political Science & Government in Illinois
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Illinois State University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. This large school is located in Normal, Illinois, and it awarded 87 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.
Illinois State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $20,895 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students 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 more about Political Science & Government at Illinois State
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 #2 for the Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois. UIUC is located in Champaign, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 259 bachelors’s political science degrees to qualified students.
UIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $15,880 for illinois bachelor’s degree political science students per year to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
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.
Out of the 34 schools in the Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville landed the #3 spot on the list. SIUE is a fairly large school located in Edwardsville, Illinois that handed out 30 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.
SIUE also made our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #18. It costs about $14,423 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students per year to attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
Out of the 34 schools in the Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Eastern Illinois University landed the #4 spot on the list. This medium-sized school is located in Charleston, Illinois, and it awarded 27 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.
EIU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #19 on our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Eastern Illinois University is $14,607 for illinois bachelor’s degree political science students.
Read full report on Political Science & Government at Eastern Illinois University
Out of the 34 schools in the Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Springfield landed the #5 spot on the list. University of Illinois at Springfield is a small school located in Springfield, Illinois that handed out 19 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.
UIS did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #22 on our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Springfield is $12,477 for illinois bachelor’s degree political science students.
Northern Illinois University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking, coming in at #6. Located in Dekalb, Illinois, this fairly large public school awarded 87 degrees to qualified bachelors’s political science students in 2019-2020.
NIU also made our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #14. The yearly cost to attend Northern Illinois University is $18,259 for illinois bachelor’s degree political science students.
University of Illinois at Chicago did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking, coming in at #7. UIC is a public institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 72 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
UIC also took the #10 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Chicago is $13,312 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students.
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%.
Full University of Illinois at Chicago Political Science & Government Report
Western Illinois University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking, coming in at #8. Located in Macomb, Illinois, this medium-sized public school handed out 18 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s political science students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at WIU, the school also landed the #20 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $16,210 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students per year to attend WIU.
With a ranking of #9, Northeastern Illinois University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Northeastern Illinois University is a medium-sized public school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 20 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $15,843 for illinois bachelor’s degree political science students per year to attend Northeastern Illinois University.
Read more about Political Science & Government at Northeastern Illinois University
Southern Illinois University Carbondale ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. SIUC is a fairly large public school situated in Carbondale, Illinois. It awarded 31 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.
SIUC also made our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #23. It costs about $16,945 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students per year to attend SIUC.
Chicago State University landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. CSU is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 5 bachelors’s political science degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for CSU is $11,733 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students.
The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Full Chicago State University Political Science & Government Report
Wheaton College Illinois landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. Wheaton College Illinois is a small school located in Wheaton, Illinois that handed out 17 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.
Wheaton College Illinois also made our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #4. It costs about $25,358 for illinois bachelor’s degree political science students per year to attend Wheaton College Illinois.
The student-to-faculty ratio of 10 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 90%, 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 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Wheaton College Illinois Political Science & Government Report
With a ranking of #13, Bradley University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Bradley University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Peoria, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 20 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Bradley, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Bradley is $25,634 for illinois bachelor’s degree political science students.
The low student loan default rate of 2.5% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Political Science & Government at Bradley
McKendree University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. McKendree is a small school located in Lebanon, Illinois that handed out 7 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend McKendree University is $19,844 for illinois bachelor’s degree political science students.
Illinois College landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. Illinois College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Jacksonville, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Illinois College, the school also landed the #24 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $16,562 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students per year to attend Illinois College.
Read full report on Political Science & Government at Illinois College
Saint Xavier University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. SXU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 13 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
SXU also took the #16 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $14,528 for illinois bachelor’s degree political science students per year to attend Saint Xavier University.
University of St Francis ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Located in Joliet, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 7 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s political science students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at University of Saint Francis, the school also landed the #21 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $17,538 for illinois bachelor’s degree political science students per year to attend University of St Francis.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full University of St Francis Political Science & Government Report
With a ranking of #18, Benedictine University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Benedictine U is located in Lisle, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 13 bachelors’s political science degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for Benedictine University is $25,143 for illinois bachelor’s degree political science students.
Read more about Political Science & Government at Benedictine U
With a ranking of #19, Rockford University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Rockford is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Rockford, Illinois. It awarded 3 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $22,197 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students per year to attend Rockford.
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.
Full Rockford University Political Science & Government Report
Dominican University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. Dominican University is a small school located in River Forest, Illinois that handed out 8 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Dominican U, the school also landed the #25 spot in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Dominican U is $19,268 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Political Science 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.
Read more about Political Science & Government at Dominican U
Olivet Nazarene University ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Located in Bourbonnais, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 12 degrees to qualified bachelors’s political science students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Olivet Nazarene is $20,195 for illinois bachelor’s degree political science students.
The low student loan default rate of 3.4% 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 Political Science & Government at Olivet Nazarene
Elmhurst University landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. Elmhurst University is located in Elmhurst, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 14 bachelors’s political science degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree political science students list, Elmhurst has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Elmhurst is $21,485 for illinois bachelor’s degree political science students.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #23, Concordia University, Chicago did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Concordia University, Chicago is a medium-sized school located in River Forest, Illinois that handed out 4 bachelors’s political science degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $16,512 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students per year to attend Concordia University, Chicago.
Read more about Political Science & Government at Concordia University, Chicago
North Central College landed the #24 spot on the 2022 Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. North Central College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Naperville, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 17 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree political science students list, North Central has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Political Science & Government Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for North Central is $24,786 for illinois bachelor’s degree political science students.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Political Science & Government at North Central College
Roosevelt University ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Political Science Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 20 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s political science students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $22,749 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Political Science students per year to attend Roosevelt University.
Read full report on Political Science & Government at Roosevelt University
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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 UKWiki at English Wikipedia.
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