2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
In 2019-2020, 205,726 social sciences students received their degree, making the major the 5th most popular in the country. In 2017-2018, social sciences graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $34,801 and had an average of $23,466 in loans still to pay off.
Across Illinois, there were 5,941 social sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $34,078 and $23,135 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 4,783 social sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,319 and $24,183 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 35 colleges that offered a degree in social sciences. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great social sciences programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the social sciences program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
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Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” 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. 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 Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k
The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Social Sciences (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Evanston, Illinois, and it awarded 555 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Northwestern, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Northwestern University is $1,866 for illinois bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Out of the 35 schools in the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Chicago landed the #2 spot on the list. UChicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 603 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
UChicago did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Chicago is $2,712 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.
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. 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%.
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 #3 for the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. UIUC is a public institution located in Champaign, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 867 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $0-$30k list, UIUC has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UIUC is $5,477 for illinois bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Out of the 35 schools in the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville landed the #4 spot on the list. SIUE is located in Edwardsville, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 126 bachelors’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.
SIUE did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for SIUE is $8,055 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Chicago. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social sciences degrees to 290 students in 2019-2020.
UIC also took the #11 spot in our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Chicago is $10,648 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 more about Social Sciences at University of Illinois at Chicago
Saint Xavier University landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 24 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s social sciences students in 2019-2020.
SXU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #19 on our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Saint Xavier University is $11,266 for illinois bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.
Northern Illinois University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Dekalb, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social sciences degrees to 206 students in 2019-2020.
NIU also took the #13 spot in our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $15,281 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend NIU.
Wheaton College Illinois ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Wheaton, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s social sciences degrees to 120 students in 2019-2020.
Wheaton College Illinois also made our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #4. The yearly cost to attend Wheaton College Illinois is $18,440 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. 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.
University of Illinois at Springfield came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Illinois at Springfield is a public institution located in Springfield, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 26 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
UIS did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #21 on our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $9,771 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UIS.
Illinois State University landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Normal, Illinois, this large public school awarded 257 degrees to qualified bachelors’s social sciences students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $0-$30k list, Illinois State has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $14,470 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Illinois State.
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 Social Sciences at Illinois State University
Eastern Illinois University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Eastern Illinois University is located in Charleston, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 72 bachelors’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.
EIU also took the #20 spot in our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend EIU is $12,350 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a ranking of #12, Southern Illinois University Carbondale did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. SIUC is a fairly large public school situated in Carbondale, Illinois. It awarded 137 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
SIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #18 on our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale is $13,658 for illinois bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.
Western Illinois University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Macomb, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s social sciences degrees to 52 students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at WIU, the school also landed the #25 spot in our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Western Illinois University is $13,942 for illinois bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.
Illinois College landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Illinois College is located in Jacksonville, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 27 bachelors’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for Illinois College is $11,376 for illinois bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.
Lake Forest College ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Lake Forest College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Lake Forest, Illinois. It awarded 71 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
Lake Forest not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Lake Forest is $18,192 for illinois bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%.
University of St Francis ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Saint Francis is a private not-for-profit institution located in Joliet, 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 University of Saint Francis, the school also landed the #23 spot in our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $15,847 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k 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%.
Read full report on Social Sciences at University of Saint Francis
Elmhurst University landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This small school is located in Elmhurst, Illinois, and it awarded 50 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
Elmhurst also made our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #14. The yearly cost to attend Elmhurst is $16,903 for illinois bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%.
Augustana College came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Augustana College is located in Rock Island, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 71 bachelors’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.
Augustana not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $20,355 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Augustana.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
With a ranking of #19, Illinois Wesleyan University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Bloomington, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s social sciences degrees to 28 students in 2019-2020.
Illinois Wesleyan did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Illinois Wesleyan is $18,570 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Knox College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #20. Knox College is located in Galesburg, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 48 bachelors’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.
Knox did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Knox College is $16,828 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. 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.
Bradley University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Bradley University is located in Peoria, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 42 bachelors’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Bradley, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Bradley University is $17,205 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.
National Louis University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #22. NLU is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 29 bachelors’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend NLU is $14,178 for illinois bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.
Northeastern Illinois University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #23. This medium-sized school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 72 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $14,816 for illinois bachelor’s degree social sciences students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Northeastern Illinois University.
Read more about Social Sciences at Northeastern Illinois University
McKendree University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Lebanon, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 50 degrees to qualified bachelors’s social sciences students in 2019-2020.
McKendree also took the #24 spot in our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for McKendree is $15,184 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.
Dominican University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #25. Dominican University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in River Forest, Illinois. It awarded 83 bachelors’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
Dominican U also took the #16 spot in our “Best Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Dominican U is $17,060 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Social Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.
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.
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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 AndrГ© KГјnzelmann.
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