2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools 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. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
With 205,726 degrees handed out in 2019-2020, social sciences is the 5th most popular major in the United States. 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.
For this year’s “Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 35 colleges that offer a degree in social sciences. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent social sciences 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 social sciences program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
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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 Social Sciences Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college decision.
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Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k.
Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Social Sciences (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northwestern University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. Northwestern University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Evanston, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 666 ’s 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 Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $1,866 for illinois social sciences students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Northwestern.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 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 97%. 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%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Chicago. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 1,133 degrees to qualified ’s social sciences students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UChicago, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Social Sciences Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UChicago is $2,712 for illinois social sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.
The student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The low student loan default rate of 0.6% 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 100%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Social Sciences at University of Chicago
Out of the 35 schools in the Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #3 spot on the list. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a large public school situated in Champaign, Illinois. It awarded 1,012 ’s social sciences 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 Social Sciences Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $5,477 for illinois 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 94%. 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%.
Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Social Sciences Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a fairly large school located in Edwardsville, Illinois that handed out 136 ’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
SIUE did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best Social Sciences Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $8,055 for illinois social sciences students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
Full Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Social Sciences Report
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 in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Illinois at Chicago is a large public school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 344 ’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
UIC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Social Sciences Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend UIC is $10,648 for illinois social sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 Social Sciences at University of Illinois at Chicago
Saint Xavier University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s social sciences degrees to 24 students in 2019-2020.
SXU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #20 on our “Best Social Sciences Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Saint Xavier University is $11,266 for illinois 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 in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Northern Illinois University is a public institution located in Dekalb, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 226 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.
NIU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Social Sciences Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Northern Illinois University is $15,281 for illinois social sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.
University of Illinois at Springfield ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Springfield, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s social sciences degrees to 48 students in 2019-2020.
UIS also took the #16 spot in our “Best Social Sciences Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Springfield is $9,771 for Illinois Social Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read full report on Social Sciences at University of Illinois at Springfield
Wheaton College Illinois did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #9. Wheaton College Illinois is a small school located in Wheaton, Illinois that handed out 122 ’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
Wheaton College Illinois did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Social Sciences Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Wheaton College Illinois is $18,440 for illinois 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 90%. The low student loan default rate of 0.7% 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 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.
Illinois State University landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Normal, Illinois, and it awarded 292 ’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our illinois social sciences students whose families make $0-$30k list, Illinois State has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Social Sciences Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $14,470 for illinois social sciences students whose families make $0-$30k 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 Social Sciences at Illinois State University
Eastern Illinois University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Eastern Illinois University is a medium-sized school located in Charleston, Illinois that handed out 103 ’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
EIU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #22 on our “Best Social Sciences Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $12,350 for Illinois Social Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend EIU.
Read more about Social Sciences at Eastern Illinois University
Southern Illinois University Carbondale came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Carbondale, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s social sciences degrees to 170 students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at SIUC, the school also landed the #19 spot in our “Best Social Sciences Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for SIUC is $13,658 for Illinois Social Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a ranking of #13, Illinois College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Illinois College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Jacksonville, Illinois. It awarded 27 ’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $11,376 for illinois social sciences students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Illinois College.
Lake Forest College landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Lake Forest, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 71 degrees to qualified ’s social sciences students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our illinois social sciences students whose families make $0-$30k list, Lake Forest has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Social Sciences Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Lake Forest College is $18,192 for Illinois Social Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Western Illinois University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #15. Western Illinois University is located in Macomb, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 84 ’s social sciences degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for Western Illinois University is $13,942 for illinois social sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.
University of St Francis landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Joliet, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s social sciences degrees to 7 students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our illinois social sciences students whose families make $0-$30k list, University of Saint Francis has also earned the #23 rank in our “Best Social Sciences Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of St Francis is $15,847 for Illinois Social Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.
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
With a ranking of #17, Elmhurst University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Elmhurst, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 52 degrees to qualified ’s social sciences students in 2019-2020.
Elmhurst also made our “Best Social Sciences Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #14. The estimated yearly cost for Elmhurst is $16,903 for Illinois Social Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low student loan default rate of 3.0% 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%.
Augustana College landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Augustana College is a small school located in Rock Island, Illinois that handed out 71 ’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
Augustana also took the #8 spot in our “Best Social Sciences Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Augustana is $20,355 for illinois social sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%.
Illinois Wesleyan University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #19. Illinois Wesleyan is a small school located in Bloomington, Illinois that handed out 28 ’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
Illinois Wesleyan did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Social Sciences Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Illinois Wesleyan is $18,570 for Illinois Social Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read more about Social Sciences at Illinois Wesleyan University
Knox College ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. This small school is located in Galesburg, Illinois, and it awarded 48 ’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
Knox not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best Social Sciences Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Knox is $16,828 for Illinois Social Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Bradley University ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. This medium-sized school is located in Peoria, Illinois, and it awarded 42 ’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our illinois social sciences students whose families make $0-$30k list, Bradley has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Social Sciences Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $17,205 for illinois social sciences students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Bradley University.
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 came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. NLU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 29 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for NLU is $14,178 for Illinois Social Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read more about Social Sciences at National Louis University
Northeastern Illinois University ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Northeastern Illinois University is a medium-sized school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 79 ’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $14,816 for Illinois 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 in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. McKendree University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Lebanon, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 50 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our illinois social sciences students whose families make $0-$30k list, McKendree has also earned the #24 rank in our “Best Social Sciences Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend McKendree is $15,184 for Illinois Social Sciences students whose families make $0-$30k.
Dominican University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Social Sciences Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Dominican University is a small school located in River Forest, Illinois that handed out 83 ’s social sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Dominican U, the school also landed the #17 spot in our “Best Social Sciences Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $17,060 for illinois social sciences students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Dominican U.
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.
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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.
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- Credit for the banner image above goes to AndrГ© KГјnzelmann.
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