2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Urban Studies in Illinois

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois” ranking - to help you make that decision.

In 2019-2020, 1,475 people earned their degree in urban studies, making the major the 210th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, urban studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $37,971 and had an average of $24,376 in loans still to pay off.

Across Illinois, there were 46 urban studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $18,750 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 40 urban studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,319 and $24,183 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois” ranking, we looked at 3 colleges that offer a degree in urban studies. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality urban studies 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 urban studies program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

The urban studies 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 Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois”.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois bachelor’s degree urban studies students.

Top 3 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Urban Studies in Illinois

#1

University of Illinois at Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

#2 in overall quality

$13,312 Average Net Price

$38,289 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Chicago. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois. University of Illinois at Chicago is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 30 bachelors’s urban studies degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIC, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Urban Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UIC is $13,312 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Urban Studies 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 UIC Urban Studies Report

#2

Wheaton College Illinois

Wheaton, Illinois

#1 in overall quality

$25,358 Average Net Price

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Wheaton College Illinois. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Wheaton College Illinois is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Wheaton, Illinois. It awarded 6 bachelors’s urban studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Wheaton College Illinois not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Urban Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $25,358 for illinois bachelor’s degree urban studies 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. 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%.

Read more about Urban Studies at Wheaton College Illinois

#3

Elmhurst University

Elmhurst, Illinois

#3 in overall quality

$21,485 Average Net Price

Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value Urban Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Elmhurst University landed the #3 spot on the list. Elmhurst University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Elmhurst, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 4 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Elmhurst, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Urban Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Elmhurst University is $21,485 for illinois bachelor’s degree urban studies students.

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 Urban Studies at Elmhurst University

• Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Urban Studies in the Great Lakes Region
• Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Urban Studies

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 Andrew Bossi.

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