by our College Data Analytics TeamWith all of the options you have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take when you want to pursue a degree. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Illinois ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard. This list is proof that you shouldn't avoid normally high-priced schools, since the actual price may be very affordable if you qualify for financial aid.
In This Year's Value Report:
After analyzing 46 schools in Illinois, we came up with our list of those that offered the best value Associate Degree programs. Our ranking methodology focuses on different objective factors to make this determination of the best value schools. In the next few paragraphs, we'll talk a little about what we use in our analysis and why.
The first step of determing the value of a school in our Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Illinois ranking is to look at the school's average net price for students with families that make $30-$48k a year. The net price is the sum of tuition, fees, and room and board minus any financial aid awarded to the student. In addition, the overall quality of a school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how much it costs.
To make it into this list a school must offer a quality education like the schools in our Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considers factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.
Find out more about our best value ranking methodology.
You can scroll down to see the top schools for this ranking, but you may also want to view some of the other ranking methods listed below.
Know what field you want to major in? Make sure you check out our best value schools by major. In addition, you can select one of the links below to see the best value colleges for other degree levels.
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our analysis found Elgin Community College to be the best value (income $30-$48k) school for associate degrees in Illinois in this year’s ranking. Elgin, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
Elgin Community College has the honor of being ranked #6 in Illinois for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $2,652.
A rank of #2 on our Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Illinois list means College of Lake County is a great place for students working on their degree. College of Lake County is a fairly large public school situated in Grayslake, Illinois.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, College of Lake County is ranked #1 for quality in the state of Illinois. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $5,633.
A rank of #3 on our Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Illinois list means College of DuPage is a great place for students working on their degree. This large public school is located in Glen Ellyn, Illinois.
Not only is College of DuPage a great value, but it is also ranked #8 in Illinois for overall quality. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $4,233.
Out of the 46 associate degree schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, City Colleges of Chicago - Olive-Harvey College landed the #4 spot on the list. This small public school is located in Chicago, Illinois.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, City Colleges of Chicago - Olive-Harvey College is ranked #5 for quality in the state of Illinois. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $5,119.
Learn More About Value at City Colleges of Chicago - Olive-Harvey College
Out of the 46 associate degree schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Joliet Junior College landed the #5 spot on the list. Joliet Junior College is a fairly large public school located in Joliet, Illinois.
Joliet Junior College has the honor of being ranked #19 in Illinois for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $2,662.
City Colleges of Chicago - Harold Washington College did quite well in the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Illinois ranking, coming in at #6. Harold Washington College is located in Chicago, Illinois and has a medium-sized student population. It is a public school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, City Colleges of Chicago - Harold Washington College is ranked #10 for quality in the state of Illinois. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $4,579.
Full City Colleges of Chicago - Harold Washington College Value Report
Waubonsee Community College landed the #7 spot on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Illinois ranking. Sugar Grove, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
Not only is Waubonsee Community College a great value, but it is also ranked #16 in Illinois for overall quality. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $3,483.
City Colleges of Chicago - Wilbur Wright College landed the #8 spot on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Illinois ranking. Wilbur Wright College is a medium-sized public school situated in Chicago, Illinois.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, City Colleges of Chicago - Wilbur Wright College is ranked #18 for quality in the state of Illinois. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $3,417.
Learn More About Value at City Colleges of Chicago - Wilbur Wright College
With a ranking of #9, William Rainey Harper College did quite well on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Illinois list. Palatine, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
William Rainey Harper College has the honor of being ranked #4 in Illinois for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $6,076.
Lincoln Land Community College landed the #10 spot on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Illinois ranking. This small public school is located in Springfield, Illinois.
Lincoln Land Community College has the honor of being ranked #12 in Illinois for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $4,818.
South Suburban College ranked #11 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Illinois list. South Suburban College is a small public school located in South Holland, Illinois.
South Suburban College has the honor of being ranked #11 in Illinois for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $5,113.
City Colleges of Chicago - Harry S Truman College ranked #12 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Illinois list. Harry S Truman College is a small public school situated in Chicago, Illinois.
City Colleges of Chicago - Harry S Truman College has the honor of being ranked #15 in Illinois for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $4,580.
Learn More About Value at City Colleges of Chicago - Harry S Truman College
Carl Sandburg College did quite well in the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Illinois ranking, coming in at #13. Carl Sandburg College is located in Galesburg, Illinois and has a small student population. It is a public school.
Carl Sandburg College has the honor of being ranked #26 in Illinois for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $3,026.
Triton College ranked #14 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Illinois list. River Grove, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
Triton College has the honor of being ranked #13 in Illinois for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $4,858.
Oakton Community College did quite well in the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Illinois ranking, coming in at #15. Des Plaines, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
Not only is Oakton Community College a great value, but it is also ranked #9 in Illinois for overall quality. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $6,195.
With a ranking of #16, Black Hawk College did quite well on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Illinois list. BHC is located in Moline, Illinois and has a small student population. It is a public school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Black Hawk College is ranked #31 for quality in the state of Illinois. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $2,897.
City Colleges of Chicago - Malcolm X College came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Illinois ranking. Malcolm X College is a public institution located in Chicago, Illinois.
City Colleges of Chicago - Malcolm X College has the honor of being ranked #21 in Illinois for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $4,411.
Learn More About Value at City Colleges of Chicago - Malcolm X College
With a ranking of #18, Lewis and Clark Community College did quite well on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Illinois list. Located in Godfrey, Illinois, the school is a small public institution.
Lewis and Clark Community College has the honor of being ranked #28 in Illinois for overall quality on top of being a good value. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $3,732.
Danville Area Community College did quite well in the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Illinois ranking, coming in at #19. Located in Danville, Illinois, the school is a small public institution.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Danville Area Community College is ranked #25 for quality in the state of Illinois. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $4,207.
Richland Community College ranked #20 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Illinois list. Richland Community College is a small public school located in Decatur, Illinois.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Richland Community College is ranked #34 for quality in the state of Illinois. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $3,245.
With a ranking of #21, City Colleges of Chicago - Richard J Daley College did quite well on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Illinois list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, the school is a small public institution.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, City Colleges of Chicago - Richard J Daley College is ranked #29 for quality in the state of Illinois. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $4,526.
Read full value report on City Colleges of Chicago - Richard J Daley College
With a ranking of #22, McHenry County College did quite well on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Illinois list. This medium-sized public school is located in Crystal Lake, Illinois.
McHenry County College has the honor of being ranked #20 in Illinois for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $6,378.
Lake Land College ranked #23 on this year’s Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Illinois list. Lake Land College is a small public school located in Mattoon, Illinois.
Not only is Lake Land College a great value, but it is also ranked #38 in Illinois for overall quality. The average yearly net price for a student whose family makes $30-$48k per year is $3,637.
With a ranking of #24, Shawnee Community College did quite well on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Illinois list. Shawnee Community College is a small public school situated in Ullin, Illinois.
Not only is Shawnee Community College a great value, but it is also ranked #30 in Illinois for overall quality. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $5,058.
With a ranking of #25, Kankakee Community College did quite well on the 2024 Best Associate Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $30-$48k) in Illinois list. Kankakee, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Kankakee Community College is ranked #32 for quality in the state of Illinois. Students from families who make $30-$48k a year pay an annual average net price of $4,979.
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Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
