2022 Best Value Colleges for Zoology (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Zoology Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2019-2020, 3,141 people earned their degree in zoology, making the major the 165th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, zoology graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $23,825 and had an average of $22,041 in loans still to pay off.

Across Illinois, there were 72 zoology graduates with average earnings and debt of $19,500 and $22,458 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Zoology Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 3 colleges that offered a degree in zoology. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality zoology programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the zoology program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Zoology Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Zoology Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois zoology students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 3 Best Value Colleges for Zoology (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois

#1

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, Illinois

#1 in overall quality

$5,477 Average Net Price

$49,122 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value Zoology Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #1 spot on the list. UIUC is a large public school situated in Champaign, Illinois. It awarded 8 ’s zoology degrees in 2019-2020.

UIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Zoology Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $5,477 for Illinois Zoology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UIUC.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, 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 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Zoology Report

#2

Southern Illinois University Carbondale

Carbondale, Illinois

#2 in overall quality

$13,658 Average Net Price

$38,710 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value Zoology Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #2 spot on the list. Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a fairly large public school situated in Carbondale, Illinois. It awarded 54 ’s zoology degrees in 2019-2020.

SIUC also took the #2 spot in our “Best Zoology Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for SIUC is $13,658 for illinois zoology students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Zoology at Southern Illinois University Carbondale

#3

Olivet Nazarene University

Bourbonnais, Illinois

#3 in overall quality

$15,806 Average Net Price

$46,385 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value Zoology Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Olivet Nazarene University landed the #3 spot on the list. Olivet Nazarene University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Bourbonnais, Illinois. It awarded 10 ’s zoology degrees in 2019-2020.

Olivet Nazarene also made our “Best Zoology Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #3. The estimated yearly cost for Olivet Nazarene University is $15,806 for illinois zoology students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%.

Full Olivet Nazarene University Zoology Report

• Best Value Colleges for Zoology (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region
• Best Value Colleges for Zoology (Income $0-$30k)

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.

Featured Biology Schools

Request Info

Southern New Hampshire University You have goals. Southern New Hampshire University can help you get there. Whether you need a bachelor's degree to get into a career or want a master's degree to move up in your current career, SNHU has an online program for you. Find your degree from over 200 online programs ... Learn More >