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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Computer Science (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois

24 Ranked Colleges
1,809 Degrees Awarded
$13,300 Avg Net Price*
Best Value CompSci 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. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

Computer Science is the 19th most popular major in the country with 53,722 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, computer science graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $66,561 and had an average of $23,565 in loans still to pay off.

Across Illinois, there were 3,177 computer science graduates with average earnings and debt of $69,479 and $23,722 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,809 computer science graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,319 and $24,183 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 24 colleges that offered a degree in computer science. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent computer science programs, but they also cost less that 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 computer science program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Computer Science Schools

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 CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college 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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 24 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Computer Science (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, 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 CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. This large school is located in Evanston, Illinois, and it awarded 94 bachelors’s compsci degrees in 2019-2020.

Northwestern did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Northwestern is $1,866 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree CompSci students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 0.8% 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 student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Computer Science at Northwestern

#2

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

Out of the 24 schools in the Best Value CompSci 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 private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 93 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UChicago, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UChicago is $2,712 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree CompSci students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%. 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. 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%.

Full UChicago Computer Science Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a large public school situated in Champaign, Illinois. It awarded 291 bachelors’s compsci 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 Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UIUC is $5,477 for illinois bachelor’s degree compsci students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Computer Science Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Chicago. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. UIC is a public institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 258 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UIC also took the #4 spot in our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $10,648 for illinois bachelor’s degree compsci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Illinois at Chicago.

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%.

Full UIC Computer Science Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. This fairly large school is located in Edwardsville, Illinois, and it awarded 76 bachelors’s compsci degrees in 2019-2020.

SIUE also made our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #12. The yearly cost to attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is $8,055 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree CompSci students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Computer Science Report

#6

Lewis University

Romeoville, Illinois
#6 in overall quality

Lewis University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #6. Romeoville, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s compsci degrees to 98 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Lewis, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Lewis University is $12,821 for illinois bachelor’s degree compsci students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Computer Science at Lewis University

#7

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

Northern Illinois University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Northern Illinois University is located in Dekalb, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 134 bachelors’s compsci degrees to qualified students.

NIU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Northern Illinois University is $15,281 for illinois bachelor’s degree compsci students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full NIU Computer Science Report

University of Illinois at Springfield did quite well in the 2022 Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #8. UIS is a small public school situated in Springfield, Illinois. It awarded 93 bachelors’s compsci degrees in 2019-2020.

UIS also made our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #14. It costs about $9,771 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree CompSci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UIS.

Read more about Computer Science at UIS

#9

Governors State University

University Park, Illinois

Governors State University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. GSU is a public institution located in University Park, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 41 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

GSU also made our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #22. It costs about $10,872 for illinois bachelor’s degree compsci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Governors State University.

Full GSU Computer Science Report

#10

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois

Illinois State University landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Normal, Illinois, this large public school handed out 53 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s compsci students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Illinois State, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Illinois State is $14,470 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree CompSci students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Illinois State Computer Science Report

#11

Wheaton College Illinois

Wheaton, Illinois

Wheaton College Illinois came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Wheaton, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 15 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s compsci students in 2019-2020.

Wheaton College Illinois also took the #5 spot in our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Wheaton College Illinois is $18,440 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree CompSci students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. 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. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Computer Science at Wheaton College Illinois

Southern Illinois University Carbondale did quite well in the 2022 Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #12. Located in Carbondale, Illinois, this fairly large public school handed out 32 degrees to qualified bachelors’s compsci students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree compsci students whose families make $0-$30k list, SIUC has also earned the #17 rank in our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $13,658 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree CompSci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

Read more about Computer Science at SIUC

#13

Saint Xavier University

Chicago, Illinois
#23 in overall quality

Saint Xavier University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #13. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s compsci degrees to 24 students in 2019-2020.

SXU also took the #23 spot in our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Saint Xavier University is $11,266 for illinois bachelor’s degree compsci students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full SXU Computer Science Report

#14

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, Illinois
#21 in overall quality

With a ranking of #14, Eastern Illinois University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Charleston, Illinois, this medium-sized public school awarded 1 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s compsci students in 2019-2020.

EIU also took the #21 spot in our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $12,350 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree CompSci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend EIU.

Full EIU Computer Science Report

#15

Aurora University

Aurora, Illinois

Aurora University ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Aurora University is a medium-sized school located in Aurora, Illinois that handed out 23 bachelors’s compsci degrees in 2019-2020.

Aurora also made our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #19. The estimated yearly cost for Aurora is $14,103 for illinois bachelor’s degree compsci students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Computer Science at Aurora University

#16

Bradley University

Peoria, Illinois

Bradley University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #16. Bradley University is a medium-sized school located in Peoria, Illinois that handed out 30 bachelors’s compsci degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree compsci students whose families make $0-$30k list, Bradley has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $17,205 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree CompSci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Bradley University.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Computer Science at Bradley

#17

Elmhurst University

Elmhurst, Illinois

With a ranking of #17, Elmhurst University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Elmhurst is located in Elmhurst, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 18 bachelors’s compsci degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Elmhurst, the school also landed the #15 spot in our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $16,903 for illinois bachelor’s degree compsci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Elmhurst.

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%.

Full Elmhurst Computer Science Report

#18

Augustana College

Rock Island, Illinois

With a ranking of #18, Augustana College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Augustana College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Rock Island, Illinois. It awarded 22 bachelors’s compsci degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree compsci students whose families make $0-$30k list, Augustana has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Augustana College is $20,355 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree CompSci students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its 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 Augustana College Computer Science Report

With a ranking of #19, Illinois Institute of Technology did quite well on the 2022 Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s compsci degrees to 71 students in 2019-2020.

Illinois Tech also made our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #7. The estimated yearly cost for Illinois Tech is $17,222 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree CompSci students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, 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. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full Illinois Institute of Technology Computer Science Report

Northeastern Illinois University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Northeastern Illinois University is a medium-sized school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 121 bachelors’s compsci degrees in 2019-2020.

Northeastern Illinois University also made our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #20. The estimated yearly cost for Northeastern Illinois University is $14,816 for illinois bachelor’s degree compsci students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Computer Science at Northeastern Illinois University

#21

Dominican University

River Forest, Illinois

With a ranking of #21, Dominican University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Dominican U is a small school located in River Forest, Illinois that handed out 17 bachelors’s compsci degrees in 2019-2020.

Dominican U did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Dominican U is $17,060 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree CompSci 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.

Full Dominican University Computer Science Report

#22

McKendree University

Lebanon, Illinois

With a ranking of #22, McKendree University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. McKendree is a small school located in Lebanon, Illinois that handed out 9 bachelors’s compsci degrees in 2019-2020.

McKendree also took the #18 spot in our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $15,184 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree CompSci students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend McKendree.

Read full report on Computer Science at McKendree

#23

North Central College

Naperville, Illinois

North Central College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #23. North Central is located in Naperville, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 26 bachelors’s compsci degrees to qualified students.

North Central did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for North Central is $18,889 for illinois bachelor’s degree compsci students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 3.9% 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 Computer Science at North Central

#24

Roosevelt University

Chicago, Illinois

Roosevelt University landed the #24 spot on the 2022 Best Value CompSci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 28 degrees to qualified bachelors’s compsci students in 2019-2020.

Roosevelt not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #24 on our “Best Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Roosevelt University is $20,398 for illinois bachelor’s degree compsci students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Computer Science at Roosevelt University

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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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