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

10 Ranked Colleges
79 Degrees Awarded
$15,600 Avg Net Price*
Best Value General Education 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 General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

General Education is the 28th most popular major in the country with 29,936 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

Across Illinois, there were 423 general education graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 79 general education graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,319 and $24,183 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 10 colleges that offer a degree in general education. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great general education programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the general education program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank General Education Schools

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

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

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

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

Top 10 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Education (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois

#1 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a large school located in Champaign, Illinois that handed out 13 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree general education students whose families make $0-$30k list, UIUC has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UIUC is $5,477 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree General Education students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.

Read full report on General Education at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

#2

Lake Forest College

Lake Forest, Illinois
#2 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Lake Forest College. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Lake Forest is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Lake Forest, Illinois. It awarded 11 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree general education students whose families make $0-$30k list, Lake Forest has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $18,192 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree General Education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Lake Forest College.

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%.

Read full report on General Education at Lake Forest College

#3

Illinois College

Jacksonville, Illinois
#7 in overall quality

Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Illinois College landed the #3 spot on the list. Illinois College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Jacksonville, Illinois. It awarded 2 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.

Illinois College did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Illinois College is $11,376 for illinois bachelor’s degree general education students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Illinois College General Education Report

#4

Elmhurst University

Elmhurst, Illinois
#4 in overall quality

Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Elmhurst University landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Elmhurst, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 1 degrees to qualified bachelors’s general education students in 2019-2020.

Elmhurst also took the #4 spot in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Elmhurst University is $16,903 for illinois bachelor’s degree general education students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Education at Elmhurst University

#5

McKendree University

Lebanon, Illinois
#6 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend McKendree University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. Located in Lebanon, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 10 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s general education students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at McKendree, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $15,184 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree General Education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend McKendree University.

Full McKendree General Education Report

#6

Illinois Wesleyan University

Bloomington, Illinois
#3 in overall quality

Illinois Wesleyan University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Bloomington, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s general education degrees to 2 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree general education students whose families make $0-$30k list, Illinois Wesleyan has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $18,570 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree General Education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Illinois Wesleyan.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 1.4% 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 Illinois Wesleyan University General Education Report

#7

Concordia University, Chicago

River Forest, Illinois
#8 in overall quality

Concordia University, Chicago did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #7. Concordia University, Chicago is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in River Forest, Illinois. It awarded 7 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree general education students whose families make $0-$30k list, Concordia University, Chicago has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $14,097 for illinois bachelor’s degree general education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Concordia University, Chicago.

Read more about General Education at Concordia University, Chicago

#8

Greenville University

Greenville, Illinois
#5 in overall quality

Greenville University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #8. Greenville is a private not-for-profit institution located in Greenville, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 4 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree general education students whose families make $0-$30k list, Greenville has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Greenville is $19,681 for illinois bachelor’s degree general education students whose families make $0-$30k.

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.

Read full report on General Education at Greenville

#9

Trinity Christian College

Palos Heights, Illinois
#9 in overall quality

Trinity Christian College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This small school is located in Palos Heights, Illinois, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.

Trinity Christian also made our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #9. The estimated yearly cost for Trinity Christian is $16,611 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree General Education students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 5.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Trinity Christian General Education Report

#10

Roosevelt University

Chicago, Illinois
#10 in overall quality

Roosevelt University landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Roosevelt is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Roosevelt also took the #10 spot in our “Best General Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Roosevelt University is $20,398 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree General Education students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Roosevelt General Education Report

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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.

Credits

  • Credit for the banner image above goes to KOKUYO.

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