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2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k

11 Ranked Colleges
307 Degrees Awarded
$15,500 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value General Education Schools for a Master's in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking.

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 master’s degree level specifically, there were 307 general education graduates with average earnings and debt of $57,267 and $46,814 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking analyzed 11 colleges that offered a degree in general education. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality general education programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the general education program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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 Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” 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. 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 Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k.

Top 11 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for General Education (Income $30-$48k) 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 Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is located in Champaign, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 169 masters’s general education degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIUC, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are $30,083.

Read more about General Education at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

#2

Saint Xavier University

Chicago, Illinois
#9 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Saint Xavier University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. This small school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 2 masters’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree general education students whose families make $30-$48k list, SXU has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at SXU are $15,450, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on General Education at SXU

#3

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois
#7 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Western Illinois University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Macomb, Illinois, this medium-sized public school awarded 14 degrees to qualified masters’s general education students in 2019-2020.

WIU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at WIU are $11,996, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about General Education at Western Illinois University

#4

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois
#8 in overall quality

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northern Illinois University landed the #4 spot on the list. Northern Illinois University is a fairly large public school situated in Dekalb, Illinois. It awarded 16 masters’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree general education students whose families make $30-$48k list, NIU has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Northern Illinois University are $11,086.

Read more about General Education at NIU

#5

Elmhurst University

Elmhurst, Illinois
#2 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Elmhurst University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k. Elmhurst University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Elmhurst, Illinois. It awarded 10 masters’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.

Elmhurst also made our “Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #2. Average graduate tuition and fees at Elmhurst University are $32,300, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Elmhurst General Education Report

#6

Concordia University, Chicago

River Forest, Illinois
#3 in overall quality

With a ranking of #6, Concordia University, Chicago did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. This medium-sized school is located in River Forest, Illinois, and it awarded 5 masters’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree general education students whose families make $30-$48k list, Concordia University, Chicago has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Concordia University, Chicago are $9,378.

Read full report on General Education at Concordia University, Chicago

#7

McKendree University

Lebanon, Illinois
#4 in overall quality

McKendree University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #7. Located in Lebanon, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 27 diplomas to qualified masters’s general education students in 2019-2020.

McKendree also made our “Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #4. Average graduate tuition and fees at McKendree University are $9,324, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full McKendree University General Education Report

#8

Quincy University

Quincy, Illinois
#10 in overall quality

Quincy University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #8. Quincy, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s general education degrees to 20 students in 2019-2020.

Quincy U also made our “Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #10. Average graduate tuition and fees at Quincy U are $12,000, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on General Education at Quincy University

#9

Greenville University

Greenville, Illinois
#5 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, Greenville University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. Greenville is a private not-for-profit institution located in Greenville, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 2 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Greenville also took the #5 spot in our “Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Greenville University are $8,082, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about General Education at Greenville

#10

North Park University

Chicago, Illinois

North Park University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. North Park University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 1 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at North Park, the school also landed the #0 spot in our “Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at North Park are $14,076, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on General Education at North Park University

#11

Rockford University

Rockford, Illinois
#6 in overall quality

Rockford University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #11. Located in Rockford, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 11 degrees to qualified masters’s general education students in 2019-2020.

Rockford did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Rockford University are $13,255.

Read more about General Education at Rockford 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.

Credits

  • Credit for the banner image above goes to KOKUYO.

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