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2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for General Education (Income $48-$75k) in Illinois

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 $48-$75k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

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.

For this year’s “Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking, we looked at 11 colleges that offer 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.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 General Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k” list to help you make the college decision.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k.

Top 11 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for General Education (Income $48-$75k) in Illinois

#1 in overall quality

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Champaign, Illinois, this large public school awarded 169 diplomas to qualified masters’s general education students in 2019-2020.

UIUC also took the #1 spot in our “Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are $30,083, but some majors have different tuition rates.

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

#2

Saint Xavier University

Chicago, Illinois
#9 in overall quality

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Saint Xavier University landed the #2 spot on the list. Saint Xavier University is a small school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 2 masters’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.

SXU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at SXU are $15,450, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on General Education at SXU

#3

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois
#8 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northern Illinois University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Dekalb, Illinois, this fairly large public school handed out 16 diplomas to qualified masters’s general education students in 2019-2020.

NIU also took the #8 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 Northern Illinois University are $11,086.

Full NIU General Education Report

#4

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois
#7 in overall quality

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Western Illinois University landed the #4 spot on the list. WIU is located in Macomb, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 14 masters’s general education degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at WIU, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Western Illinois University are $11,996, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about General Education at WIU

#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 $48-$75k. Elmhurst, 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 10 students in 2019-2020.

Elmhurst did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 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 Elmhurst are $32,300.

Read full report on General Education at Elmhurst

#6

Quincy University

Quincy, Illinois
#10 in overall quality

With a ranking of #6, Quincy University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. Quincy University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Quincy, Illinois. It awarded 20 masters’s general education degrees 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 you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about General Education at Quincy University

#7

Concordia University, Chicago

River Forest, Illinois
#3 in overall quality

With a ranking of #7, Concordia University, Chicago did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. Concordia University, Chicago is located in River Forest, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 5 masters’s general education degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Concordia University, Chicago, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Concordia University, Chicago are $9,378, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about General Education at Concordia University, Chicago

#8

McKendree University

Lebanon, Illinois
#4 in overall quality

McKendree University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. 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 took the #4 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 McKendree are $9,324.

Full McKendree University General Education Report

#9

North Park University

Chicago, Illinois

With a ranking of #9, North Park University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k 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.

North Park also took the #0 spot in our “Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at North Park University are $14,076, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full North Park General Education Report

#10

Greenville University

Greenville, Illinois
#5 in overall quality

Greenville University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Greenville, 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 2 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree general education students whose families make $48-$75k list, Greenville has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Greenville are $8,082, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on General Education at Greenville University

#11

Rockford University

Rockford, Illinois
#6 in overall quality

With a ranking of #11, Rockford University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. Rockford is a private not-for-profit institution located in Rockford, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 11 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Rockford, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Rockford are $13,255, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on General Education at Rockford

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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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