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2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid

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 Getting Aid

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its “Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2019-2020, 29,936 people earned their degree in general education, making the major the 28th most popular in the United States.

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 Getting Aid” 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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank General Education 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 General Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” 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. 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 General Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois master’s degree general education students with aid.

Top 11 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for General Education in Illinois (With Aid)

#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Champaign, Illinois, this large public school handed out 169 degrees to qualified masters’s general education students in 2019-2020.

UIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at UIUC are $30,083, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full UIUC General Education Report

#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 Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Saint Xavier University landed the #2 spot on the list. Saint Xavier University is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2 masters’s general education degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree general education students with aid list, SXU has also earned the #9 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 SXU are $15,450.

Full SXU General Education Report

#3

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 Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Western Illinois University landed the #3 spot on the list. Macomb, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s general education degrees to 14 students in 2019-2020.

WIU also made our “Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #7. Average graduate tuition and fees at WIU are $11,996, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Western Illinois University General Education Report

#4

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 #4 on our 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. NIU is a fairly large school located in Dekalb, Illinois that handed out 16 masters’s general education degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree general education students with aid list, NIU has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at NIU are $11,086, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full NIU General Education Report

#5

Quincy University

Quincy, Illinois
#10 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Quincy University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Quincy U is a private not-for-profit institution located in Quincy, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 20 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Quincy U not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. 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 U

#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 Getting Aid list. Located in River Forest, Illinois, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 5 diplomas to qualified masters’s general education students in 2019-2020.

Concordia University, Chicago not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. 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

#7

Elmhurst University

Elmhurst, Illinois
#2 in overall quality

With a ranking of #7, Elmhurst University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. 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. 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

#8

McKendree University

Lebanon, Illinois
#4 in overall quality

McKendree University landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. McKendree University is located in Lebanon, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 27 masters’s general education degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at McKendree, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at McKendree University are $9,324, but some majors have different tuition rates.

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 Getting Aid list. North Park University is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1 masters’s general education degrees to qualified students.

North Park did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #0 on our “Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. 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

#10

Greenville University

Greenville, Illinois
#5 in overall quality

Greenville University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Education Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #10. 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.

Greenville not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best General Education Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Greenville University are $8,082, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Greenville University General Education Report

#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 Getting Aid list. Rockford University 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.

Rockford not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #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.

Full Rockford 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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