2022 Best Value Colleges for General Education (Income $48-$75k) in Illinois
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Education Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking is part of that endeavor.
General Education is the 35th most popular major in the country with 29,936 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, general education graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $47,138 and had an average of $29,674 in loans still to pay off.
Across Illinois, there were 423 general education graduates with average earnings and debt of $46,475 and $26,209 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Education Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking looked at 16 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in general education. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality general education programs that also have a lower cost than 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.
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One Size Does Not Fit All
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Education Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. 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 Education Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k
The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois education students whose families make $48-$75k.
Top 16 Best Value Colleges for General Education (Income $48-$75k) in Illinois
Out of the 16 schools in the Best Value Education Schools 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. UIUC is a large school located in Champaign, Illinois that handed out 197 ’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIUC, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best General Education Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UIUC is $13,351 for Illinois Education students whose families make $48-$75k.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read more about General Education at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Out of the 16 schools in the Best Value Education Schools 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 located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2 ’s education degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our illinois education students whose families make $48-$75k list, SXU has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best General Education Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for SXU is $14,907 for Illinois Education students whose families make $48-$75k.
Out of the 16 schools in the Best Value Education Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Lake Forest College landed the #3 spot on the list. Lake Forest is located in Lake Forest, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 11 ’s education degrees to qualified students.
Lake Forest not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best General Education Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Lake Forest is $24,683 for illinois education students whose families make $48-$75k.
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%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northern Illinois University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Education Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k. Northern Illinois University is located in Dekalb, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 16 ’s education degrees to qualified students.
NIU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best General Education Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Northern Illinois University is $18,346 for Illinois Education students whose families make $48-$75k.
Read full report on General Education at Northern Illinois University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Western Illinois University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Education Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k. Located in Macomb, Illinois, this medium-sized public school handed out 14 degrees to qualified ’s education students in 2019-2020.
WIU also made our “Best General Education Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #5. The yearly cost to attend WIU is $15,912 for Illinois Education students whose families make $48-$75k.
Elmhurst University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. Elmhurst, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s education degrees to 11 students in 2019-2020.
Elmhurst also took the #4 spot in our “Best General Education Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Elmhurst University is $19,703 for Illinois Education students whose families make $48-$75k.
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%.
Quincy University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. Quincy U is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Quincy, Illinois. It awarded 20 ’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
Quincy U also made our “Best General Education Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #13. It costs about $16,717 for illinois education students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Quincy U.
Concordia University, Chicago did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Education Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #8. River Forest, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s education degrees to 12 students in 2019-2020.
Concordia University, Chicago also made our “Best General Education Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #11. The yearly cost to attend Concordia University, Chicago is $17,295 for Illinois Education students whose families make $48-$75k.
Read more about General Education at Concordia University, Chicago
Illinois College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Education Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #9. Illinois College is a small school located in Jacksonville, Illinois that handed out 2 ’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
Illinois College did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best General Education Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Illinois College is $14,942 for Illinois Education students whose families make $48-$75k.
Greenville University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This small school is located in Greenville, Illinois, and it awarded 6 ’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our illinois education students whose families make $48-$75k list, Greenville has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best General Education Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $18,340 for Illinois Education students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Greenville.
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.
McKendree University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Lebanon, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s education degrees to 37 students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our illinois education students whose families make $48-$75k list, McKendree has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best General Education Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for McKendree is $19,851 for Illinois Education students whose families make $48-$75k.
Read full report on General Education at McKendree University
North Park University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Education Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #12. North Park is a small school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 1 ’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
North Park also took the #15 spot in our “Best General Education Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend North Park University is $18,813 for illinois education students whose families make $48-$75k.
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.
Trinity Christian College came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Palos Heights, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s education degrees to 3 students in 2019-2020.
Trinity Christian also made our “Best General Education Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #12. The yearly cost to attend Trinity Christian College is $20,888 for illinois education students whose families make $48-$75k.
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%.
With a ranking of #14, Roosevelt University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. Roosevelt is a small school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 9 ’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
Roosevelt also took the #16 spot in our “Best General Education Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $21,870 for illinois education students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Roosevelt.
Illinois Wesleyan University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Education Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #15. Bloomington, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s education degrees to 2 students in 2019-2020.
Illinois Wesleyan also made our “Best General Education Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #3. The estimated yearly cost for Illinois Wesleyan University is $23,309 for Illinois Education students whose families make $48-$75k.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read full report on General Education at Illinois Wesleyan University
Rockford University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This small school is located in Rockford, Illinois, and it awarded 11 ’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
Rockford did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best General Education Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Rockford University is $19,975 for illinois education students whose families make $48-$75k.
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.
- Best Value Colleges for General Education (Income $48-$75k) in the Great Lakes Region
- Best Value Colleges for General Education (Income $48-$75k)
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General Education students with family income $75-$110k in Illinois
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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