2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking.
In 2019-2020, 310,601 education students received their degree, making the major the 4th most popular in the country. In 2017-2018, education graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $43,887 and had an average of $30,244 in loans still to pay off.
Across Illinois, there were 10,069 education graduates with average earnings and debt of $45,178 and $28,378 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 3,458 education graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,319 and $24,183 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 47 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in education. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent education programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.
To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the education program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value 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.
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Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Education (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Northwestern is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Evanston, Illinois. It awarded 26 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
Northwestern also took the #1 spot in our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Northwestern University is $1,866 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $0-$30k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
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 #2 for the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. UIUC is a large public school situated in Champaign, Illinois. It awarded 190 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIUC, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $5,477 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Education at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Chicago. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s education degrees to 116 students in 2019-2020.
UIC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Chicago is $10,648 for illinois bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low student loan default rate of 3.4% 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%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a fairly large public school situated in Carbondale, Illinois. It awarded 253 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at SIUC, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $13,658 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend SIUC.
Full Southern Illinois University Carbondale Education Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a fairly large school located in Edwardsville, Illinois that handed out 103 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend SIUE is $8,055 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read more about Education at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Illinois State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #6. This large school is located in Normal, Illinois, and it awarded 735 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
Illinois State also took the #4 spot in our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Illinois State University is $14,470 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Northern Illinois University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. NIU is a public institution located in Dekalb, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 166 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
NIU also made our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #18. It costs about $15,281 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend NIU.
Saint Xavier University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #8. SXU is a small school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 37 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Saint Xavier University is $11,266 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $0-$30k.
Eastern Illinois University landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Charleston, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s education degrees to 121 students in 2019-2020.
EIU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #21 on our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $12,350 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend EIU.
Governors State University landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. GSU is a public institution located in University Park, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 40 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend GSU is $10,872 for illinois bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k.
Lewis University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #11. Romeoville, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s education degrees to 89 students in 2019-2020.
Lewis also made our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #12. It costs about $12,821 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Lewis University.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Wheaton College Illinois did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #12. Wheaton, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s education degrees to 47 students in 2019-2020.
Wheaton College Illinois also made our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #6. It costs about $18,440 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Wheaton College Illinois.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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.
Western Illinois University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Western Illinois University is a public institution located in Macomb, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 74 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Western Illinois University is $13,942 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $0-$30k.
Aurora University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Aurora, Illinois, and it awarded 63 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Aurora, the school also landed the #19 spot in our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Aurora University is $14,103 for illinois bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #15, University of St Francis did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Joliet, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 15 degrees to qualified bachelors’s education students in 2019-2020.
University of Saint Francis did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #20 on our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $15,847 for illinois bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of St Francis.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #16, University of Illinois at Springfield did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Illinois at Springfield is located in Springfield, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 14 bachelors’s education degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend UIS is $9,771 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read more about Education at University of Illinois at Springfield
With a ranking of #17, Augustana College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Augustana is located in Rock Island, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 44 bachelors’s education degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k list, Augustana has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Augustana is $20,355 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 3.4% 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 ranking of #18, Lake Forest College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value 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 14 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
Lake Forest also made our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #11. It costs about $18,192 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Lake Forest.
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%.
Elmhurst University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #19. Elmhurst University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Elmhurst, Illinois. It awarded 77 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k list, Elmhurst has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $16,903 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Elmhurst.
The low student loan default rate of 3.0% 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%.
Illinois College landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Illinois College is a small school located in Jacksonville, Illinois that handed out 12 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Illinois College is $11,376 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $0-$30k.
Millikin University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #21. Located in Decatur, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 60 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s education students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Millikin, the school also landed the #17 spot in our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Millikin is $17,656 for illinois bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k.
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.
Bradley University landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Peoria, Illinois, and it awarded 81 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
Bradley not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Bradley is $17,205 for illinois bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
With a ranking of #23, National Louis University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s education degrees to 162 students in 2019-2020.
NLU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #25 on our “Best Education Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend NLU is $14,178 for illinois bachelor’s degree education students whose families make $0-$30k.
Northeastern Illinois University landed the #24 spot on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this medium-sized public school handed out 71 degrees to qualified bachelors’s education students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Northeastern Illinois University is $14,816 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read full report on Education at Northeastern Illinois University
With a ranking of #25, Monmouth College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Education Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Monmouth College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Monmouth, Illinois. It awarded 12 bachelors’s education degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $13,231 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Education students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Monmouth.
The student-to-faculty ratio of 9 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 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
- Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Education (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region
- Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Education (Income $0-$30k)
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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.
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