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

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking.

In 2019-2020, 11,925 people earned their degree in general engineering, making the major the 78th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, general engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $66,152 and had an average of $20,077 in loans still to pay off.

Across Illinois, there were 444 general engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $64,650 and $24,821 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 96 general engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,319 and $24,183 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking analyzed 3 colleges that offered a degree in general engineering. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality general engineering programs that also have a lower cost than 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 general engineering program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois bachelor’s degree engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.

Top 3 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Engineering (Income $48-$75k) in Illinois

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois

#1 in overall quality

$6,452 Average Net Price

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. Northwestern is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Evanston, Illinois. It awarded 5 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

Northwestern did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best General Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Northwestern is $6,452 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low student loan default rate of 0.8% 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 student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on General Engineering at Northwestern University

#2

Olivet Nazarene University

Bourbonnais, Illinois

#2 in overall quality

$17,841 Average Net Price

$61,020 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Olivet Nazarene University landed the #2 spot on the list. Olivet Nazarene is a private not-for-profit institution located in Bourbonnais, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 79 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Olivet Nazarene not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best General Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $17,841 for illinois bachelor’s degree engineering students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Olivet Nazarene University.

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%.

Read full report on General Engineering at Olivet Nazarene University

#3

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois

#3 in overall quality

$15,912 Average Net Price

$58,221 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value Engineering Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Western Illinois University landed the #3 spot on the list. This medium-sized school is located in Macomb, Illinois, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s engineering degrees in 2019-2020.

WIU also took the #3 spot in our “Best General Engineering Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Western Illinois University is $15,912 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Engineering students whose families make $48-$75k.

Full WIU General Engineering Report

• Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Engineering (Income $48-$75k) in the Great Lakes Region
• Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Engineering (Income $48-$75k)

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 Rémi Kaupp.

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