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2023 Best Engineering Colleges for Veterans in Illinois

10 Ranked Colleges
6,585 Degrees Awarded
$29,600 Avg Cost*
Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Engineering

When it comes to choosing a college, veterans 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 “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Engineering” ranking.

Engineering is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 7th of all the majors we analyze. In 2020-2021, 198,468 degrees were awarded to students with this major. In 2019-2020, engineering graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $68,653 and had an average of $23,855 in loans still to pay off.

Across Illinois, there were 6,585 engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $68,398 and $22,915 respectively.

For this year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Engineering” ranking, we looked at 10 colleges that offer a degree in engineering. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent engineering programs, but they also offer a lot of support to veterans and active service members.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the engineering program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran satisfaction. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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The engineering school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Engineering”.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools 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.

Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Engineering

The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Engineering”.

Top 10 Best Engineering Colleges for Veterans in Illinois

1

Out of the 10 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Engineering 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 handed out 2,695 diplomas to qualified ’s engineering students in 2020-2021.

UIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Of the 52,679 students enrolled at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 10 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $0. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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%. 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 More…

2

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. The school came in at #2 for the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Engineering. SIUE is located in Edwardsville, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 299 ’s engineering degrees to qualified students.

SIUE also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Among the 12,860 students enrolled at SIUE, 3 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 2 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $23,082. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

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3

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Chicago. The school came in at #3 for the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Engineering. University of Illinois at Chicago is a public institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 877 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UIC also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Of the 33,518 students enrolled at University of Illinois at Chicago, 1 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $23,878. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at UIC]](/colleges/university-of-illinois-at-chicago/student-life/veterans/)

4

Out of the 10 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Engineering that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #4 spot on the list. SIUC is a public institution located in Carbondale, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 192 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SIUC, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, Southern Illinois University Carbondale supports 11,366 students, and 1 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 0 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $0. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

Read More…

5
Loyola Chicago crest
Loyola University Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Loyola University Chicago. The school came in at #5 for the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Engineering. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s engineering degrees to 53 students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our illinois vets studying engineering list, Loyola Chicago has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, Loyola Chicago supports 16,893 students, and 261 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 165 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $17,263. During this same period, 78 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Loyola Chicago does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read More…

6

Illinois Institute of Technology landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Engineering ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 606 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

Illinois Tech also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].According to our most recent data, Illinois Institute of Technology supports 6,325 students, and 83 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 52 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $14,905. During this same period, 14 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Illinois Institute of Technology does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate 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.

[Read full report on veteran student life at Illinois Tech]](/colleges/illinois-institute-of-technology/student-life/veterans/)

7
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

Northwestern University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Engineering ranking, coming in at #7. This large school is located in Evanston, Illinois, and it awarded 813 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

Northwestern also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Our most recent data shows that 1 of the 22,603 students enrolled at Northwestern were GI Bill® students, of which 1 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $399. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full Northwestern University Veteran Student Life Report

8

Northern Illinois University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Engineering ranking. Northern Illinois University is a fairly large school located in Dekalb, Illinois that handed out 298 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our illinois vets studying engineering list, NIU has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, Northern Illinois University supports 16,769 students, and 480 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 207 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $7,822. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.

Full Northern Illinois University Veteran Student Life Report

9
Olivet Nazarene crest
Olivet Nazarene University
Bourbonnais, Illinois

Olivet Nazarene University ranked #9 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Engineering list. Olivet Nazarene is a private not-for-profit institution located in Bourbonnais, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 48 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Olivet Nazarene also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, Olivet Nazarene University supports 3,764 students, and 57 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 35 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $12,334. To help with additional expenses, 11 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Olivet Nazarene Veteran Student Life Report

10
Bradley crest
Bradley University
Peoria, Illinois

Bradley University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Engineering ranking, coming in at #10. Bradley is a medium-sized school located in Peoria, Illinois that handed out 195 ’s engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

Bradley did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Among the 5,855 students enrolled at Bradley, 96 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 61 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $13,498. In addition to receiving other benefits, 7 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Bradley Veteran Student Life Report

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