2022 Best Value Colleges for American U.S. Studies (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value United States Studies Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

In 2019-2020, 1,596 people earned their degree in American U.S. studies, making the major the 309th most popular in the United States.

Across Illinois, there were 16 American U.S. studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value United States Studies Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 2 colleges that offered a degree in American U.S. studies. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality American U.S. studies 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 American U.S. studies 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.

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 United States Studies Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest 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 United States Studies Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value United States Studies Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 2 Best Value Colleges for American U.S. Studies (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois

#1 in overall quality

$1,866 Average Net Price

$68,272 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value United States Studies Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Evanston, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 7 diplomas to qualified ’s United States studies students in 2019-2020.

Northwestern did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best American U.S. Studies Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Northwestern is $1,866 for illinois united states studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

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. 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 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%.

Full Northwestern University American U.S. Studies Report

#2

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois

#2 in overall quality

$26,173 Average Net Price

$46,448 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend DePaul University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value United States Studies Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s United States studies degrees to 6 students in 2019-2020.

DePaul also took the #2 spot in our “Best American U.S. Studies Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $26,173 for illinois united states studies students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend DePaul University.

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%.

Full DePaul American U.S. Studies Report

• Best Value Colleges for American U.S. Studies (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region
• Best Value Colleges for American U.S. Studies (Income $0-$30k)

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 Karl Udo Gerth.

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