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2022 Best Value Legal Professions Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

15 Ranked Colleges
2,962 Degrees Awarded
$12,500 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Legal Professions Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Legal Professions Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

Legal Professions is the 17th most popular major in the country with 61,993 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, legal professions graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $43,199 and had an average of $58,026 in loans still to pay off.

Across Illinois, there were 2,962 legal professions graduates with average earnings and debt of $63,390 and $76,092 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Legal Professions Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 15 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in legal professions. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent legal professions programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the legal professions program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Legal Professions Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college decision.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

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

#1

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Chicago. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Legal Professions Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 290 degrees to qualified ’s legal professions students in 2019-2020.

UChicago not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Legal Professions Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for UChicago is $2,712 for Illinois Legal Professions students whose families make $0-$30k.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 100%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Legal Professions at University of Chicago

#2

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Legal Professions Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Evanston, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 685 degrees to qualified ’s legal professions students in 2019-2020.

Northwestern also made our “Best Legal Professions Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #2. The estimated yearly cost for Northwestern is $1,866 for Illinois Legal Professions students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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 impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Full Northwestern Legal Professions Report

#3

College of Lake County

Grayslake, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend College of Lake County. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Legal Professions Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. This fairly large school is located in Grayslake, Illinois, and it awarded 26 ’s legal professions degrees in 2019-2020.

College of Lake County not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Legal Professions Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $3,742 for Illinois Legal Professions students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend College of Lake County.

Read full report on Legal Professions at College of Lake County

#4

Elgin Community College

Elgin, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Elgin Community College. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Legal Professions Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. ECC is a medium-sized school located in Elgin, Illinois that handed out 13 ’s legal professions degrees in 2019-2020.

ECC also took the #15 spot in our “Best Legal Professions Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend ECC is $2,384 for Illinois Legal Professions students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Legal Professions at Elgin Community College

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Lewis and Clark Community College. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Legal Professions Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. Lewis and Clark Community College is located in Godfrey, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 26 ’s legal professions degrees to qualified students.

Lewis and Clark Community College also took the #9 spot in our “Best Legal Professions Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Lewis and Clark Community College is $2,719 for Illinois Legal Professions students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Legal Professions at Lewis and Clark Community College

#6

Southwestern Illinois College

Belleville, Illinois

Southwestern Illinois College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Legal Professions Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #6. Southwestern Illinois College is a medium-sized school located in Belleville, Illinois that handed out 21 ’s legal professions degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SWIC, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Legal Professions Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Southwestern Illinois College is $5,506 for illinois legal professions students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full SWIC Legal Professions Report

With a ranking of #7, University of Illinois at Springfield did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Legal Professions Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. UIS is a public institution located in Springfield, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 16 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UIS also took the #11 spot in our “Best Legal Professions Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UIS is $9,771 for illinois legal professions students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Legal Professions at UIS

#8

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

Northern Illinois University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Legal Professions Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Dekalb, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s legal professions degrees to 80 students in 2019-2020.

NIU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Legal Professions Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Northern Illinois University is $15,281 for Illinois Legal Professions students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Legal Professions at NIU

Southern Illinois University Carbondale ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Legal Professions Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. SIUC is located in Carbondale, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 112 ’s legal professions degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our illinois legal professions students whose families make $0-$30k list, SIUC has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Legal Professions Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for SIUC is $13,658 for Illinois Legal Professions students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Legal Professions at Southern Illinois University Carbondale

Illinois Institute of Technology did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Legal Professions Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #10. Illinois Tech is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 332 ’s legal professions degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Illinois Tech, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Legal Professions Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $17,222 for Illinois Legal Professions students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Illinois Tech.

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 student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. 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.

Read more about Legal Professions at Illinois Institute of Technology

#11

MacCormac College

Chicago, Illinois
#5 in overall quality

MacCormac College ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Legal Professions Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. This small school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 33 ’s legal professions degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at MacCormac, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Legal Professions Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $18,345 for illinois legal professions students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend MacCormac.

Read full report on Legal Professions at MacCormac College

#12

Rasmussen University - Illinois

Rockford, Illinois

With a ranking of #12, Rasmussen University - Illinois did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Legal Professions Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. This small school is located in Rockford, Illinois, and it awarded 10 ’s legal professions degrees in 2019-2020.

Rasmussen University - Illinois did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Legal Professions Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Rasmussen University - Illinois is $18,005 for illinois legal professions students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Legal Professions at Rasmussen University - Illinois

#13

Roosevelt University

Chicago, Illinois

Roosevelt University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Legal Professions Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Roosevelt University is a small school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 33 ’s legal professions degrees in 2019-2020.

Roosevelt also made our “Best Legal Professions Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #6. It costs about $20,398 for illinois legal professions students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Roosevelt.

Read full report on Legal Professions at Roosevelt University

#14

Loyola University Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

Loyola University Chicago did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Legal Professions Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #14. Loyola University Chicago is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 595 ’s legal professions degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our illinois legal professions students whose families make $0-$30k list, Loyola Chicago has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Legal Professions Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Loyola Chicago is $29,440 for Illinois Legal Professions students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full Loyola Chicago Legal Professions Report

#15

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois

With a ranking of #15, DePaul University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Legal Professions Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. DePaul University is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 282 ’s legal professions degrees to qualified students.

DePaul also took the #10 spot in our “Best Legal Professions Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for DePaul University is $26,173 for illinois legal professions students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 4.5% 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%.

Read more about Legal Professions at DePaul

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

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