2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. 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 Geography Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

In 2019-2020, 5,476 people earned their degree in geography, making the major the 144th most popular in the United States.

Across Illinois, there were 182 geography graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 13 geography graduates with average earnings and debt of $57,267 and $46,814 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Geography Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 4 colleges that offered a degree in geography. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality geography programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the geography program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 Geography Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college decision.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Geography Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Geography Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 4 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Geography (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois

#1

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, Illinois

$30,083 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

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 #1 for the Best Value Geography Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. UIUC is located in Champaign, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1 masters’s geography degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree geography students whose families make $0-$30k list, UIUC has also earned the #0 rank in our “Best Geography Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are $30,083, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Geography at UIUC

#2

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

Edwardsville, Illinois

#1 in overall quality

$9,300 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

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 Best Value Geography Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. This fairly large school is located in Edwardsville, Illinois, and it awarded 6 masters’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

SIUE also made our “Best Geography Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #1. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at SIUE are $9,300.

Full SIUE Geography Report

#3

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

#2 in overall quality

$11,086 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northern Illinois University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Northern Illinois University is located in Dekalb, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 4 masters’s geography degrees to qualified students.

NIU also took the #2 spot in our “Best Geography Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at NIU are $11,086.

Full Northern Illinois University Geography Report

#4

Chicago State University

Chicago, Illinois

#3 in overall quality

$15,056 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Chicago State University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Geography Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. Chicago State University is a small school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 2 masters’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree geography students whose families make $0-$30k list, CSU has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Geography Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Chicago State University are $15,056, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Geography at Chicago State University

• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Geography (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region
• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Geography (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 Couleur.

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