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

11 Ranked Colleges
145 Degrees Awarded
Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor's in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

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 bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 145 geography graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,319 and $24,183 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking looked at 11 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in geography. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great geography programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the geography program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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 Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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. 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 Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k.

Top 11 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Geography (Income $48-$75k) in Illinois

#1

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
#1 in overall quality

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 Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k. This fairly large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 4 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

UChicago also made our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #1. The estimated yearly cost for University of Chicago is $7,934 for illinois bachelor’s degree geography students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%. The low student loan default rate of 0.6% 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 UChicago Geography Report

#2

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois
#2 in overall quality

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern University landed the #2 spot on the list. Northwestern is a large school located in Evanston, Illinois that handed out 1 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

Northwestern also made our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #2. The estimated yearly cost for Northwestern University is $6,452 for illinois bachelor’s degree geography students whose families make $48-$75k.

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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. 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%.

Read more about Geography at Northwestern University

#3 in overall quality

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #3 spot on the list. This large school is located in Champaign, Illinois, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

UIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $13,351 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Geography students whose families make $48-$75k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Geography at UIUC

#6 in overall quality

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville landed the #4 spot on the list. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a fairly large school located in Edwardsville, Illinois that handed out 32 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

SIUE did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend SIUE is $13,705 for illinois bachelor’s degree geography students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read more about Geography at SIUE

#5

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois
#7 in overall quality

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northern Illinois University landed the #5 spot on the list. Dekalb, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s geography degrees to 13 students in 2019-2020.

NIU also took the #7 spot in our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $18,346 for illinois bachelor’s degree geography students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend NIU.

Read full report on Geography at NIU

#6

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, Illinois
#9 in overall quality

Eastern Illinois University landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Charleston, Illinois, this medium-sized public school handed out 14 degrees to qualified bachelors’s geography students in 2019-2020.

EIU also took the #9 spot in our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Eastern Illinois University is $13,560 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Geography students whose families make $48-$75k.

Full EIU Geography Report

#7

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois
#4 in overall quality

Illinois State University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. Illinois State is located in Normal, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 31 bachelors’s geography degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Illinois State, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Illinois State University is $19,080 for illinois bachelor’s degree geography students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low student loan default rate of 4.4% 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 Geography at Illinois State University

#8

Augustana College

Rock Island, Illinois
#5 in overall quality

Augustana College landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Rock Island, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 17 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s geography students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree geography students whose families make $48-$75k list, Augustana has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Augustana is $21,453 for illinois bachelor’s degree geography students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Geography at Augustana College

#10 in overall quality

Northeastern Illinois University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. Northeastern Illinois University is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 8 bachelors’s geography degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Northeastern Illinois University, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $18,180 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Geography students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Northeastern Illinois University.

Full Northeastern Illinois University Geography Report

#10

Elmhurst University

Elmhurst, Illinois
#8 in overall quality

Elmhurst University landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This small school is located in Elmhurst, Illinois, and it awarded 2 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

Elmhurst did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Elmhurst is $19,703 for illinois bachelor’s degree geography students whose families make $48-$75k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Elmhurst Geography Report

#11

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois
#11 in overall quality

With a ranking of #11, DePaul University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s geography degrees to 14 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree geography students whose families make $48-$75k list, DePaul has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $28,075 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Geography students whose families make $48-$75k 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 University Geography Report

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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