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2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k

11 Ranked Colleges
145 Degrees Awarded
$22,000 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor's in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking - to help you make that 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.

For this year’s “Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking, we looked at 11 colleges that offer a degree in geography. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent geography programs, but they also cost less that 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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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 Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k” 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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k.

Top 11 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Geography (Income $75-$110k) in Illinois

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois
#2 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k list. Northwestern University is located in Evanston, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1 bachelors’s geography degrees to qualified students.

Northwestern also took the #2 spot in our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Northwestern University is $16,784 for illinois bachelor’s degree geography students whose families make $75-$110k.

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. 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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Northwestern University Geography Report

#2

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 #2 for the Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s geography degrees to 4 students 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 UChicago is $17,929 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Geography students whose families make $75-$110k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 100%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. 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%.

Read more about Geography at UChicago

#3 in overall quality

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 #3 for the Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a public institution located in Champaign, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for UIUC is $21,998 for illinois bachelor’s degree geography students whose families make $75-$110k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The low student loan default rate of 2.4% 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%.

Full UIUC Geography Report

#4

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois
#7 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northern Illinois University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k list. Northern Illinois University is a public institution located in Dekalb, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 13 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

NIU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $21,425 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Geography students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend NIU.

Full NIU Geography Report

#6 in overall quality

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville landed the #5 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 $18,928 for illinois bachelor’s degree geography students whose families make $75-$110k.

Read full report on Geography at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

#6

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, Illinois
#9 in overall quality

Eastern Illinois University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #6. Eastern Illinois University is a public institution located in Charleston, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 14 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

EIU also made our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #9. The estimated yearly cost for Eastern Illinois University is $19,147 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Geography students whose families make $75-$110k.

Read full report on Geography at EIU

#7

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois
#4 in overall quality

With a ranking of #7, Illinois State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k list. Located in Normal, Illinois, this large public school handed out 31 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s geography students in 2019-2020.

Illinois State also made our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #4. It costs about $25,379 for illinois bachelor’s degree geography students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Illinois State University.

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 more about Geography at Illinois State

#10 in overall quality

Northeastern Illinois University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

Northeastern Illinois University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Northeastern Illinois University is $22,526 for illinois bachelor’s degree geography students whose families make $75-$110k.

Read full report on Geography at Northeastern Illinois University

#9

Augustana College

Rock Island, Illinois
#5 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, Augustana College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k list. Located in Rock Island, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 17 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s geography students in 2019-2020.

Augustana not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Augustana College is $23,730 for illinois bachelor’s degree geography students whose families make $75-$110k.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Geography at Augustana

#10

Elmhurst University

Elmhurst, Illinois
#8 in overall quality

With a ranking of #10, Elmhurst University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k list. Elmhurst University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Elmhurst, Illinois. It awarded 2 bachelors’s geography degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree geography students whose families make $75-$110k list, Elmhurst has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Elmhurst University is $23,604 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Geography students whose families make $75-$110k.

The low student loan default rate of 3.0% 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 Elmhurst University Geography Report

#11

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois
#11 in overall quality

DePaul University landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Geography Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. DePaul University is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 14 bachelors’s geography degrees to qualified students.

DePaul also made our “Best Geography Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #11. The yearly cost to attend DePaul University is $30,877 for illinois bachelor’s degree geography students whose families make $75-$110k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default 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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