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2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid

34 Ranked Colleges
1,397 Degrees Awarded
$18,500 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor's in Illinois For Those Getting Aid

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Political Science is the 14th most popular major in the country with 46,740 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

Across Illinois, there were 1,532 political science graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,397 political science graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,319 and $24,183 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” ranking looked at 34 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in political science. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent political science 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 political science program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Political Science Schools

The poly sci school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid”.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois bachelor’s degree poly sci students with aid.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Political Science in Illinois (With Aid)

#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 #1 for the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a large school located in Champaign, Illinois that handed out 259 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

UIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for UIUC is $15,880 for illinois bachelor’s degree poly sci students with aid.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Read more about Political Science at UIUC

#10 in overall quality

Out of the 34 schools in the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #2 spot on the list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s poly sci degrees to 72 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIC, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Illinois at Chicago is $13,312 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students with aid.

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%.

Full University of Illinois at Chicago Political Science Report

#22 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Springfield. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. UIS is located in Springfield, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 19 bachelors’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIS, the school also landed the #22 spot in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UIS is $12,477 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students with aid.

Read more about Political Science at UIS

#4

Saint Xavier University

Chicago, Illinois
#16 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Saint Xavier University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. SXU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 13 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

SXU also made our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #16. The estimated yearly cost for Saint Xavier University is $14,528 for illinois bachelor’s degree poly sci students with aid.

Full Saint Xavier University Political Science Report

#5

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois
#14 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northern Illinois University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid. This fairly large school is located in Dekalb, Illinois, and it awarded 87 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

NIU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $18,259 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students with aid per year to attend Northern Illinois University.

Full Northern Illinois University Political Science Report

#6

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, Illinois
#19 in overall quality

Eastern Illinois University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #6. Located in Charleston, Illinois, this medium-sized public school handed out 27 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s poly sci students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree poly sci students with aid list, EIU has also earned the #19 rank in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for EIU is $14,607 for illinois bachelor’s degree poly sci students with aid.

Read more about Political Science at Eastern Illinois University

#18 in overall quality

With a ranking of #7, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Edwardsville, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s poly sci degrees to 30 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree poly sci students with aid list, SIUE has also earned the #18 rank in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for SIUE is $14,423 for illinois bachelor’s degree poly sci students with aid.

Full SIUE Political Science Report

#8

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois
#2 in overall quality

Northwestern University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Northwestern University is a large school located in Evanston, Illinois that handed out 121 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

Northwestern did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Northwestern University is $24,664 for illinois bachelor’s degree poly sci students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national 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. 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.

Full Northwestern Political Science Report

#9

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois
#20 in overall quality

Western Illinois University landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. WIU is a medium-sized school located in Macomb, Illinois that handed out 18 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree poly sci students with aid list, WIU has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Western Illinois University is $16,210 for illinois bachelor’s degree poly sci students with aid.

Read more about Political Science at Western Illinois University

#10

Chicago State University

Chicago, Illinois

Chicago State University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. CSU is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 5 bachelors’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend Chicago State University is $11,733 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students with aid.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read full report on Political Science at Chicago State University

#23 in overall quality

Southern Illinois University Carbondale came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. Carbondale, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s poly sci degrees to 31 students in 2019-2020.

SIUC also made our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #23. It costs about $16,945 for illinois bachelor’s degree poly sci students with aid per year to attend SIUC.

Read full report on Political Science at Southern Illinois University Carbondale

Northeastern Illinois University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. Northeastern Illinois University is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 20 bachelors’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend Northeastern Illinois University is $15,843 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students with aid.

Read more about Political Science at Northeastern Illinois University

#13

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois
#6 in overall quality

Illinois State University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. Illinois State is located in Normal, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 87 bachelors’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.

Illinois State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Illinois State is $20,895 for illinois bachelor’s degree poly sci students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Political Science at Illinois State

#14

University of St Francis

Joliet, Illinois
#21 in overall quality

University of St Francis ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Joliet, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s poly sci degrees to 7 students in 2019-2020.

University of Saint Francis did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #21 on our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $17,538 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students with aid per year to attend University of St Francis.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Political Science at University of St Francis

#15

Illinois College

Jacksonville, Illinois
#24 in overall quality

Illinois College came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. Jacksonville, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s poly sci degrees to 7 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree poly sci students with aid list, Illinois College has also earned the #24 rank in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Illinois College is $16,562 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students with aid.

Full Illinois College Political Science Report

#16

Dominican University

River Forest, Illinois
#25 in overall quality

With a ranking of #16, Dominican University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Dominican U is a small school located in River Forest, Illinois that handed out 8 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree poly sci students with aid list, Dominican U has also earned the #25 rank in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Dominican University is $19,268 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students with aid.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read full report on Political Science at Dominican University

#17

Elmhurst University

Elmhurst, Illinois
#15 in overall quality

Elmhurst University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #17. Elmhurst is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Elmhurst, Illinois. It awarded 14 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree poly sci students with aid list, Elmhurst has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Elmhurst University is $21,485 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students with aid.

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%.

Read more about Political Science at Elmhurst

#18

Augustana College

Rock Island, Illinois
#8 in overall quality

Augustana College landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. Rock Island, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s poly sci degrees to 29 students in 2019-2020.

Augustana also took the #8 spot in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Augustana is $23,874 for illinois bachelor’s degree poly sci students with aid.

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

Full Augustana College Political Science Report

#19

Wheaton College Illinois

Wheaton, Illinois
#4 in overall quality

Wheaton College Illinois landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. Wheaton College Illinois is a private not-for-profit institution located in Wheaton, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 17 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Wheaton College Illinois not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $25,358 for illinois bachelor’s degree poly sci students with aid per year to attend Wheaton College Illinois.

With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 0.7% 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%. 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 full report on Political Science at Wheaton College Illinois

#20

Concordia University, Chicago

River Forest, Illinois

Concordia University, Chicago did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #20. This medium-sized school is located in River Forest, Illinois, and it awarded 4 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Concordia University, Chicago is $16,512 for illinois bachelor’s degree poly sci students with aid.

Full Concordia University, Chicago Political Science Report

#21

Olivet Nazarene University

Bourbonnais, Illinois

Olivet Nazarene University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. Olivet Nazarene University is located in Bourbonnais, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 12 bachelors’s poly sci degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for Olivet Nazarene is $20,195 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 3.4% 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 Political Science at Olivet Nazarene University

#22

Millikin University

Decatur, Illinois

Millikin University ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Millikin is a small school located in Decatur, Illinois that handed out 3 bachelors’s poly sci degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Millikin University is $21,331 for illinois bachelor’s degree poly sci students with aid.

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 Political Science at Millikin University

#23

McKendree University

Lebanon, Illinois

McKendree University landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. McKendree is a private not-for-profit institution located in Lebanon, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend McKendree University is $19,844 for illinois bachelor’s degree poly sci students with aid.

Read more about Political Science at McKendree University

#24

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
#1 in overall quality

University of Chicago did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #24. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s poly sci degrees to 106 students in 2019-2020.

UChicago also took the #1 spot in our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UChicago is $27,315 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Poly Sci students with aid.

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. 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Political Science at UChicago

#25

Knox College

Galesburg, Illinois
#17 in overall quality

Knox College ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Poly Sci Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Knox College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Galesburg, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 11 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Knox also made our “Best Political Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #17. It costs about $22,292 for illinois bachelor’s degree poly sci students with aid per year to attend Knox College.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read full report on Political Science at Knox

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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.

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