by our College Data Analytics TeamIt's not easy to decide which school to attend when you have so many options available. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our Best Illinois Schools For The Money For Those Making $0-$30k for a Master's ranking - to help you make that decision. The amount of financial aid you could receive at various schools, including some with high sticker prices, may surprise you.
See What's Included in This Value Report:
We analyzed 37 schools across Illinois to determine which have the best value Master's Degree programs. To come up with this ranking of the best value schools, we look at factors that are all objective measurements. In the next few paragraphs, we'll talk a little about what we use in our analysis and why.
The first step of determing the value of a school in our Best Master's Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois ranking is to look at the school's average net price for students with families that make $0-$30k a year. The net price is the sum of tuition, fees, and room and board minus any financial aid awarded to the student. But, a school that excels in providing value for your money must also be a great school overall as well.
To account for this we consider a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a combination of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
Find out more about our best value ranking methodology.
Keep scrolling for the top schools in this ranking or select one of the other rankings methods below.
If you know what major you want to study, check out our list of the best value schools by major. If you're interested in other degree levels, you can view one of the lists below.
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our 2024 rankings named University of Chicago the best value (income $0-$30k) school in Illinois for students working on their master’s degree. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. It is a private not-for-profit school.
University of Chicago has the honor of being ranked #1 in Illinois for overall quality on top of being a good value.
A rank of #2 on our Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois list means Northwestern University is a great place for students working on their degree. Northwestern is located in Evanston, Illinois and has a large student population. It is a private not-for-profit school.
Not only is Northwestern University a great value, but it is also ranked #2 in Illinois for overall quality.
Out of the 37 master’s degree schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #3 spot on the list. UIUC is located in Champaign, Illinois and has a large student population. It is a public school.
Not only is University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign a great value, but it is also ranked #3 in Illinois for overall quality.
Read full value report on University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
A rank of #4 on our Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois list means University of Illinois at Chicago is a great place for students working on their degree. Located in Chicago, Illinois, the school is a large public institution.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, University of Illinois at Chicago is ranked #12 for quality in the state of Illinois.
The quality degree programs at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois. Edwardsville, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville has the honor of being ranked #30 in Illinois for overall quality on top of being a good value.
Read full value report on Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Aurora University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois list. Aurora is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Aurora, Illinois.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Aurora University is ranked #8 for quality in the state of Illinois.
Western Illinois University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois list. Macomb, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Western Illinois University is ranked #28 for quality in the state of Illinois.
University of Illinois at Springfield did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois ranking, coming in at #8. UIS is a public institution located in Springfield, Illinois.
University of Illinois at Springfield has the honor of being ranked #32 in Illinois for overall quality on top of being a good value.
Read full value report on University of Illinois at Springfield
Illinois State University did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois ranking, coming in at #9. Illinois State University is a large public school located in Normal, Illinois.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Illinois State University is ranked #11 for quality in the state of Illinois.
Governors State University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois ranking. This small public school is located in University Park, Illinois.
Not only is Governors State University a great value, but it is also ranked #34 in Illinois for overall quality.
Saint Xavier University landed the #11 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois ranking. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Chicago, Illinois.
Saint Xavier University has the honor of being ranked #29 in Illinois for overall quality on top of being a good value.
Eastern Illinois University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois list. This medium-sized public school is located in Charleston, Illinois.
Not only is Eastern Illinois University a great value, but it is also ranked #27 in Illinois for overall quality.
National Louis University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois list. NLU is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, National Louis University is ranked #13 for quality in the state of Illinois.
With a ranking of #14, Lewis University did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois list. Lewis University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in Romeoville, Illinois.
Lewis University has the honor of being ranked #20 in Illinois for overall quality on top of being a good value.
Northern Illinois University ranked #15 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois list. Dekalb, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
Northern Illinois University has the honor of being ranked #25 in Illinois for overall quality on top of being a good value.
Southern Illinois University Carbondale came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois ranking. SIUC is located in Carbondale, Illinois and has a fairly large student population. It is a public school.
Southern Illinois University Carbondale has the honor of being ranked #19 in Illinois for overall quality on top of being a good value.
Learn More About Value at Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Concordia University, Chicago did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois ranking, coming in at #17. River Forest, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. It is a private not-for-profit school.
Concordia University, Chicago has the honor of being ranked #5 in Illinois for overall quality on top of being a good value.
University of St Francis did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois ranking, coming in at #18. University of St Francis is a small private not-for-profit school located in Joliet, Illinois.
Not only is University of St Francis a great value, but it is also ranked #16 in Illinois for overall quality.
Wheaton College Illinois came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois ranking. Wheaton College Illinois is a private not-for-profit institution located in Wheaton, Illinois.
Not only is Wheaton College Illinois a great value, but it is also ranked #10 in Illinois for overall quality.
Olivet Nazarene University landed the #20 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois ranking. Olivet Nazarene is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Bourbonnais, Illinois.
Olivet Nazarene University has the honor of being ranked #17 in Illinois for overall quality on top of being a good value.
Chicago State University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois ranking. Chicago State University is a small public school located in Chicago, Illinois.
Chicago State University has the honor of being ranked #37 in Illinois for overall quality on top of being a good value.
Bradley University ranked #22 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois list. Bradley University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in Peoria, Illinois.
Not only is Bradley University a great value, but it is also ranked #9 in Illinois for overall quality.
Loyola University Chicago came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois ranking. This fairly large private not-for-profit school is located in Chicago, Illinois.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Loyola University Chicago is ranked #4 for quality in the state of Illinois.
With a ranking of #24, Illinois Institute of Technology did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. It is a private not-for-profit school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Illinois Institute of Technology is ranked #7 for quality in the state of Illinois.
With a ranking of #25, Dominican University did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois list. Located in River Forest, Illinois, the school is a small private not-for-profit institution.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Dominican University is ranked #21 for quality in the state of Illinois.
View Best Value Master’s Degree Schools (Income $0-$30k) Nationwide >
All Majors and Fields of Study >
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.