2021 Best Colleges for the Money (With No Aid) in Illinois
Trying to decide what college is best for you is no easy matter. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our Best Illinois Schools For The Money For Those With No Aid ranking is part of that endeavor.
After analyzing 52 schools, we came up with our list of those that were the best for overall value for the money with no aid in Illinois. This ranking isn't just a listing of 'cheap' schools. Instead, it is noting which schools offer a high quality education for a reasonable price. So it is possible that College A may rank better than College B, while College B is less expensive to attend.
See what other factors we include in our ranking methodology.
When determining average cost, we look at total expenses, such as tuition, fees, books and supplies, room and board, and other living expenses. This gives a rough estimation of how much money you can expect to pay out-of-pocket or through loans each year.
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We've developed a number of other tools and rankings to help you make your college decision. Start by filtering this list by location or field of study and then explore our other rankings that feature schools great for different groups of students such as veterans or returnings adults.
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Top Colleges for the Money (Without Aid) in Illinois
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our analysis found University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign to be the best school for overall value for the money with no aid in Illinois in this year’s ranking. University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign is a large public school located in Champaign, Illinois that handed out 8,983 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
The average student at UIUC graduates in less than 4.2 years, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $32,454 for students who receive no aid. Looking at these numbers together, we estimate that the average cost of a bachelor’s degree from UIUC is about $136,307. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.
The low student loan default rate of 1.9% 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%. UIUC also made our Best Colleges in Illinois list, coming in at #3.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Illinois State University. The school came in at #2 in Illinois on this year’s best value ranking. Illinois State is a large public school situated in Normal, Illinois. It awarded 4,822 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
At Illinois State, the average time it takes a student to graduate is 4.4 years, and the yearly average cost to attend the school is $29,128 for students who receive no aid. This means that the average student pays around $126,998 to get a bachelor’s degree from Illinois State. When students graduate in a lesser amount of time, they can save thousands of dollars.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
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The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at Eastern Illinois University helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools for the money in Illinois. EIU is located in Charleston, Illinois and has a medium-sized student population. In 2018-2019, this school awarded 1,244 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
The average student at EIU graduates in less than 4.4 years, and the estimated yearly cost for the school is $24,468 for students who receive no aid. Looking at these numbers together, we estimate that the average cost of a bachelor’s degree from EIU is about $108,149. When you graduate sooner, you can save a lot of money.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Springfield. The school came in at #4 in Illinois on this year’s best value ranking. UIS is a small public school situated in Springfield, Illinois. It awarded 680 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes the average student at UIS about 4.4 years to graduate, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $25,588 for students who receive no aid. Putting this cost and the average time to graduate together, we find that the average amount you’ll pay to get a bachelor’s degree from UIS is $112,331. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.
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A rank of #5 on our Best Colleges for the Money in Illinois list means Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a great place for students working on their bachelor’s degree. SIUE is a fairly large public school situated in Edwardsville, Illinois. It awarded 2,607 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
At SIUE, the average time it takes a student to graduate is 4.5 years, and the yearly average cost to attend the school is $24,967 for students who receive no aid. Looking at these numbers together, we estimate that the average cost of a bachelor’s degree from SIUE is about $112,851. The sooner a student graduates, the more money they can save.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Chicago. The school came in at #5 in Illinois on this year’s best value ranking. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 4,524 students in 2018-2019.
At UIC, the average time it takes a student to graduate is 4.5 years, and the yearly average cost to attend the school is $32,721 for students who receive no aid. Thus, the average cost to get a bachelor’s degree from the UIC is $147,572. The sooner a student graduates, the more money they can save.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
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Principia College ranked #7 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money in Illinois list. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Elsah, Illinois, and it awarded 119 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes the average student at Principia about 4.2 years to graduate, and the average full-time cost to attend the school for students who receive no aid is around $44,150. Putting this cost and the average time to graduate together, we find that the average amount you’ll pay to get a bachelor’s degree from Principia is $185,872. When students graduate in a lesser amount of time, they can save thousands of dollars.
The student-to-faculty rate of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. In addition to its great value ranking, Principia is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Colleges in Illinois list.
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Wheaton College Illinois came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money in Illinois ranking. Wheaton College Illinois is a small private not-for-profit school located in Wheaton, Illinois that handed out 720 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes the average student at Wheaton College Illinois about 4.1 years to graduate, and the yearly average cost to attend the school is $51,130 for students who receive no aid. This makes the estimated cost of a bachelor’s degree from Wheaton College Illinois be around $210,656. When you graduate sooner, you can save a lot of money.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Wheaton College Illinois is ranked #4 for overall quality in Illinois.
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With a ranking of #9, Western Illinois University did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for the Money in Illinois list. WIU is a public institution located in Macomb, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 1,785 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
At WIU, the average time it takes a student to graduate is 4.4 years, and the estimated yearly cost for the school is $26,232 for students who receive no aid. This makes the estimated cost of a bachelor’s degree from WIU be around $116,470. If you can shave even one term off your degree, you can save a substantial amount of money.
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Bradley University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money in Illinois ranking. Bradley is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Peoria, Illinois. It awarded 1,048 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes the average student at Bradley about 4.3 years to graduate, and the estimated yearly cost for the school is $48,990 for students who receive no aid. This means that the average student pays around $208,697 to get a bachelor’s degree from Bradley. If you can shave even one term off your degree, you can save a substantial amount of money.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Bradley excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Colleges in Illinois list.
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Northern Illinois University landed the #11 spot on the 2021 Best Value Colleges in Illinois ranking. This fairly large public school is located in Dekalb, Illinois, and it awarded 3,441 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes the average student at NIU about 4.6 years to graduate, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $28,980 for students who receive no aid. Putting this cost and the average time to graduate together, we find that the average amount you’ll pay to get a bachelor’s degree from NIU is $132,439. When you graduate sooner, you can save a lot of money.
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With a ranking of #12, Lincoln Christian University did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for the Money in Illinois list. Lincoln Christian College and Seminary is located in Lincoln, Illinois and has a small student population. In 2018-2019, this school awarded 77 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
The average student at Lincoln Christian College and Seminary graduates in less than 4.5 years, and the average full-time cost to attend the school for students who receive no aid is around $27,505. When we combine these numbers, we estimate that the cost to get a bachelor’s degree from Lincoln Christian College and Seminary is $124,048. The sooner a student graduates, the more money they can save.
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Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #13 spot on the 2021 Best Value Colleges in Illinois ranking. SIUC is a public institution located in Carbondale, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 3,120 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes the average student at SIUC about 4.5 years to graduate, and the yearly average cost to attend the school is $29,385 for students who receive no aid. Looking at these numbers together, we estimate that the average cost of a bachelor’s degree from SIUC is about $131,057. When students graduate in a lesser amount of time, they can save thousands of dollars.
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With a ranking of #14, Augustana College did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for the Money in Illinois list. Augustana is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Rock Island, Illinois. It awarded 855 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes about 4.1 years for the average student at Augustana to complete their degree, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $56,700 for students who receive no aid. When we combine these numbers, we estimate that the cost to get a bachelor’s degree from Augustana is $230,202. If you can shave even one term off your degree, you can save a substantial amount of money.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Augustana also claimed a spot on our Best Colleges in Illinois list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.
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Lewis University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money in Illinois ranking. This medium-sized private not-for-profit school is located in Romeoville, Illinois, and it awarded 1,234 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes the average student at Lewis about 4.3 years to graduate, and it costs students who receive no aid about $47,980 per year to attend the school. When we combine these numbers, we estimate that the cost to get a bachelor’s degree from Lewis is $207,753. When students graduate in a lesser amount of time, they can save thousands of dollars.
The low student loan default rate of 3.8% 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%.
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Trinity Christian College did quite well in the 2021 Best Value Colleges in Illinois ranking, coming in at #16. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Palos Heights, Illinois, and it awarded 320 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
At Trinity Christian, the average time it takes a student to graduate is 4.1 years, and the estimated yearly cost for the school is $45,025 for students who receive no aid. Putting this cost and the average time to graduate together, we find that the average amount you’ll pay to get a bachelor’s degree from Trinity Christian is $185,053. If you can shave even one term off your degree, you can save a substantial amount of money.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
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Illinois College ranked #17 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money in Illinois list. Illinois College is a small private not-for-profit school located in Jacksonville, Illinois that handed out 256 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes the average student at Illinois College about 4.1 years to graduate, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $44,614 for students who receive no aid. This means that the average student pays around $181,579 to get a bachelor’s degree from Illinois College. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.
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With a ranking of #18, Illinois Wesleyan University did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for the Money in Illinois list. Illinois Wesleyan is a private not-for-profit institution located in Bloomington, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 434 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
The average amount of time it takes for a student to receive their degree at Illinois Wesleyan is 4.1 years, and the yearly average cost to attend the school is $63,300 for students who receive no aid. This means that the average student pays around $256,998 to get a bachelor’s degree from Illinois Wesleyan. The sooner a student graduates, the more money they can save.
The low student loan default rate of 2.5% 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%. Illinois Wesleyan also claimed a spot on our Best Colleges in Illinois list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.
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Northwestern University ranked #19 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money in Illinois list. Northwestern U is located in Evanston, Illinois and has a large student population. In 2018-2019, this school awarded 2,770 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
It takes about 4.1 years for the average student at Northwestern U to complete their degree, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $78,654 for students who receive no aid. Putting this cost and the average time to graduate together, we find that the average amount you’ll pay to get a bachelor’s degree from Northwestern U is $324,841. When you graduate sooner, you can save a lot of money.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Northwestern U also took the #1 spot in our Best Colleges in Illinois rankings.
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With a ranking of #20, University of Chicago did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for the Money in Illinois list. UChicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 2,024 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
At UChicago, the average time it takes a student to graduate is 4.1 years, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $80,277 for students who receive no aid. This makes the estimated cost of a bachelor’s degree from UChicago be around $326,727. The sooner a student graduates, the more money they can save.
With a freshman retention rate of 99%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. UChicago did well in our quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our Best Colleges in Illinois list.
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With a ranking of #20, DePaul University did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for the Money in Illinois list. DePaul is located in Chicago, Illinois and has a large student population. In 2018-2019, this school awarded 3,518 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
The average amount of time it takes for a student to receive their degree at DePaul is 4.2 years, and the average full-time cost to attend the school for students who receive no aid is around $59,406. Looking at these numbers together, we estimate that the average cost of a bachelor’s degree from DePaul is about $250,099. If you can shave even one term off your degree, you can save a substantial amount of money.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. On top of its placing in our value rankings, DePaul also did well on our Best Colleges in Illinois list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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Knox College ranked #22 on this year’s Best Colleges for the Money in Illinois list. Galesburg, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 367 students in 2018-2019.
At Knox, the average time it takes a student to graduate is 4.1 years, and the yearly average cost to attend the school is $60,136 for students who receive no aid. This means that the average student pays around $247,159 to get a bachelor’s degree from Knox. When you graduate sooner, you can save a lot of money.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. On top of its placing in our value rankings, Knox also did well on our Best Colleges in Illinois list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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With a ranking of #23, Loyola University Chicago did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for the Money in Illinois list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, the fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 2,792 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
It takes the average student at Loyola Chicago about 4.1 years to graduate, and on average, the annual cost to attend the school is $63,123 for students who receive no aid. Looking at these numbers together, we estimate that the average cost of a bachelor’s degree from Loyola Chicago is about $259,436. When you graduate sooner, you can save a lot of money.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. On top of its placing in our value rankings, Loyola Chicago also did well on our Best Colleges in Illinois list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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Dominican University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for the Money in Illinois ranking. River Forest, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 500 students in 2018-2019.
At Dominican U, the average time it takes a student to graduate is 4.2 years, and the estimated yearly cost for the school is $47,541 for students who receive no aid. Thus, the average cost to get a bachelor’s degree from the Dominican U is $202,049. Graduating sooner can prevent you from having to pay more money out of pocket.
The low student loan default rate of 4.9% 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%.
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North Central College did quite well in the 2021 Best Value Colleges in Illinois ranking, coming in at #25. Naperville, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 872 students in 2018-2019.
The average student at North Central graduates in less than 4.2 years, and the average full-time cost to attend the school for students who receive no aid is around $54,326. This makes the estimated cost of a bachelor’s degree from North Central be around $228,169. If you can shave even one term off your degree, you can save a substantial amount of money.
The low student loan default rate of 3.2% 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%.
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Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- For our state-specific rankings, we use in-state tuition to calculate average cost. For our national and regional rankings, we use a weighted average of in-state and non-resident tuition.
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%.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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