by our College Data Analytics TeamWhen pursuing a degree in today's world, there are many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its Best Master's Degree Colleges for the Money in Illinois ranking as one thing you can use to help make this decision.
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. Instead of depending on subjective information to rank the best value schools, we focus on objective factors in our analysis. In the next few paragraphs, we'll talk a little about what we use in our analysis and why.
To determine the value of a school in our Best Master's Degree Colleges for the Money in Illinois ranking, we first add average tuition, fees, and room and board costs (without aid) together. 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 college's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a collection of various 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 analysis found Concordia University, Chicago to be the best value (no aid) school for master’s degrees in Illinois in this year’s ranking. This medium-sized private not-for-profit school is located in River Forest, Illinois.
Concordia University, Chicago has the honor of being ranked #5 in Illinois for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost without aid for the school is $19,808 per year for graduate students.
The quality degree programs at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money in Illinois. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a large public school located in Champaign, Illinois.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has the honor of being ranked #3 in Illinois for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost without aid for the school is $30,317 per year for graduate students.
Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Value Report
A rank of #3 on our Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money in Illinois list means Illinois State University is a great place for students working on their degree. Illinois State University is a large public school located in Normal, Illinois.
Not only is Illinois State University a great value, but it is also ranked #11 in Illinois for overall quality. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $19,919 a year.
Out of the 37 master’s degree schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Aurora University landed the #4 spot on the list. This medium-sized private not-for-profit school is located 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. The average cost without aid for the school is $24,798 per year for graduate students.
A rank of #5 on our Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money in Illinois list means Olivet Nazarene University is a great place for students working on their degree. Located in Bourbonnais, Illinois, the school is a small private not-for-profit institution.
Not only is Olivet Nazarene University a great value, but it is also ranked #17 in Illinois for overall quality. The average cost without aid for the school is $21,680 per year for graduate students.
Columbia College Chicago did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money in Illinois ranking, coming in at #6. Columbia is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois.
Not only is Columbia College Chicago a great value, but it is also ranked #23 in Illinois for overall quality. The average cost without aid for the school is $18,806 per year for graduate students.
National Louis University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money in Illinois list. NLU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois.
Not only is National Louis University a great value, but it is also ranked #13 in Illinois for overall quality. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $25,596 a year.
University of St Francis came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money in Illinois ranking. Located in Joliet, Illinois, the school is a small private not-for-profit institution.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, University of St Francis is ranked #16 for quality in the state of Illinois. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $24,049 a year.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money in Illinois ranking, coming in at #9. Located in Edwardsville, Illinois, the school is a fairly large public institution.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville has the honor of being ranked #30 in Illinois for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost without aid for the school is $19,197 per year for graduate students.
Bradley University landed the #10 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money in Illinois ranking. Located in Peoria, Illinois, the school is a medium-sized private not-for-profit institution.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Bradley University is ranked #9 for quality in the state of Illinois. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $29,028 a year.
Eastern Illinois University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money in Illinois list. Eastern Illinois University is a medium-sized public school located in Charleston, Illinois.
Eastern Illinois University has the honor of being ranked #27 in Illinois for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost without aid for the school is $21,188 per year for graduate students.
Wheaton College Illinois ranked #12 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money in Illinois list. Wheaton College Illinois is located in Wheaton, Illinois and has a small student population. It is a private not-for-profit school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Wheaton College Illinois is ranked #10 for quality in the state of Illinois. The average cost without aid for the school is $29,196 per year for graduate students.
Northern Illinois University landed the #13 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money in Illinois ranking. NIU is a fairly large public school situated in Dekalb, Illinois.
Not only is Northern Illinois University a great value, but it is also ranked #25 in Illinois for overall quality. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $22,390 a year.
With a ranking of #14, University of Illinois at Chicago did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money in Illinois list. 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 average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $29,527 a year.
McKendree University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money in Illinois ranking. Located in Lebanon, Illinois, the school is a small private not-for-profit institution.
Not only is McKendree University a great value, but it is also ranked #31 in Illinois for overall quality. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $20,726 a year.
With a ranking of #16, Western Illinois University did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money in Illinois list. WIU is a medium-sized public school situated in Macomb, Illinois.
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. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $22,374 a year.
Lewis University did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money in Illinois ranking, coming in at #17. 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. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $26,182 a year.
Southern Illinois University Carbondale came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money in Illinois ranking. Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a fairly large public school located in Carbondale, Illinois.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Southern Illinois University Carbondale is ranked #19 for quality in the state of Illinois. The average cost without aid for the school is $26,784 per year for graduate students.
Read full value report on Southern Illinois University Carbondale
University of Illinois at Springfield came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money in Illinois ranking. UIS is located in Springfield, Illinois and has a small student population. It is a public school.
Not only is University of Illinois at Springfield a great value, but it is also ranked #32 in Illinois for overall quality. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $21,521 a year.
Loyola University Chicago landed the #20 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money in Illinois ranking. Loyola Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois.
Not only is Loyola University Chicago a great value, but it is also ranked #4 in Illinois for overall quality. The average cost without aid for the school is $35,074 per year for graduate students.
With a ranking of #21, DeVry University - Illinois did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money in Illinois list. This large private for-profit school is located in Naperville, Illinois.
Not only is DeVry University - Illinois a great value, but it is also ranked #14 in Illinois for overall quality. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $30,556 a year.
With a ranking of #22, DePaul University did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money in Illinois list. DePaul is located in Chicago, Illinois and has a large student population. It is a private not-for-profit school.
DePaul University has the honor of being ranked #6 in Illinois for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost to attend the school for graduate students if you don’t receive any aid is $33,566 a year.
Benedictine University ranked #23 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money in Illinois list. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Lisle, Illinois.
Benedictine University has the honor of being ranked #15 in Illinois for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost without aid for the school is $29,796 per year for graduate students.
North Park University did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money in Illinois ranking, coming in at #24. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. It is a private not-for-profit school.
North Park University has the honor of being ranked #26 in Illinois for overall quality on top of being a good value. The average cost without aid for the school is $24,309 per year for graduate students.
Governors State University did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money in Illinois ranking, coming in at #25. GSU is a public institution located in University Park, Illinois.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Governors State University is ranked #34 for quality in the state of Illinois. The average cost without aid for the school is $19,049 per year for graduate students.
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Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.