2023 Best Value Teaching Schools in Illinois
Identifying High-Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
Today's teaching students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools and bootcamps that offer fast-track entry to many fields.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Teaching Degree Search has developed this Best Value Teaching Schools in Illinois ranking. This report analyzed 39 schools in Illinois to see which ones offered the best value programs for teaching students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.
This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.
For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
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Top Value Teaching Schools in Illinois
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our 2023 rankings named Concordia University, Chicago the best value school in Illinois for teaching students working on their degree. Located in River Forest, Illinois, the medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 987 diplomas to qualifed students in 2020-2021.
Concordia University, Chicago undergraduate students pay an average of $34,310 in tuition and fees each year. On average, students take out $26,522 in loans while pursuing their degree. During the early years of their career, Concordia University, Chicago graduates make an average of $53,770 annually.
Out of the 39 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Illinois State University landed the # 2 spot on the list. Normal, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out degrees to 956 students in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Illinois State are $24,172 per year. By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $21,109 in student loans. Those who take out this much in loans have to make a monthly payment of about $312 if they are on a 10-year repayment plan. Once they receive their degree, Illinois State graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $44,092 during the early year of their career.
Illinois State also claimed a spot on our Best Teaching Schools in Illinois list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northeastern Illinois University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Teaching Schools in Illinois list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, the medium-sized public school handed out 356 degrees in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Northeastern Illinois University are $22,155 a year. On average, students take out $21,044 in loans while pursuing their degree. During the early years of their career, Northeastern Illinois University graduates make an average of $40,833 annually.
The excellent programs at Governors State University helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best value teaching schools in Illinois. University Park, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out degrees to 97 students in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at GSU are $17,620 a year. Degree recipients from the school accumulate an average of $28,123 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.After graduating from GSU, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $44,233 during the early years of their career.
Out of the 39 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Eastern Illinois University landed the # 5 spot on the list. Eastern Illinois University is a medium-sized public school located in Charleston, Illinois that handed out 366 degrees in 2020-2021.
EIU undergraduate students pay an average of $14,551 in tuition and fees each year. Degree recipients from the school accumulate an average of $23,733 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. If you borrow this amount, expect your monthly student loan payment to be around $178, assuming you are on a 10-year repayment plan. During the early years of their career, EIU graduates make an average of $38,688 annually.
University of St Francis ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Teaching Schools in Illinois list. Located in Joliet, Illinois, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 334 diplomas to qualifed students in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at University of Saint Francis are $35,000 per year. By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $28,383 in student loans. If you borrow this amount, expect your monthly student loan payment to be around $332, assuming you are on a 10-year repayment plan. Once they receive their degree, University of Saint Francis graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $60,805 during the early year of their career.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, University of Saint Francis also did well on our Best Teaching Schools in Illinois list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value teaching programs. This fairly large public school is located in Carbondale, Illinois, and it awarded 334 degrees in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SIUC are $15,240 per year. On average, students take out $23,594 in loans while pursuing their degree. Those who take out this much in loans have to make a monthly payment of about $165 if they are on a 10-year repayment plan.After graduating from SIUC, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $42,413 during the early years of their career.
SIUC did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our Best Teaching Schools in Illinois list.
Olivet Nazarene University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for teaching students. It came in at #8 on the list. Located in Bourbonnais, Illinois, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 399 degrees in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Olivet Nazarene are $37,440 per year. On average, students take out $27,166 in loans while pursuing their degree. If you borrow this amount, expect your monthly student loan payment to be around $364, assuming you are on a 10-year repayment plan. Once they receive their degree, Olivet Nazarene graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $44,879 during the early year of their career.
Northern Illinois University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Teaching Schools in Illinois list. Located in Dekalb, Illinois, the fairly large public school handed out 630 degrees in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at NIU are $14,738 a year. By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $25,759 in student loans. Those who take out this much in loans have to make a monthly payment of about $216 if they are on a 10-year repayment plan.After graduating from NIU, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $48,041 during the early years of their career.
National Louis University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Teaching Schools in Illinois ranking. Located in Chicago, Illinois, the medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 1,158 diplomas to qualifed students in 2020-2021.
NLU undergraduate students pay an average of $14,169 in tuition and fees each year. By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $28,209 in student loans. If you borrow this amount, expect your monthly student loan payment to be around $479, assuming you are on a 10-year repayment plan. During the early years of their career, NLU graduates make an average of $48,291 annually.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value teaching programs. Located in Edwardsville, Illinois, the fairly large public school awarded 213 diplomas to qualifed students in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SIUE are $11,496 per year. By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $24,579 in student loans. For those students on a 10-year repayment plan, the average payment due each month is around $221. Once they receive their degree, SIUE graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $45,746 during the early year of their career.
Read full report on Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
University of Illinois at Springfield did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for teaching students. It came in at #12 on the list. Springfield, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out degrees to 33 students in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at UIS are $18,857 a year. On average, students take out $25,891 in loans while pursuing their degree. For those students on a 10-year repayment plan, the average payment due each month is around $128.After graduating from UIS, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $45,109 during the early years of their career.
McKendree University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Teaching Schools in Illinois list. Located in Lebanon, Illinois, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 129 diplomas to qualifed students in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at McKendree are $33,050 per year. Degree recipients from the school accumulate an average of $24,607 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. If you borrow this amount, expect your monthly student loan payment to be around $207, assuming you are on a 10-year repayment plan. During the early years of their career, McKendree graduates make an average of $47,532 annually.
Western Illinois University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for teaching students. It came in at #14 on the list. Located in Macomb, Illinois, the medium-sized public school awarded 277 diplomas to qualifed students in 2020-2021.
WIU undergraduate students pay an average of $13,297 in tuition and fees each year. On average, students take out $28,617 in loans while pursuing their degree. For those students on a 10-year repayment plan, the average payment due each month is around $266.After graduating from WIU, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $38,708 during the early years of their career.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Teaching Schools in Illinois list. Located in Champaign, Illinois, the large public school awarded 567 diplomas to qualifed students in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UIUC are $37,632 per year. On average, students take out $18,891 in loans while pursuing their degree. For those students on a 10-year repayment plan, the average payment due each month is around $415. Once they receive their degree, UIUC graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $53,270 during the early year of their career.
UIUC also took the #5 spot in our Best Teaching Schools in Illinois rankings.
Read full report on University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
University of Illinois at Chicago came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Teaching Schools in Illinois ranking. University of Illinois at Chicago is a large public school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 385 degrees in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UIC are $30,370 per year. Degree recipients from the school accumulate an average of $19,801 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. Those who take out this much in loans have to make a monthly payment of about $259 if they are on a 10-year repayment plan. Once they receive their degree, UIC graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $53,836 during the early year of their career.
Aurora University landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value teaching programs. Aurora University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in Aurora, Illinois that handed out 313 degrees in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Aurora are $26,760 per year. Degree recipients from the school accumulate an average of $25,543 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. For those students on a 10-year repayment plan, the average payment due each month is around $198. Once they receive their degree, Aurora graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $47,673 during the early year of their career.
Lewis University landed the #18 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value teaching programs. Romeoville, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out degrees to 230 students in 2020-2021.
Lewis undergraduate students pay an average of $35,472 in tuition and fees each year. Degree recipients from the school accumulate an average of $23,413 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. If you borrow this amount, expect your monthly student loan payment to be around $411, assuming you are on a 10-year repayment plan.After graduating from Lewis, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $48,984 during the early years of their career.
Chicago State University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Teaching Schools in Illinois ranking. Chicago State University is a small public school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 46 degrees in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at CSU are $11,204 per year. Degree recipients from the school accumulate an average of $38,261 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. Once they receive their degree, CSU graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $44,850 during the early year of their career.
North Park University ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Teaching Schools in Illinois list. North Park University is a small private not-for-profit school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 133 degrees in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at North Park are $33,050 a year. On average, students take out $26,826 in loans while pursuing their degree. For those students on a 10-year repayment plan, the average payment due each month is around $263.After graduating from North Park, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $49,147 during the early years of their career.
Dominican University ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Teaching Schools in Illinois list. Dominican U is a small private not-for-profit school situated in River Forest, Illinois. It awarded 91 degrees in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Dominican U are $35,420 per year. Degree recipients from the school accumulate an average of $28,848 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. If you borrow this amount, expect your monthly student loan payment to be around $140, assuming you are on a 10-year repayment plan. During the early years of their career, Dominican U graduates make an average of $42,201 annually.
Rockford University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for teaching students. It came in at #22 on the list. Rockford, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out degrees to 86 students in 2020-2021.
Rockford undergraduate students pay an average of $34,000 in tuition and fees each year. By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $21,424 in student loans. Once they receive their degree, Rockford graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $48,338 during the early year of their career.
North Central College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for teaching students. It came in at #23 on the list. North Central College is a small private not-for-profit school located in Naperville, Illinois that handed out 120 degrees in 2020-2021.
North Central undergraduate students pay an average of $42,206 in tuition and fees each year. By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $23,457 in student loans. Those who take out this much in loans have to make a monthly payment of about $330 if they are on a 10-year repayment plan.After graduating from North Central, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $40,224 during the early years of their career.
In addition to its great value ranking, North Central is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Teaching Schools in Illinois list.
Judson University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Teaching Schools in Illinois ranking. Judson University is a small private not-for-profit school located in Elgin, Illinois that handed out 30 degrees in 2020-2021.
Judson undergraduate students pay an average of $29,870 in tuition and fees each year. On average, students take out $24,525 in loans while pursuing their degree.After graduating from Judson, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $42,419 during the early years of their career.
DePaul University ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Teaching Schools in Illinois list. DePaul is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 452 degrees in 2020-2021.
DePaul undergraduate students pay an average of $42,012 in tuition and fees each year. By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $24,047 in student loans. If you borrow this amount, expect your monthly student loan payment to be around $517, assuming you are on a 10-year repayment plan. Once they receive their degree, DePaul graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $49,846 during the early year of their career.
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Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
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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