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Best Value Education Schools in Illinois

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2023 Best Value Education Schools in Illinois

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

39 Colleges
$23,228 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$49,951 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Education School for You

Out of the majors we analyze each year, education was ranked 4th in Illinois. In fact, 10,567 were awarded in the state in 2020-2021.

Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.

The Best Value Education Schools in Illinois ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 39 schools in Illinois to see which ones offered the best value programs for education students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.

Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.

2023 Best Value Education Schools in Illinois

Check out the education programs at these schools if you want to get the best value for your educational dollar.

Top 10 Best Education Schools

#1

Concordia University, Chicago

River Forest, IL
$34,310 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named Concordia University, Chicago the best value school in Illinois for education students. Located in the suburb of River Forest, Concordia University, Chicago is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Concordia University, Chicago are $34,310 a year. While working on their degree, education majors at Concordia University, Chicago accumulate an average of around $25,000 in student debt.

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$13,968 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Illinois State University is a great value for education students. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Illinois State undergraduate students pay an average of $13,968 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, education graduates from Illinois State take out $22,083 in student loans while working on their degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $332, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

In addition to its great value ranking, Illinois State is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Education Schools in Illinois list.

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$12,064 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northeastern Illinois University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Education Schools in Illinois list. Located in the city of Chicago, Northeastern Illinois University is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

Northeastern Illinois University undergraduate students pay an average of $12,064 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, education majors at Northeastern Illinois University accumulate an average of around $11,500 in student debt.

Read full report on Education at Northeastern Illinois University

#4

Governors State University

University Park, IL
$10,108 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Governors State University is a great value for education students. GSU is a small public school located in the rural area of University Park.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at GSU are $10,108 per year. While working on their degree, education majors at GSU accumulate an average of around $35,400 in student debt.

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#5

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, IL
$12,297 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at Eastern Illinois University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best education schools in Illinois. EIU is a medium-sized public school located in the town of Charleston.

EIU undergraduate students pay an average of $12,297 in in-state tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that education majors at EIU take out is $23,459. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $158, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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$35,000 Average Tuition & Fees

University of St Francis ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools in Illinois list. Located in the suburb of Joliet, University of Saint Francis is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at University of Saint Francis are $35,000 per year. The average amount in student loans that education majors at University of Saint Francis take out is $23,878.

In addition to its great value ranking, University of Saint Francis is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Education Schools in Illinois list.

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$15,240 Average Tuition & Fees

Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value education programs. Located in the small city of Carbondale, SIUC is a public college with a large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SIUC are $15,240 per year. The average amount in student loans that education majors at SIUC take out is $19,901.

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#8

Olivet Nazarene University

Bourbonnais, IL
$37,440 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #8, Olivet Nazarene University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for education students. Olivet Nazarene is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Bourbonnais.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Olivet Nazarene are $37,440 per year. The average amount in student loans that education majors at Olivet Nazarene take out is $27,000.

Read full report on Education at Olivet Nazarene University

$14,738 Average Tuition & Fees

Northern Illinois University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Education Schools in Illinois ranking. Located in the suburb of Dekalb, NIU is a public school with a large student population.

NIU undergraduate students pay an average of $14,738 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, education majors at NIU accumulate an average of around $23,882 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $235.

Full Education at Northern Illinois University Report

$11,496 Average Tuition & Fees

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Education Schools in Illinois list. Located in the suburb of Edwardsville, SIUE is a public college with a large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at SIUE are $11,496 a year. After completing their degree, education graduates from SIUE carry an average student debtload of $22,125. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $184, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read More…

Best Value Education Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Value Education Schools in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Indiana 11,570
Michigan 5,939
Ohio 9,238
Wisconsin 5,792

Education Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Teacher Education Grade Specific 110,226
Educational Administration 46,469
Teacher Education Subject Specific 43,297
Special Education 36,792
General Education 29,810
Curriculum & Instruction 19,832
Student Counseling 13,858
Instructional Media Design 8,695
Teaching English or French 5,791
Other Education 4,858
Teaching Assistants 2,751
Educational Assessment 2,552
Multilingual Education 1,910
Education Philosophy 737
International Education 293

Related Major Annual Graduates
Social Sciences 205,984
Psychology 195,678
Communication & Journalism 120,571
Family, Consumer & Human Sciences 55,820
History 32,731

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.

  • 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 the rest 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).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Horadrim.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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